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Filipino movie director JP Habac's cozy plywood clad micro loft in the heart of Metro Manila has been meticulously crafted to maximise space and showcase Habac’s art, collectibles, records, and awards. Originally one open room, architect Arts Serrano from one/zero completely reimagined the space, adding a lofted bedroom and expanding the kitchen and living room. The kitchen now features a central bar that serves as both additional counter space and an area for entertaining guests. A custom floor-to-ceiling joinery element in the living area is cleverly divided into three zones: a record player station, TV and media storage, and a fold-out desk for a compact home office.

#smallapartment #architecture #interiordesign

Eps. 178
Project Name: Unit B612
Architect: https://www.instagram.com/onezerodesignco/

Produced by New Mac Video Agency
Creator: Colin Chee
Director: Nam Tran
Cinematographer: https://www.instagram.com/vibetribeph
Producer: Lindsay Barnard
Editor: Sebastian Tibbs
Music: Elusive Waltz by Mattia Vlad Morleo & Perpetual Stir by Dear Gravity from Artlist.io
Transcript
00:02With a tiny footprint, we made sure first and foremost that the space could accommodate JP's lifestyle and personal habits.
00:12We played around with geometries to create custom-built elements that maximizes pretty much all odd corners into storage and
00:20display for his collections.
00:23JPU is the owner of this apartment as a movie director. He also lives here with his dog, Pathy.
00:30Pathy.
00:34We really liked how JP added a lot of artworks.
00:38I think that really helped kind of soften the look a little bit.
00:42When architects design things, sometimes it tends to look a little bit mechanical.
00:46And having these little bits of the things that JP likes helps kind of humanize that design a little bit.
00:55We noticed that JP had a lot of little prince books and we thought it would be interesting to take
01:00inspiration from them.
01:02We played around with the idea of creating JP's own little planet within the apartment in the same way that
01:08the prince had his house-sized asteroid called B612.
01:24This apartment is located in Quezon City. It's one of the largest cities in Metro Manila and is home to
01:31the major broadcasting networks, universities, and a wildlife center.
01:36The apartment is part of a residential complex with many of the buildings still under construction.
01:43The apartment was compact with a small kitchenette by the entrance, an open studio where the living room and bedroom
01:50share the same space.
01:52And by the kitchen, there was a compact bathroom.
01:57The entrance to the bathroom was moved to create a bit more privacy, but it also allows us to reconfigure
02:03the kitchen.
02:04The addition of the loft gave us more room to play with in the kitchen, so we completely changed the
02:08layout and added a bar, which also doubles as a counter space.
02:12For the living area, we custom-made a large multifunctional unit which contains space for the TV and a desk.
02:26A small storage unit by the entrance has space for some frequently used shoes below and a pantry above.
02:34On the wall, we added JP's Eames Hang It All rack for his coats, hats, and bags.
02:40The artwork is by Christian Tamandong and it helps bring in more color to the space.
02:47The entrance to the apartment is underneath the loft and it creates a tunnel-like experience before opening up to
02:54the full height of the living area.
02:57Our design approach was to accentuate this ceiling height.
03:02So we integrated the building's angled roof geometry into the design of this space.
03:08The custom joinery is zoned into three sections.
03:11One for a record player, another which integrates the TV and media storage.
03:16And at the end, a fold-out desk for a cozy home office.
03:21At the end of the living room are two large windows that bring in natural light and help to create
03:26airflow in the apartment.
03:29On the other side of the living area, there's a two-seater sofa that JP already had.
03:34We consider the dimensions of the sofa in designing the wall treatment behind it.
03:39The plywood terminates where the sofa is positioned, allowing us to have a full height mirror by the other side
03:45of it.
03:48For most of the lighting, we used LED down lights for areas where JP would work and strip lights for
03:55a soft, cozy ambiance.
03:58The original tiles throughout the apartment were removed.
04:02We poured custom cement on the floor and added metal rods where we anticipated future cracks.
04:09It also creates an interesting look throughout the apartment.
04:12The walls in the apartment are cladded in local plywood.
04:16The top half stained and the bottom half painted white.
04:25The new kitchen is now U-shaped with space for meals and a coffee bar.
04:31All of the major appliances are integrated within the custom joinery.
04:36The custom joinery also acts as double walls that hide all structural framing needed for the loft.
04:44No column or beam is exposed as these are all integrated within the carpentry elements.
04:49In condos in the Philippines, it's quite common to not have built-in cooktops.
04:54A portable one helps regain more counter space.
04:59JP likes cooking for his friends, so we feel that it's important for this kitchen and bar to encourage conversations.
05:06The bar counter can double as a kitchen prep counter, coffee bar, or a space for entertaining guests with food.
05:17Utilizing the dead space under the loft, we added a cabinet for luggage, cleaning materials, and a niche for a
05:25display of personal items.
05:28Access to the loft is via the ladder by the sofa.
05:31We added a couple of small platforms for the landing.
05:35The smaller one has a spot for a dog bed, and the taller one has storage on the side.
05:41This also acts as an extra surface to sit on, and it's a great spot to lounge with friends.
05:49The loft is a more private space for JP to wind down.
05:53There's a rail that doubles as a side table where you can put drinks on.
05:57JP and friends can often watch TV from up the loft.
06:03On top is a narrow pathway, with one side of the wall painted white.
06:08This makes JP's collection of framed posters pop out more.
06:13The solid wood oak flooring makes the loft feel warmer in contrast to the concrete floors of the living space.
06:21At the end of this narrow pathway is the bedroom.
06:24It's an intimate space that can be hidden away behind the curtain.
06:28The bed sits directly on solid wood floor with a custom headboard.
06:34We wrapped cabinetry around the bed to create a cohesive volume integrating all of his clothes, books, and a place
06:42to display his awards.
06:48The bathroom is hidden behind a wall in the living room.
06:51It's a compact space with a shower, a toilet, and a sink with a vanity mirror.
06:57We played around with a mix of white tiles and adobe stones.
07:01We decided to use a stronger lighting approach.
07:04With the white tiles, more light bounces off and it helps create an illusion that the bathroom is bigger.
07:12I think the favorite part of our design for JP Space is really how much wood we used in it.
07:19We wanted to kind of play around with the grains of the wood to kind of emulate how the universe
07:25around the little planet would look like.
07:29With tiny spaces, every square meter matters.
07:33It's very important to start with functionality, making sure that all dimensions are accurate down to the last millimeter.
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