While the phrase “best things come in small packages” more often refers to accessories rather than apartments, it does seem to be the perfectly apt description of this wondrous, intelligently conceived home in Madrid.
Spanning merely 360sqft, this residence coined Yojigen Poketto – literally the 4D pocket Japanese anime character Doraemon – designed by Spanish studio Elii reveals just how, thanks to smart and stylish design, even the smallest area can be transformed into a comfortable, fully equipped home with all the amenities one will need well hidden and miraculously revealed much like Doraemon’s magical pocket.
To maximise its limited square footage, the design team employed a “dual strategy”, first up by designing the floor plan into an L-shape; hence, wet and storage areas and leisure spaces were integrated smartly to the side of the home, freeing up the majority of the central main area that opens up to windows and balconies to create a light-drenched interior.
All at once, the home has been arranged into two levels; kitchen and main rooms occupy the first floor, while a second half-mezzanine floor has been built 90cm higher to house the lounge and bathroom. A portable stepladder, which also doubles as small grandstands in the living room, can be used to reach the elevated area.
This strategy successfully creates vastly distinct atmospheres for these different functional areas, as well as allowing for other elements such as a deep bathtub in the bathroom, a smart storage area under the bed and other household facilities to be stylishly optimised and incorporated into the space.
Painted in a cool mint green hue, with small dashes of wooden brown and bright yellow peeking through via storage cupboards and shelves, the home gives a open and airy vibe that matches its highly creative design.
This apartment, situated on one corner of the residential building, allows for abundant natural light to stream through expansive windows from two sides while elevating the home’s sense of space.
Cohesively, the bedroom is decked in wooden finishes with the bathroom walls, floors and bathtubs decorated with crisp white tiles and big windows. A projector hangs down from the ceiling of the bedroom that projects onto a screen from the bed, creating a mini theatre for the homeowners to relax in, creating yet another surprise element for this tiny and cosy home.
Photography by Imagen Subliminal
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