Located in a historic house in the centre of Moscow, this compact multifunctional flat, for a single male homeowner, measures just 33 square metres. Designer Alireza Nemati at Studio Bazi transformed the interior by implementing compact blocks to hold a mini kitchen and laundry, a reading room, a wet room, plus a pull out closet and shoe cabinet. The layout is an unusual one with plenty of off-beat inspiration on how you could make a small space work for you. Read on to view innovative zoning techniques, a design for reinforced bookshelves to combat the problem of a crumbling old interior wall, and a great way to fully utilise that awkward space under the stairs.
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- Photographer: Polina Poludkina
Typically, lounging is the first concept considered in the design of a living room, but this living space is definitely geared toward use as a reading room. A large bookcase has been installed along one entire wall in order to house the homeowners extensive personal library. This shelving stands between a kitchen block and a window wall. By the way, if you love living rooms with an emphasis on reading, don’t forget to check out our post: Living rooms for book lovers. The furniture chosen to populate the flat is predominantly of 1930’s design, which gives the space a trendy mid-century modern flair. 
In order to keep the window unobstructed and easy to open, the end of the bookcase structure near to the glass is much shallower. This end panel is used as a place for hanging up spare folded chairs, which are on hand to quickly seat any guests. 
Due to the age of the historical building in which the flat resides, the original walls have become tired and may crumble should heavy items be mounted into them. To combat this, stainless steel legs have been embedded into the structure of the bookshelf to endure both the furniture’s own weight and the heavy collection of books. 
The staircase is an attractive combination of wooden treads and white risers. 
Lining the length of the hallway, between the reading room and the bedroom, is what at first appears to be a run of closets. However, these volumes actually hold a kitchenette, laundry facilities and more. 
Bespoke storage solutions have been fitted into the triangular space beneath the stairs, behind plain doors that quietly blend in with the white staircase structure. 
Subtle handles allow the under stair volumes to be pulled out, revealing a generous amount of garment hanging space and a shoe rack. 
There is even a chest of drawers incorporated into the pull-out closets, for stashing smaller items and casual pieces of clothing. 
Directly opposite the under stair closets, the mini kitchen block is revealed from behind bifold wooden doors. 
Inside the small kitchen block there is a decent selection of cabinets, a ventilated vegetable unit, a wall mounted dish draining rack, a hidden pull-out worktop and a refrigerator. Beside this kitchen unit, a laundry block holds a washing machine plus laundry supplies and household cleaning accessories. 
Each element of this unique kitchen has been individually designed, prototyped and built for purpose in this home. 
Every sliver of space is spoken for, every chopping surface assigned a special place. 
A single wall sconce lights the tiny prep and cooking zone. This type of fixture is called an accordion lamp and you can get it here. A shallow shelf is just wide enough to support a limited selection of coffee mugs. 
Above another of the secretive hallway units, a mysterious ceiling track extends across the width of the walkway… 
… Residing within the unit standing below the ceiling track is a heavy privacy curtain that can be pulled out to separate the bedroom and shower room from the living zone. 
The same wooden floor runs throughout the entire compact flat to create a seamless flow. 
The modern white bedroom is minimalist in its aesthetic, and benefits from a generous amount of bright natural light. A single window curtain hangs at just one side of the set of three panes, keeping the look uncluttered. 
A porthole window is cut in the side of the ensuite, allowing a view through to not only the bedroom but to the great outdoors too. The presence of this window gives the tiny ensuite a more open feel. 
The door to the shower room is clear glass, but the curtain embedded in the unit opposite makes the space private when required. 
All the walls of the home are painted plain gallery white. 
The privacy curtain between the bedroom and living space makes the sleeping and bathing area more cosy. 
A simple white side table acts as a bedside unit, decorated with only a modern table lamp. The table’s ‘C’ shaped frame allows the table to be pushed up close and wrap the side of the bed. 
The narrow wash area contains a small wall mounted basin. There is no vanity unit present in order to save space, though a selection of toiletries are held on a bathroom shelf at one side. 
Water drains over a water-tight wet room floor with a white marble finish. 
Upstairs, a wall hung toilet is matched with a wall mounted toilet brush holder. 
Immediately at the top of the stairs, a line of neat wooden coat pegs on a vertical wooden panel keep jackets tidy and off the floor. 
A small stool is situated beneath the coat pegs as a handy spot on which to be seated when pulling shoes on and off. Recommended Reading: Modern Zoning in Ukrainian Apartment
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