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Located in a 70's walk-up in the inner seaside suburb of St. Kilda in Melbourne, the heart of this studio apartment’s redesign by the talented team at tsai Design is a majestic floor-to-ceiling mirrored copper pod. This multifunctional centrepiece, which wraps around the existing bathroom wall and curves towards the sleeping area, houses both kitchen and bedroom storage with vibrant internal colours and includes a hidden fold-out table for added versatility. The rest of the apartment remains open, with thoughtful space-saving features, such as a curtain to reveal or conceal the bedroom, an extended shelf from the TV unit into the bedroom, and a couch with a flexible back for dining or lounging, that allow the space to evolve throughout the day without feeling crowded or difficult to convert.

#smallapartment #architecture #interiordesign

Ep. 184
Project Name: St.Kilda Micro Sanctuary
Architect: www.tsaidesign.com.au

Produced by New Mac Video Agency
Creator: Colin Chee
Director & Cinematographer: Nam Tran
Producer: Lindsay Barnard
Editor: Jessica Ruasol
Music: wt by REW, Calm On by Lalinea, Wednesday Afternoon by FAIR GAME & Say No More by Julian Hartwell from Artlist.io
Transcript
00:05This is a 27 meter square apartment. It's just one big room.
00:12So the tricks we use is to try to break up and create different experiences within the space.
00:20A lot of little pockets, vibes and moods. It's about meandering, extending the journey.
00:30That gives you the illusion of space.
00:35I'm Heidi.
00:36I'm Jack. We're from Tsai Design. We're an architectural and interior design studio based in Geelong, Victoria.
00:52This apartment is located in St Kilda.
00:57It's a famous beach suburb in Melbourne.
01:02So there's a good mix of old and new buildings and cafes and pubs just down the street.
01:09It's a close proximity to the major hub of St Kilda and proper transportation at the corner as well.
01:19We think this building is built in the 1970s.
01:24There's around 52 units and they're all studio apartments.
01:31The client is currently based overseas. They spend a few months at a time in Australia.
01:39They want to create a space comfortable for two people to live and work from home.
01:45They're also interested in exploring the potential for this apartment to be used as a short stay accommodation when they're
01:52not in the country.
01:56The original apartment is quite tired and really need a refresh.
02:01The bathroom is awkwardly placed and it's the first thing you see when you enter the space.
02:06The bathroom ceiling is dipping and we found a bird nest in the roof space.
02:11But the big window has great opportunity while capturing the trees in the front.
02:20So structurally, the only change we made was switching the bathroom door to a more discreet location.
02:28We also reorientated the kitchen, turning it 90 degrees from the short wall to the window fronts.
02:35We create a hero copper mirrored pot in the centre of the apartment.
02:40Outside, the idea is to have all the spaces you expect in the house.
02:44There is common laundry on the same floor in the building.
02:48So the client is actually using the common laundry instead of having a washing machine in the apartment.
02:55The moment you walk into the apartment, the first thing catches your eyes is the copper finish joinery.
03:01In contrast to the calm and pale palette of the rest of the apartment.
03:06We also place a small stool at the entry so people can sit and take off their shoes when they
03:11arrive.
03:15The copper joinery is the heart of the apartment.
03:19Wrapping around the existing walls to create a division and intrigue.
03:24This joinery is the main storage of the apartment.
03:27Housing kitchen storage, wardrobe, a fold-up desk, display bookshelf and general storage.
03:35The initial idea of having the mirror copper cladding is to bounce the light around and create a visual distraction
03:42from a direct view into the bathroom.
03:46The skirting is mirror finish which creates an illusion of the floorboards continuing throughout the space.
03:56We use cot flooring throughout the apartment.
03:59The cot flooring is a bit softer than timber and have a bit of exaggerated texture which gives a bit
04:06more character to the apartment.
04:12We created this TV unit for the living room, housing the TV and also more storage including a storage for
04:20vacuum cleaner on the left and more open display shelf.
04:27We created the curve to end the TV unit to create a bit more of a flow.
04:33It also mirrors the copper joinery which also has the same profile.
04:40For a small space, every pocket of space you can find we will try to make use of it.
04:46We utilize the space above the door, creating a continual shelf that extends from the TV units all the way
04:53into the bedroom.
04:55Because there's a curtain that separates the bedroom from the rest of the space, we create an illusion of a
05:01continual shelf just by the alignment.
05:07The kitchen is repositioned in front of the big window and we extend the kitchen benchtop on top of the
05:15windowsill to maximise the prep space.
05:18Our client is not a big cook so the kitchen is designed as a kitchenette setting.
05:24We have chlorine for the bench top and a sink so we can create a seamless continuous surface.
05:30And copper tapware to match the copper joinery.
05:37Under the bench we have the bin storage, drawers for coloury, dishwasher, fridge drawer and a standalone microwave oven.
05:45We integrated the appliances under the bench so we can have a clean linear kitchen.
05:55The rest of the storage are all housed in the copper joinery.
05:59We also play with the internal colour of the units.
06:03So having the blue in the kitchen section, the yellow for the wardrobe and the terracotta for the shower space.
06:11The coffee nook on the side of the kitchen bench houses the coffee machine, capsules and all.
06:18To make it efficient we have to create a bifold door so it doesn't impede into the sink area.
06:27The dining table also doubles as kitchen island and the chair can be folded away and stored in the wardrobe.
06:35The client themselves came up with a really clever idea of having a couch from E9 design furniture with flexible
06:42backings which enable us to use it for both lounging and dining simply by repositioning the bed rest.
06:50Lighting wise, we have track lighting for the living room and the bedroom and also wall light for kitchen.
06:57We try to avoid having pendant light from the ceiling so that people can focus on the copper joinery.
07:07The queen size bed is at the darkest corner of the apartment.
07:11We have block out curtains to separate from the living area.
07:15The block out curtains actually have linen and a block out sheet in the middle and linen on the other
07:21side so it looks like linen fabric but it's actually a block out curtain.
07:29Wardrobe is housed in the copper joinery next to the bed and there is extra hanging under the overhead shelf.
07:42Occasionally both clients need to have a quick meeting separately then one can sit at the dining table while the
07:48other one can work on a small follow-up study on the side of the joinery.
07:53Above the study table we have magazine racks so the client can put their magazine or books or any small
08:00display items.
08:07The toilet sits just behind the concealed pivot door which swings both ways for ease of access.
08:14While the shower and the vanities is inside the covered pod.
08:23The storage is behind the mirror above the sink and below the sink we also have more extra storage.
08:30The shower area is in terracotta and then the rest of the space is painted to match the tile colour.
08:38Due to the size of the shower space the shower door is a wide folding system so it's quite compact.
08:48We're trying to create like a layering of experiences so there's an open plan on the outside and then the
08:54bathroom has been more dynamic moodier.
08:58Breaking up the space, breaking up the experience kind of extends the journey through the house and gives that impression
09:06it's a bigger space.
09:07Move your eyes.
09:18Moving slow,ставate a sleep.
09:22Missing room electronic song nominations.
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