Studio 26: Big ideas for small spaces

These days, the world is getting smaller – literally. In cosmo chic cities such as Tokyo and New York, living in a shoe box is the norm. And of course, in our humble shores, we are not exempted from living in minute square meters. However, just because you’re not living large, it doesn’t mean that you have to cramp your style.

An example of Manolo Blahnik-chic shoebox studio unit living would be the Bel-Air Soho. Though on paper it may sound quite small with only 26 square meters to thread around in, Bel-Air Soho is actually quite well designed with units that maximize every centimeter it has got and in a price that won’t sear your pocketbook.

Bel Air Soho is a development of Meridian Communities, a subsidiary of Meridian Development Group, which has close to two decades of experience in residential and commercial development, including recent projects such as Essensa, Oxford Suites and West of Ayala.

Ricardo Cuerva Jr. of Meridian explains how to think big when it comes to small things. "This may sound small, but with good design, it can be a very livable space. Each unit even has a balcony to connect you to the city outside. It is located in a vibrant neighborhood like Polaris St., which is close to Makati Ave., with a plethora of restaurants (Polaris, Jupiter, Makati Ave.), retail (Rockwell Power Plant) and office buildings."

Apartment hunting can be a daunting task especially for young urbanites with a limited budget and other concerns that revolve around everyday life. "One challenge for many people is actually getting from home to work. Because of urban sprawl and suburbanization, people have to commute for hours in traffic to get from their home to their place of work. So much time is wasted traveling every day, time that could be better utilized for work or leisure. The ideal city has mixed-use neighborhoods where people live and work in the same area. This would include housing for lower and middle-income people, not just the elite."

After finding the perfect place, there’s the rub: Coughing up the dough. Ricardo explains that there are many ways to go about it. One is to check if the developer has a tie-up with banks that have good financing schemes to help you pay for your pad with less pain. If you have good credit, you can try with your own bank.

A good agent can also help ease your apartment anxiety. "There are good agents and bad ones. A good one will listen to your needs and try to find a perfect fit for you within your budget. A bad one will just try to sell or lease you anything to make a buck. Agents make a good living on commissions. You should make sure they earn it by working hard to find you what you need. "

Ricardo is no stranger to living in low-digit square footage. Being a graduate of Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arch) with a bachelor’s degree in architecture and a master of science degree in real estate development at Columbia University, Ricardo has served time living in tiny spaces and has learned to make the most out of his space.

"Good design is a great solution. Clever ways of storage such as hanging folding chairs on a wall work well. When guests are around the chairs come off, when they aren’t needed, they go back up. Use hanging shelving on walls to keep floors open. Hang your TV on the wall, too. Another idea is to multi-task your furniture. A sofa bed is a great way to save on a lot of space. A small table with caster wheels can serve as both a coffee table and a night stand, dining table/desk. Also, editing your furniture and possessions to the bare essentials helps keep a small space feel larger. Adequate storage space is the key to keeping the place uncluttered. Store things you don’t use very often in a suitcase under your bed," he suggests.

Though Ricardo advises to keep things to a minimum, this does not mean sacrificing style. The color of the apartment adds a lot of character to the pad. He suggests keeping it either all-white, including furniture and accessories or using splashes of color to liven things up. Furniture need not to be a pain in the ass especially if you’re not a Martha Steward kind of person. There are plenty of mid-priced furniture that look like they’re worth more than they really are. He cites places like Dimensione, BO Concepts, Area Home Store and Our Home to hunt for bargain finds that carry various pieces to cater to varied tastes. Some of these places also have financing plans to keep it easy on your pocket.

However, if money really is tight, you can still furnish your apartment with chic hand-me-downs. "A good way to furnish an apartment is to try to borrow or use inherited vintage furniture from family members and friends. Just go into their attics and ask for what you think will work. There are also flea markets such as Segunda Mano that have tons of good stuff. Keep in mind though that older pieces were usually designed for larger spaces, so try to look for smaller pieces that won’t take up too much space or dominate a room," he says. After all, it is surprising how a seemingly gaudy piece of furniture can actually add character to a stark and minimalist space.

Artwork can also add a lot of life to a small space. It adds character and elegance, and even with small spaces, big pieces can actually work. "Artwork isn’t exclusive to grand houses and wealthy patrons. Everyone should have some art in their lives. Works on paper usually cost a lot less but still make a great impact in a small space. One can also buy smaller pieces and group them into a composition. A good place to get affordable quality art is the Drawing Room (Metropolitan Ave. and Rockwell Power Plant). If you have an artistic side, try to make your own art as well. Take an afternoon and load your camera with some black and white film, go to your favorite places and take some photos of random things. Blow them up at a lab, have them framed and you’ve got instant art."

Now, after fabbing up your apartment, it’s time to figure out how to make it functional. No one wants a bimbo-apartment, after all. Most studio apartments have kitchenettes just a few feet away from your bed. A major predicament among studio dwellers is to keep the stink level to a minimum, so Ricardo recommends installing an adequately powered extractor above one’s cooktop to filter out unwanted cooking odors. He adds that there are a number of good resource books that are dedicated to small spaces, which are extremely helpful when it comes to strategic ways to store stuff and arrange your furniture in a practical manner.

His last words about apartment living and making sure your pad remains a place of peace and solace could be summed up with his piece of advice: "Don’t put a DJ booth."

I know exactly what he means.

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The Bel-Air Soho model unit can be found at the Pacific Star Building in Makati.