This 52 m² apartment was designed as a temporary home for a couple with two kids and a dog, with plans to move to a larger place in two years. Our challenge was to make a small living space feel as comfortable as a larger one.
Project Name: SUBBOTA Apartment
Studio Name: Architectural bureau PROJECT905
Completion Year: 2024
Gross Built Area (m2/ ft2): 52 m2
Project Location: Moscow
Lead Architects: Alexey Dunaev, Marianna Zapolskaya
Photo Credits: Varvara Toplennikova
Even though the space is limited and the apartment has just two windows, the clients requested all necessary functional areas: a kitchen-dining area, a living space with a TV, a master bedroom, a children’s room with a foldable sofa for a nanny, play and study areas, a bathroom with a laundry zone, and ample storage. The aesthetic quality of the space was as crucial as functionality, given the significant time the family spends at home.
The main room serves multiple functions as a living room, dining room, kitchen, and hallway. We combined the kitchen cabinets and wardrobe into a single wooden unit located at the entrance. The dining table is attached to the kitchen island, and a compact corner sofa defines the living space. Numerous hidden storage solutions help keep the small area tidy. Despite its size, the room feels spacious due to natural light from an upper window in the partition separating the living space from the master bedroom.
The master bedroom, the smallest room in the apartment, features a wall entirely occupied by a built-in wardrobe. The white color and lack of details on the wardrobe doors conceal the storage compartments, and mirrors behind the bed enhance the room’s sense of space.
In the children’s room, the furniture is designed as a multifunctional wooden unit, with a study desk merging into a bunk bed. With limited floor space, multifunctionality was a key focus.
The apartment’s interior is minimalist and somewhat austere, with the same floor tiles in both the kitchen and bathroom, white walls, and wooden furniture matching the floorboards.
Originally intended for future rental, the apartment turned out to be so comfortable that the family decided to stay.
