400 sq.ft. condo

I thought about participating in a new local trade show (Ottawa's Home and Design show) to have my own booth and came up with this cool concept. Using a standard 20 x 20 space, I would build a life-sized, fully furnished bachelor pad. Very often, if you want to live in the city on a relatively tight budget, you have to compromise on square footage, but it doesn't mean that you have to compromise on style and function. It's just a bit more challenging to furnish.

Here's an overview of what I had in mind. Inspired by a existing condo project (360 lofts) I chose the smallest unit to create a functional space. As you can see, it's a very small open space.

Based on the existing floor plan, one of the first changes is to replace the doors in order to gain more space.The doors to the washroom and to the laundry closet (on the side of the water heater) would be replaced by modern pocket doors (or surface sliding doors). I would also replace the entrance's closet door and the second laundry closet door with bi-fold doors. Gidea has really nice glass pocket and bi-fold doors that are in line with this concept.

The color palette inside and outside is light and airy. The main colors are light grays and white with accents of turquoise and medium brown.

Inside the unit, there is no wardrobe so I would use the wall on the right to install a wall to wall wardrobe/entertainment unit using pieces such as the PAX wardrobe from IKEA with the sliding glass door panels. A sofa bed like the Salema sleeper sofa or the Jenna sleeper sofa from EQ3. On the side in the kitchen area I would use upper cabinets with glass doors. Smaller under counter fridge like the cool drawers from Izona. I would also bring the cabinets all the way up to the ceiling to maximize storage.

In order to maximize usage of a small space, items with dual function are essential. In this case, a sofa sleeper, a counter that doubles as a table, a wardrobe that also serves as an entertainment unit are various solutions to make the most out of a small space.