Small Family Apartment with a Movable Kitchen, Portugal 60sqm/645sqft

I wanted the space to be flexible so we could easily welcome friends and family. With that in mind I designed a movable kitchen island that separates the living room from the kitchen but can be moved aside whenever we have a party. The cream tones together with the oak wood were chosen to respect the palette of the original house design. This is our dream home. Even though it is small it keeps us close together and makes life simple and practical. My name is Angela. I am an interior designer and the owner of this apartment. The apartment is located in Esposiente. It is the closest beach to Braga. Braga is one of the most important and historical cities in Portugal. The first time I walked into the apartment I fell in love with the large window. However because there was a wall separating the living room from the kitchen the space felt darker and less functional. There was a narrow kitchen that was enclosed in the corner of the apartment which lacked functionality and light. After the wall was removed the kitchen became a part of the open plan space. A nylon on casters was added and works as a divider between the spaces. The hallway was shifted to the side so the bathroom is a little smaller but it gave us space to have another bathroom in the main bedroom. This episode is brought to you by Rayon Design. We used Rayon to recreate the floor plan for this week's episode. A home carefully redesigned to create stronger connections between cooking, working and family life. Rebuilding the space in Rayon gave us a better understanding of how the layout was opened up, refined and made more flexible for everyday living. Rayon is a professional grade online CAD tool built for interior designers and architects. Rayon is the ideal end-to-end design software to take projects from early concepts through to execution documents all within a single editing environment. You can quickly test layouts, move furniture, refine plans and explore ideas in real time making it easy to experiment, adjust and refine things as you go. Floor plans, schedules and documentation all live together in one streamlined workspace. Rayon also integrates AI tools directly into the workflow while presentation boards, schedules and documentation layouts can all be assembled in one connected workspace. Want to explore Rayon yourself? You can jump into the floor plan we made for this episode or create your free Rayon account today. Links in the description. At the entrance there is an oak panel that acts as an entry storage where we can keep bags, shoes and gorillas leash. There is an open section for a coat rack with a bench where we can sit to take off our shoes and store them in the drawer. We feel that the house is bigger because we have only one corridor aligned. The panel was made to hidden the door and to be aligned with the kitchen island. The other side function as a drop zone where we leave our keys, sunglasses and coins. I added a secret drawer that opens toward the entrance for storing small everyday items. The main part of the kitchen has everything we need. I added storage all the way up to the ceiling to make most of the available space. I designed this pantry as a dry fridge. It's very useful because when I'm cooking I can just pick spices from here. I designed it this way because it's more important for me to have the fridge near the sink so I can pick some vegetables, I can wash them, prepare it and cook. Nico likes to climb up and sit on the top of the island to watch us cook. As the apartment is small I designed a ceiling mounted shelf above the island that is accessible from both the kitchen and the living room. On the island there is a side drawer designed to hide our vinyl player and records. We can quickly turn it on and hide it away from Nico. The island can be moved aside whenever we have a party. On the kitchen side the island includes drawer for storing our tupperware and it also conceals our microwave. The table is painted in white to help brighten the room. Our dining table features a built-in bench with storage underneath allowing us to always fit one more guest while maximizing space. The living room is where we spend most of our time so it had to be comfortable. Our coffee table is actually a multifunctional piece that also works as a Nico high chair. I custom designed the sofa to fit this space. It is modular so can be used in lots of configurations depending on the situation. We haven't renovated the balcony but it's still our favorite spot in the house. When the weather is nice we spread a blanket on the balcony to play with Lego or enjoy a small picnic. Here is the office. Before it was just a laundry in a closed balcony. It was a wall here. The space had no connection. When I close the door to to have some privacy I can keep an eye here and I can see Nico's bedroom. Above the desk there is a niche where I store the samples I use for my projects. This office can also become an extra bedroom for guests. With its large size we were able to create a laundry area where we have a washing machine, a water heater as well as a dog food. Nico's bedroom has a mountain shaped headboard. It was made by his grandfather and future trees and few animals. I put this Ikea wardrobe here to have space to fit all Nico's clothes. We have even more storage for our winter coats and Nico's coats and towels, more medicines there. The main bathroom feature a countertop led in the same beige tiles used on the walls. It is narrow but very long running across the space and making the room feel larger. The cabinet was intentionally designed not to extend fully to the back leaving space to store the baby bath and the potty. The floor is finished in micro cement and there is no shower tray so that the circulation space can flow more freely. Retro wall lamps with a wooden accent were introduced to create a warmer atmosphere. For the main room I wanted to create a space that not only is to sleep but also as a dressing room, a bathroom and a hideaway. There is also a clever use of space for shoe storage behind the door which was planned in the new layout moving the original walls. The wall in front of the bed is free because we have a projector to watch movies on it. There is also storage under the bed accessible by lifting the bed base. This is where we store our seasonal clothes. I used the mirror to make the bedroom feel larger. Before the renovation it was a deeper wardrobe here and it was not necessary. Now I save space by using the space to the ceiling. I did this u-shape to have more space on this side. Also drawers here. By reducing the size of the bedroom corridor I was able to create a new bathroom in my bedroom. Dividing the shower from the cabinet unit with a In the shower I designed the half wall with a niche to storage the shampoos. This unit has a drawer handle that also functions as a towel rail. When designing a small home I believe the most important thing is not to follow standard conventions because every family or individual has their own habits and preference. The house should adapt to the person not the other way around. Sign up to our newsletter for subscriber only content and exclusive offers. Visit nevertosmall.com slash subscribe