Where Life Begins

There is something special about when a designer does not merely renovate an apartment, but a story.

Peter grew up in this apartment. These are the walls of his childhood. And now - full circle, as life tends to go - he is renovating it for his own child. So that they, too, can begin here.

Rarely does one receive such a commission. Rarely does a site survey move one so deeply.

42 square metres. One and a half rooms. Many memories. A great many tasks.

In the bathroom, we fought for literally every single centimetre. We nearly chiselled through the wall into the neighbour's flat - just so the Geberit concealed cistern could sink into the wall, and those few handspans of space would remain for the bathroom. A detail? No. Comfort is built from precisely these details.

The washing machine also relocated. It used to live in the bathroom - now it has its place in the entrance hall's built-in wardrobe. Better for everyone.

The oven-microwave tower was removed from the kitchen. Immediate effect: the narrow room became more spacious, airier. And - as far as the morning coffee is concerned - a small breakfast counter also found its place. Because that silence, that morning routine, that cup of coffee by the window... you must not leave that out of a home.

A dining nook was added to the living room. Because it was missing. Because a home needs that table where you can sit down, eat, talk, plan.

The bedroom is exactly as large as it needs to be. Just enough for one to withdraw and close the door behind them. That is not little. Sometimes that is everything.

Light colours expand the space - we know this. But more happened here. Through the conscious rethinking of the floor plan, a 42-square-metre studio feels like a real starter apartment. Where an independent life can begin.

In the same place where one already began, once before.