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Artist Daniel Dorall redesigned his 50m2 heritage small apartment in Melbourne's southeast to better utilize the limited space. High ceilings allowed him to purpose build a study area into the bedroom, that functions both as work space and as additional storage. Collections of books and artworks are deliberately grouped in compositions lending to the home's sense of visual balance. While throughout the apartment modernist concrete pieces and hacked Ikea furniture create the opportunity for recessed storage, and the inclusion of a small fireplace, allowing for a continuity that previously did not exist.

#smallapartment #architecture #interiordesign

Project Name: South East Apartment
Architect: http://www.danieldorall.com/

Website https://www.nevertoosmall.com
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Produced by https://newmac.co
Creator: Colin Chee
Director: Colin Chee
Producer: Luke Clark
Camera: Colin Chee
Editor: Colin Chee
Music: East by Hammock. Start your free trial subscription on Musicbed by using the link here http://share.mscbd.fm/nvtsmall
Transcript
00:00My name is Daniel Doral and I'm an architect turned artist.
00:09So the building was built in about 1914, originally planned as a shopping arcade
00:15and converted into apartments in around 2005.
00:20This apartment is roughly about 50 square meters
00:24but it looks a lot bigger because it's got really quite high ceilings.
00:36So when I first got this apartment it looked quite different.
00:40It was orientated differently towards the eastern side
00:44and it had carpet and tiles on the floors.
00:50So I kept the floor plan roughly about the same but I did get rid of the laundry area
00:56and made that into a separate entrance into the bathroom.
01:01I'm a modernist at heart, more on hard-edge modernism.
01:06So I'm quite interested in quite hard materials like concrete.
01:11I wanted a consistent floor material and so we dug out all the tiles and the carpets
01:17and ground the concrete down.
01:22I also added a concrete bench in this awkward nook in the living area and in that nook area,
01:30I added a concrete fireplace.
01:35In the kitchen area, the main focal point is the concrete bench which I designed myself.
01:41So it's roughly about two by one meters and it has a waterfall side on one side which really
01:51essentially accentuates the concrete brutalist architecture.
01:55Below the concrete bench top, I added additional IKEA storage which I hacked into the space.
02:04The large surface of two by one meters also allowed me to not only use it as a dining table,
02:11but for prep and any cooking that I might want to do, but essentially to make the work that I
02:17make as well.
02:20So the design of the kitchen is generally the same as how when I first purchased it.
02:26The main two things that I changed was I introduced a mirrored splashback to add another dimension to the space.
02:35I also decided to get rid of all the door handles and have this really clean modern look
02:41and repaint all the doors in a high gloss white.
02:48So the bedroom is a regular size room, but it has quite high ceilings up to three and a half
02:54meters.
02:57I decided to utilize the height of the room to create additional storage.
03:02Two main elements that I added was a much larger wardrobe which went all the way up to the ceiling
03:10and a purpose-built study as well, which also provided additional storage space
03:16all the way up to the three and a half meters ceiling.
03:24So I decided to keep the bathroom as original.
03:29The only main change was to remove the laundry area which made the bathroom a lot bigger
03:35and that laundry area was converted into a separate entrance through the kitchen.
03:43I created a European style laundry, putting the washer dry unit above the newly placed hot water unit.
03:55So the entrance to the apartment comes through a corridor which is roughly about three meters long
04:01and in this corridor space I've created a gallery area with a salon hang.
04:06So as you move through the corridor it reveals a much grander, brighter, open plan area.
04:18So one of the main things that attracted me to this apartment when I first came to see it was
04:23it's got a large bank of windows on the eastern side which is roughly about five by three meters.
04:29It offers a great view out towards the east and the Dandenongs.
04:34There are quite a few archaea hacks within the apartment.
04:37One being the shelf below the eastern windows where the books and small objects are held.
04:50The balcony area which faces south allows me to get out and get some fresh air and do a little
04:57bit of gardening as well.
05:03I collect a lot of objects and I collect a lot of art and therefore the style of the apartment
05:09needed to be quite neutral so there are a lot of whites and greys and blues as well.
05:19Concrete elements in small spaces is quite unusual but if done right it can really act as a good
05:25backbone to the different objects within the space.
05:29And the best way to display them in a small space is to group them in small compositions which creates
05:38a good visual balance.
05:42For them I hope not at all for us.
05:43This is spent on an announcement that this world needs to do so well!
05:44DIRE County
05:44I'm thinking that was very unique!
05:45The need to find a big question for them is less than one to one.
05:51You have a beautiful UI film, this
05:54I'm wearing 1neg sieges
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