Help needed replanning apartment

9 years ago

We (have almost) bought a beautiful and charming 1 bedroom apartment, but would like to re-plan the layout and would appreciate some help with it.
The plan is to move the bathroom to where the kitchen is and move the kitchen into the living room- the previous bathroom would then be used as a study/small 'personal' bedroom.
The storage cupboard that is currently in the bedroom would either be knocked through, or used as a part of the bathroom, if needed.
My concern is that the living room might feel a bit small, and would love to get some ideas as to where I could place the furniture so that we can make the space work (or a completely new plan suggestions if anyone has any brilliant ideas!)?
I have tried to look through the pictures on this site, but can not really form a good picture in my mind.

Please help!

Featured Answer

minnie101

9 years ago

This probably isn't the right answer but you would be spending a lot of money in doing this which may not see a return. I can't see the bathroom being usable as a bedroom for resale. Have you thought of extending or is this not possible? If you want a study area, can you not fit a desk in the lounge or have a sofa bed for guests when needed? Apologies for being so blunt and I may well be wrong but just an honest opinion!

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Comments (22)

Jonathan
9 years ago
I think you are trying to get this flat to do too much and you likely won't get your money back.
I think that you should enjoy the big living room and leave the bathroom where it is- put a glass door to the hallway to increase the light, make the existing kitchen longer( by borrowing from the bedroom) to make it accommodate more.
I would also look at fold down beds (also called Murphy beds/ hideaway beds) you could have a wall of cabinets in the living room that work as office/ guest bed/ storage/ dining table.
shamylakhan thanked Jonathan
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Yes agreed its very daunting - and you'll never get it spot on first time. I've only lived in my house 2.5 years and this is the 3rd time i've completely changed the lounge, the kitchen has been done twice, and the bedrooms twice also :) My latest inspiration for the lounge was a Tom Ford showroom, so i typed "tom ford interiors" into google and saw the pictures, that became the template and i just research the internet for similar items. Another great look for your place could be scandinavian design which is very bright and airy, there are a lot of pictures on this site if you type "scandinavian" in, and also these websites specialise in scandi accessories: www.scandinaviandesigncenter.com and www.finnishdesignshop.com . Just list out all the elements that will need to be looked and and work through them methodically: 1) layout, spacing and sizing of furniture, to include rugs 2) overall colour theme (2 or 3), to include furniture, carpets / rugs any wallcoverings and curtains / blinds) 3) lighting (yours looks good already) 4) accessories and decor 5) textiles such as cushions and throws keep the darker colours lower down if you want to place to look light and airy (such as rugs etc rather than painting walls dark colour) and use lots of mirrors if you want to add the illusion of space. But the number 1 tip from me is find a picture of a room you like and simply copy of much of it as you can.
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j9rob
9 years ago
I think in a small space like this the floor plan looks reasonably functional. Why do you want to move the kitchen and bathroom? Is it to achieve a study space? If so, perhaps you would be better placed with some built in shelving/desk in reception room. There are loads of examples on houzz.

The only other reason I can see is that guests would need to go through your bedroom to use the toilet but I don't think you really would be doing huge parties in a space like this, so maybe thinking about storage to keep the space tidy is more important than that anyway?

http://houzz.com/photos/18005476
http://houzz.com/photos/16983166
http://houzz.com/photos/20136078 (this one much larger but you get the idea)

My other thought would be to get rid of the walk in robe. Build cupboards along that full wall. A walk in robe in a small space is not as practical as robes that cover the whole wall, floor to ceiling.

http://houzz.com/photos/414726
http://houzz.com/photos/107017

You could also flip the kitchen in a remodel to have the bulk of cupboards along the left wall and extend the bench into the reception room, just a little, to give the kitchen a bit more bench space. If not a supporting wall, then possibly remove the small wall between the sink and reception area to open it a little?

Search for 'small kitchen' on houzz for ideas.

