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CLAB Architettura completely revitalised this dingy 1970s Italian apartment, transforming the space by reintroducing light and reorganising it into an efficient, compact home. Characterised by its rural features, outdoor porches and surrounding gardens, the simple interior originally lacked any real form of storage and organisation. Familiar with the home's unique problems as Matteo of CLAB Architettura had lived in the home before his redesign, the architects were able to create more defined living, dining, and sleeping areas by moving the kitchen into the empty space underneath the building's stairwell and relocating the bathroom door. Additional storage was also introduced, along with extra wardrobe space under a raised double bed easily concealed behind a curtain.

#smallapartment #architecture #interiordesign

Ep. 157
Project Name: Apartment 35
Architect: https://www.clabarchitettura.com/

Produced by New Mac Video Agency
Creator: Colin Chee
Director: Nam Tran
Cinematographer: Alessandro Carpentiero
Producer: Lindsay Barnard
Editor: Yasmin Bright, Gilda Jones, and Jessica Ruasol
Music: Life Balance by Roie Shpigier & Daybreak by Jon Gegelman from Artlist.io
AI Translation and Dubbing: Eleven Labs: https://www.elevenlabs.io/?from=partnerbowen4628
Transcript
00:03Before the renovation, I was actually living in this apartment as a renter.
00:08The owner found out that I was an architect and asked me to renovate it for him.
00:16It was a really interesting opportunity because I was able to use my experiences living here to create a more
00:24functional space.
00:26Hi, I'm Matteo and I'm Giulia and we are two of the partners of Club Architettura.
00:39One of the main characteristics is the greenery that surrounds the apartment, which keeps a unique feeling of immersion in
00:46nature.
00:48The apartment building is built in the 70s.
00:54It has typical features of rural architecture, such as porches and courtyard.
01:04Before we renovated the apartment, it was dark and there wasn't a clear organization of the space.
01:12The apartment had a single room that was bought for living room and for bedroom.
01:18And the sofa converted into the bed at night time.
01:22There was a little kitchen next to the bathroom and a small closet under the neighbor's stair.
01:27We didn't make any big changes because we had to keep the bathroom at the same place in the apartment,
01:34only moving the entrance.
01:36The most significant change was moving the kitchen into the unused space of the closet.
01:43This allowed us to get a space for the bed by the existing window and to gain more space for
01:50the closet.
01:53As you come into the apartment, through the porch connected directly to the garden,
01:59you can get an overview of the entire space with the wooden custom element, which creates a warm ambience and
02:06defines the different areas.
02:10There is a low shelf behind the couch, which I use as a bookshelf and also as a place to
02:17put my key when I go home.
02:20The living and the dining spaces are in the same area, yet both are clearly defined.
02:27A large rug and a couch define the living area.
02:31The couch can be converted into a bed for two when guests stay over.
02:40This section of the custom wall unit contains the TV and is surrounded by bookshelf and other closet storage.
02:51The double bed is located in a compartment raised from the ground and is reachable on a few wooden steps.
02:58A curtain makes it possible to hide the bedroom when it is not used and provides some privacy.
03:06Shelves are provided for books and personal objects and a small reading lamp is available, together with a bedside table.
03:14The existing windows, located at the same level of the bed, allow a pleasant view of the surrounding greenery when
03:21lying down.
03:25To optimize the space, drawers and a small wardrobe are placed under the bed.
03:30Inside one of the drawers there is a room for hanging clothes. The drawers can roll in and out for
03:37easy access.
03:42The kitchen is small, but fully equipped. There is a single sink with a dishwasher underneath, a gas cooktop with
03:52an oven.
03:52In the part of the room where the ceiling is at the lowest point, there are two hidden pantry doors,
03:59which contains the fridge.
04:02A mirror is placed on the other door to make the kitchen feel bigger.
04:09The kitchen has a small existing window, which offers ventilation and light.
04:17The bathroom hasn't changed much. The entrance has been moved in the direction of the living area and accessible from
04:25a hidden door.
04:27Before entering, there are some shelves, which we dedicated to bathroom items.
04:34The bathroom has a sink, washing machine, shower, toilet and bidet.
04:39The existing window provides natural ventilation.
04:45Close to the shower there is a low door that gives access to further storage, using the area under the
04:52bed.
04:55A residential space can be comfortable independently of its size.
05:02The designing of small spaces encourages the optimization of resources.
05:08It also demonstrates how the quality of living does not depend on the size of the space,
05:15but on the ability to optimize what already exists.
05:18The tears can be neighborhood.
05:20As a archа, aside from terrace, we're doing Vieux.
05:20The house is to enable Vieux.
05:21execute?!
05:21...
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