Downsizing was an exercise in space saving and creativity for a Copenhagen mother and her son
Meet & greet
Vasia Moragianni (key account manager at a software company) and her son Emil, seven.
The property
Two-bedroom 60sqm apartment in Copenhagen.
It can be quite a challenge making over an apartment when the square metres are few and the rooms are small. But with the right solutions, smart furniture and a lot of love, Vasia Moragianni succeeded in making the project come together.
Vasia used to live in a large four-bedroom apartment, but after a divorce had to find a new place for herself and her son Emil, replacing her spacious home with a much smaller one. “It was more important for me to live in a smaller home and be able to afford experiences and travel instead of having a large and expensive apartment. When I entered this apartment the first time, I got really good vibes. I could easily see myself and Emil living here, and I am still very happy with my decision,” says Vasia.
The many square metres that Vasia and Emil previously had were now halved and their new home had only one bedroom, a living room, and a small enclosed kitchen. Vasia had to think outside the box and put on her creative hat.
By turning the floor plan upside down, Vasia devised a room for each of them with a clever bedroom solution, as well as an all-in-one living area by knocking down the wall between the kitchen and the former bedroom next to it. It provided a large space that has now become the focal point of their family life. To keep the budget down, she put the kitchen in the open space where there’s a view of the living room and her son Emil while she cooks.
“I love our family room and I love being with my son and having guests over,” says Vasia, who has decorated the room with carefully selected furniture.
“When you live small, you have to be good at choosing the right furniture. In the family room, for example, I have a small sofa that is easy to move into the bedroom when I have a lot of guests and need more space. In addition, our dining table has a pull-out function, so I have the opportunity to set the table for extra guests. But in everyday life it doesn’t take up much space in the room,” she says.
The former living room is now where Vasia and Emil sleep, but separated by a wall between them. To save on floor space in Vasia’s bedroom, she had made a smart sleeping solution with the help of a company that has experience in renovating small apartments. The bed can be rolled away under Emil’s bed on the other side of the wall. When it is hidden away, there is plenty of space to play on the floor and it gives a feeling of having more space than there actually is.
“The solution with the bed gives me an extra room with more options and this is important when you live small. Every morning, after waking up, I hide the bed away.” says Vasia. “On the other side of the wall, Emil’s room is quite small but it is his own, which for him is the most important thing. Even though it feels a bit like a cave.”
Home truths
- Choose the smart furniture that can be adjusted as needed, like a small dining table with extensions. You don’t need a big dining table every single day if you are a small family.
- Use colours to separate areas so that you create some defined spaces in the room. This makes it visually more manageable if a room has several functions.
- Spend plenty of time thinking in terms of dreams and needs without letting yourself be limited. Most of it can be fixed by making custom-made solutions and you can get help to devise and build them by professionals. You are the only one who know your needs and dreams.
- Use the walls space to make storage solutions. In my bedroom, I would like to take advantage of a large wall surface to make shelves and office space.
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