Hope this gives you some more ideas. Best of luck!
shamylakhan thanked j9rob
shamylakhan
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you so much for your suggestions guys!!
I do see the point that minnie101 and jonathandb1972 raise about making the space work as it is and add a sofa bed/ murphy bed. But the main reason for moving the bathroom is as j9rob mentioned, that the guests would have to walk through the bedroom to get to the bathroom. I am planning to have guests stay over from abroad (my mother included) and it wouldnt be ideal for her to walk through our bedroom to get to the bathroom. Another reason for moving the bathroom is that the space can then be used as wardrobe area/study as there isnt an awful lot of wardrobe space in the bedroom.
Also the kitchen needs to accommodate for a dishwasher which it currently doesnt (the dishwasher is a must for us, although other people might disagree with this).
I understand that the flat can never be a 2 bed, but it would be nice to have a flow through the flat and separate space for different purposes.
Would it be silly to move the kitchen into the bottom right corner of the living room as an L shaped kitchen?
minnie101
9 years ago
Hi. If you change the bathroom into a bedroom your mother would instead be walking through your bedroom to get to her bedroom? I'll have a think though. Is extending not an option?
shamylakhan thanked minnie101
shamylakhan
Original Author
9 years ago
Hi minnie, unfortunately, extending is not an option as the flat is located on the first floor (or second floor as it is known in the US). The idea is to move the bathroom to where the existing kitchen is, and put a door for the bathroom in the hallway. My mother would still stay in the lounge on a sofa bed or similar and the previous bathroom space would be used as wardrobe area and a small study.
j9rob
9 years ago
I don't think renovations on a small flat like this should be done to accommodate occasional guests. Is your mother really spending that much time there that you can't manage the bathroom?

Even if you had guests 1 weekend every month that's 24 days a year or 6.5% of the time. I think it is worth being more aware of your own needs for the space than renovating to accommodate others. Beware changing things that will impact resale!

BTW I agree that the dishwasher is a must!
shamylakhan thanked j9rob
minnie101
9 years ago
Hi. As you know I agree re renovations as they will be very costly (is moving the plumbing doable if you're in a flat?) and I do not think you will recoup the money. Nevertheless, I've drawn a plan which is pretty much to scale where measurements are shown and approximations for furniture. It isn't quite what you asked for but can be changed around but should give an idea of the space. I think the living space is only just doable. The sitting position on the sofa is 6ft from the tv. You could instead have the table against the kitchen window to give more space for cupboard opening and push the sofa back which may work better. What do you plan on doing about the door in the bathroom as the only space you can put the bath is where the oven is? You may be able to play with the space but if not a window? You also don't have a window in the study/bed. I also suggested a built in bed in the old bathroom but you could swap the bed around with the wardrobe. I think floor to ceiling storage and cupboards would be key here along with slimline furniture. Anyway, I hope it helps with ideas
shamylakhan thanked minnie101
PRO
House Plans Helper
9 years ago
Moving the kitchen and bathroom would be a bad investment. I'd suggest getting rid of the walk in closet as has been suggested above. Think of a solution to give you privacy when your mum stays. This could be as simple as a 4 poster bed with curtains or a curtain or sliding panels that you can pull the length if the room leaving a corridor to the bathroom. If the bed head is on the left walk this should work. Hope that helps.
shamylakhan thanked House Plans Helper
Jonathan
9 years ago
I would look at the cost of refitting a bathroom and see home many hotel nights you could afford with the money
shamylakhan thanked Jonathan
PRO
Treyone
9 years ago
I think the above comments are valid considering the amount of work involved for little return. Considering that there is plumbing for the kitchen could you possible make the bedroom storage into a toilet or even wet room if the size allows. This would mean access through the bedroom for a shower still may be but any guests would not be tramping through your space just for the loo. Second toilet will add value to your home as well.

I would then suggest placing the bed on the right hand side of the room so that you can run bedroom storage along the whole length of the bedroom on the left.

Also I would leave the kitchen as is but extend it into the living space. Have the dining on the left as well and have the sofa bed/ living area on the right.

This all depends on your plumbing and I know it may seem like you will be losing storage but there are great space saving storage solutions all over Houzz.

Hope this helps :)
shamylakhan thanked Treyone
shamylakhan
Original Author
9 years ago
Hi guys, again thank you so much for the suggestions! And thank you minnie101 for taking the time and sketching a plan for what it might look like - i was actually planning to move the kitchen to that corner as my first option (other than the one in the picture below).
Before I finally give up on my idea, as the comments everyone made are very sensible, I would just like to show what I was planning to do- bearing in mind the purpose for this is more to create a wardrobe/study area, as well as add dishwasher and more counter space in the kitchen, rather than accommodate for my mother when she visits :)
Please excuse my amateur attempt at paint and do let me know your opinions.

