LONGING FOR THE FIRST COMMON HOME

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Square footage: 89.5 m²
Type of object: House | ground floor (garage and other rooms)
Type of project: complete renovation
Year of design: 2020

In this project, the story revolves around a young couple who are united by love, common interests, and, above all, a longing for their first common home. In a spacious garage that basically no one uses, they saw an opportunity to create their own home and this is how we designed the renovation of the garage in a functional, modern space. Spacious living area that opens onto the garden. In between, there are islands of furniture that define how we travel through space, how we live in it, and how we feel in it.

The entrance faces a side street where there is a low flow of people and cars. That is why we decided to go with a big panoramic window with a front door, that is the same size as the current garage door. Residents are covered from prying eyes by plants on the outside and curtains on the inside.

When you step through the door you see everything but nothing at the same time. The view reaches the other end of the apartment but most of the things are hidden behind a wooden cube, which on one side offers space for storing shoes, and on the other side there are kitchen cabinets with an additional work surface. The wooden cube is “only” 220 cm high and thus does not touch the ceiling, which is 294 cm high. This is how we created airiness and highlighted the height of the ceiling. The distance of the cube from the wall also allows us a practical transition from the dirty (entrance) part to the clean part (living area).

The first part of the long wooden set next to the outer wall is intended for storing coats, bags, and other things that are convenient to have near the entrance. The second part of this long wooden set serves as an additional space for storing food and kitchen utensils. In the tall kitchen units, there are the refrigerator, freezer, and storage areas, but there is also an additional work surface, as the work surface on the island is not enough for comfortable food preparation. The kitchen island opens into the room and offers a view to the dining and living room, while the view also finds rest in the garden in front of the house.

We took advantage of the existing chimney and planned a solid fuel fireplace that will bring that feeling of warmth and comfort (#iwannastayhome) on colder days. We put a solid wall behind the fireplace and this hides the entrance to the bathroom.

The focal point of a living room is a sofa with two large ottomans, which have several purposes – they allow a reclining position for watching TV, serve as a coffee table (with a suitable tray), or as an additional seat when a young couple is hosting guests. The sofa is comfortable but still small enough that it can be turned over by looking towards the garden. From the sofa, you can see the TV, the crackling fire in the fireplace, and part of the terrace/garden. Behind the sofa, under the window, there is a work surface suitable for creativity moments, working on a laptop, writing letters, or homework. Next to the table, various documents, books, etc. can be stored in cupboards.

From the living room, you step out to the terrace and then on to the garden. The terrace is intended for the morning (and afternoon;) coffee, eating food, hanging out with friends, reading books, lying down, sunbathing and one day it will also become a place for children to play. It is designed to be that extension of the home that blurs the line between outside and inside. And what is more beautiful than natural shade? Maybe the fact that the changes in the tree canopy strengthen our sense of connection with nature.

We predicted the bathroom on the site where the existing bathroom is, but we increased it considerably. The first part of the bathroom is intended for toilet and urinal, and the second part of the bathroom for the sink, utility, and walk-in shower. So as we travel through the bathroom, we move from a more public area to an increasingly intimate, private area.

A special feature of the bathroom is the window in the shower area. The client’s wish was to see from the bedroom into the shower area and with this layout we also achieved this. Just below this inner window, we placed a bench in both the bedroom and the bathroom (same material) and gained two practical elements. The window adjacent to the bedroom brings some daylight into this part of the bathroom, and even more the feeling of open space. Wondering what happens if you want intimacy while taking a shower? There are several possibilities – a curtain in the bedroom, blinds, smart glass… Or simply – nothing at all.

FLOOR PLAN | before and after

FLOOR PLAN | after | colors and materials

Sometimes, a cold garage can become a warm home. All it needs is a good design and somebody to love it. In our case, the garage remains a garage. Our young couple faced many opportunities and dilemmas while the project was going on, and in the end, for personal, temporal and financial reasons, they decided to aim higher – “Someday we will have our own house.”. So our project ends at this point and I’ll see you in the next story.