Your home is just a miniature space measuring barely 10 ft.x 10 ft. You need to accommodate within this space a living, dining, kitchen and bedroom. Seems practically impossible when contemplated. Unless of course the place is cluttered with things, displaying all the functionalities in an untidy depressingly crowded manner.
But how about having a small yet charming living space with colours and flowers fused in, uncluttered in appearance, yet doubles up when required to offer a dining, kitchen and definitely a bedroom? Sounds improbable? Perhaps not. At least if the tips and décor elements offered by Architect Yatin Kandolkar of Ar2indesigns are to go by.
Foldable contraptionsAccording to Kandolkar, your tiny space can offer all this by opting for foldable or tucked away contraptions that serve as dining table and a cot, while the décor could be attractive and innovative by delving into elements such as beer bottles, tin cans, discarded old yet expensive silk saris which can be salvaged, and even jute, sugar and rice bags.
For instance, a one-room chawl could have a foldable bed-cum-dining table that is placed flush against the wall when not in use, with a storage unit for crockery or books fitted on the wall that it covers. The mattresses of the bed could be turned into comfortable seating elements during the day with attractive bed sheets spread over them.
Making use of wasteJute, sugar and rice bags could be turned into carpets by attaching frills made from garlands. Even waste cloth could be used to create a soft colourful carpet in attractive patterns.
The windows and doors could showcase attractive silk curtains that are salvaged from discarded silk saris with the zari borders adding to the richness.
Says Kandolkar, “Old discarded fabrics can be used extensively in interiors without making it appear that they have been deliberately recycled to cut costs. It depends entirely on the deft and creative use of the same in the décor.”
The cartons of wine bottles can likewise be cut, covered in attractive craft paper and turned into paper lanterns by tying a few of them in an arresting pattern. Even the newspapers that need to be discarded could be stacked in a corner and covered with an attractive cloth to become a corner table that can be used to place a flower vase.
Empty cans can again be salvaged and covered attractively to serve as small vases to keep flowers.
Sliding shuttersThe kitchen could be one that is flush against the wall with attractively painted sliding shutters that are slid into place when not in use. If the space is a little more, affording more than a single room, yet the budget is tight, low-cost cots in the form of bamboo is a good option with a bit of bamboo panelling carried on to the walls to lend a specific theme.
The wardrobes and cabinets could minimise on the wood use to save cost by incorporating Cuddapah stone slabs in the interiors with plywood shutters where needed.
The flooring likewise need not be expensive yet offer an artistic feel by using colourful broken tiles that lend character and cheer.
