June 2014 - Novell Design BuildNovell Design Build

12

Jun

Living Small in Metro Vancouver

By Tudor

Living Small and Design for Small Spaces

Living small can be a challenge in Metro Vancouver. Here are some tips and tricks.

As part of the GVHBA Spring Home Renovation Seminar, Laurel, director and principal designer at Novell, conducted a presentation on living small and how to thoughtfully design a small space. We’ve dissected our presentation and compiled some of the juicy details for your perusing pleasure. You can view the entire Prezi presentation here. For more information on the projects featured, click on the thumbnails.

Create a beautiful path to a beautiful home

A shipping container becomes an eye-catching home that demonstrates excellent landscape design. Source: Architizer

Organize your desired experiences

Colour is used to delineate the entryway and storage spaces in this home in Mexico. This design characteristic also separates the living and dining areas from the bedrooms. Source: Dezeen.

The floor plan of this 581sf home cleverly separates areas meant for entertaining and dining from private spaces. Source: Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects.

This home’s design creates a psychological separation between areas used to entertain company and areas private to the homeowner. The plan also segregates the kitchen so as so facilitate undisturbed preparation of meals. Source: Slade Architects.

Design with flexibility

A 420sf apartment makes the most of its available space using convertible features and flexible living solutions. Source: Architizer

Using tracks, the far wall of this apartment slides to reveal extra sleeping space. A murphy bed in the living area adds a third sleeping area. Source: Architizer

Convertible space allows this small home to accommodate large parties, so entertaining is a breeze. Source: Architizer

When you think of convertible features, outdoor spaces might not immediately come to mind. In this photo, a home in Australia uses a movable roof to create additional living space. Source: ArchDaily

Be clever with storage

A staircase is a great way to put unused space to work. In this 600sf London home, the space underneath the stairs acts as its main storage space. Source: Dwell

This London home is a great example of how a small space doesn’t mean compromising on lifestyle. The owners’ bikes are neatly stored beneath the stairs. Source: Dwell

Hide what you don’t want to see

Believe it or not, this is a fully equipped kitchen. But what’s missing here? Source: Contemporist

Built-ins are a clever way to hide visual clutter. In this photo, movable panels hide shelves and appliances and instantly convert this minimal space into a functional kitchen. Source: Contemporist

Use height for more storage solutions

In this small apartment, vertical space as well as a staircase is doing double duty as storage space. Source: Architizer

Our very own laneway house uses a 12-foot tall space as storage for our clients CD collection.

Go big or go home

Less space means your dollar goes further. Have fun with your home using bold accents and fixtures. Source: Dwell

A smaller kitchen means choosing high quality finishes like marble won’t break the bank. Source: Canadian House and Home

For more small space inspiration, check out our newly completed (and very first) laneway house! You can also vote for it as part of Apartment Therapy’s Small Cool Contest 2014.