Thanks guys!
minnie101
9 years ago
Hi. No problem. Just a few queries. What are you doing about the kitchen and lounge doors? Are they being bricked up?The opening to the kitchen seem to be about a foot wide? If you extend the kitchen why not just take it along the back left lounge wall if you are losing the door? Do you know the existing bathroom measurements? It would be tight but why not build in a desk on the right hand wall with storage above? Given you are on the 2nd floor, have you looked at the cost of a wet room?
shamylakhan
Original Author
9 years ago
Hi minnie, I've pushed the hallway wall a bit into the kitchen as it is originally pretty tight.
The kitchen might not be U shaped, but L shaped instead (and extended into the lounge, as suggested by many of the fellow 'Houzzers'), hence solving the issue about the narrow opening to the kitchen.
The lounge door will be expanded, and the bedroom door will be in place where the black line currently is for the bedroom (sorry- forgot to add a door there!).
Unfortunately, I do not know the existing measurements for the bathroom, but they are roughly the same size as the existing kitchen. As for the 'wetroom', it could very well be a nice shower cubicle as none of us are bathtub fans anyway :)
minnie101
9 years ago
Hi. Sorry I meant the existing external doors from the lounge and kitchen. An L shaped kitchen would work best. Why don't you do the same and draw everything to scale including furniture, kitchen cabinets and bathroom furniture? People can help advise on space needed around everything to see if it would work or not as it's quite a big decision
Kittihawke
9 years ago
I think your plan is fine. You said originally that you wanted a study/ personal bedroom. This is a good plan to enable you to have personal space without buying a 2 bed.
And if you do come to sell you will have a functional open plan living/ kitchen/ diner which is all the rage now and just market your little room as a walk in wardrobe/ study.
If your Mother needs to stay there sometimes just put your personal things into a locked drawer or wardrobe.
Anyway your home needs to suit the way you want to live. Resale isn't the bottom line all of the time.
You just need to be smart about scale. And use the knowledge available to you on Houzz to see how to make best use of the good sized living room to make it function well in three different ways. But seamlessly.
Your bathroom will be little but a wet room on the first floor may not be the answer. And I have used one on holiday before and hated having to mop the floor after showering before anyone could use the room again. The water goes everywhere!
Best of luck. I would just love to have a tiny space all of my own. I hope you get yours.
ajbab5
9 years ago
Hi, why not switch the reception and bedroom, and keep the bath and kitchen where they are? You can create a small study in the reception area. You'll need to knock off the bedroom closet and rearrange the kitchen to access it from the other side.
PRO
Jaimie K Designs Ltd
9 years ago
Hi
the real problem with moving the toilet into the middle of the flat will be the sewage pipework. I am guessing at the moment it is sitting on an outside wall or at least ties in with the rest of the building. Check this first as this would be your biggest expense and problem. If you have no access to sewage on that side moving the bathroom there will not be an option. Also do you want a gas cooker or hob? there may not be gas in the bathroom area easily accessible and so you would have to have wiring for electric only. probably moving the kitchen into living room space and create a galley style kitchen with a long run on one wall and keep cupboards either side of the fire place or one side create a breakfast bar against the wall. plenty of room for a dishwasher. knock out the kitchen walls so it open all the way through giving more space to the living room it could create a small dining area or works space, the cost of this against moving both bathroom and kitchen will be comparable. your new bedroom change the door to open the other way place the bed on the newly created kitchen wall and wardrobes across the full width of the room.this layout should cover all the bases with minimum cost. And give plenty of storage. with a corner sofa bed you have a spare bed as well as a spacious apartment
PRO
Jaimie K Designs Ltd
9 years ago
ps I can draw up a quick plan if that would help
kr jaimie k
Kittihawke
9 years ago
Wouldn't a macerator solve the sewage-moving problem?
Ash McGregor
9 years ago
If you need access into the bathroom outside of the bedroom, wouldn't the easiest thing to do to be to swap the reception and bedroom spaces? You'd need to move partitions and reconfigure the kitchen but there wouldn't be any major (and costly) plumbing work etc. A larger bedroom at the front could comfortably incorporate study space as per j9rob's comment
Jonathan
9 years ago
There are lots of ideas flying around but budget may well exclude some of them.
What budget is available?

Help needed replanning apartment

minnie101

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