BIG THINKING
How small spaces affect your psyche
JACK GAMBLE
Who: Owner, 550-square-foot condo, Claridge Plaza 2, Rideau Street The space: It’s designed so everything you need is here. You step out of the bedroom and you can go right into the living room or out the door into the hallway. The balcony makes the whole condo; you can see the Gatineau Hills, and the view makes it feel bigger. Smart design feature: You open the door, and the front-loading laundry equipment is right there, in a space that’s about two feet by four feet. The challenge: I’m from the country, so I’m used to wide-open spaces. But 90 per cent of our stuff we don’t use anyway, so I just got rid of it — sold it or donated it, left some at my parents’. As long as you have what you really need, you’re satisfied.
90 per cent of our stuff we don’t use anyway … As long as you have what you really need, you’re satisfied.
JAKE FRY
Who: Owner-designer, Smallworks, Vancouver, which builds elegantly compact dwellings, including a one-bedroom, 500-square-foot home (pictured on section front). The space: You treat it like a sailboat, design it so you use every nook and cranny. You also get as much vaulted space as you can to create a sense of openness, even in a small area, and you make sure it’s really connected to the outside so you’re always able to use the outdoors as extra space. Smart design feature: At the top of the staircase are built-in shelves and a dresser, and the other side is a full closet. The challenge: Trying to find the balance between a generous kitchen and a good-sized bedroom with some office space. To get the office space, we made a slightly bigger loft.
ANTHONY BRUNI
Who: Principal at Colizza Bruni Architecture, Ottawa, and designer of an 875-square-foot, two-bedroom Hintonburg semi that is occupied by three tenants. The space: One of the big things is natural daylight. There are large windows so, even though they primarily face north, it gets lots of light. That and the nine-foot ceilings make it seem bigger than it is. There’s a rooftop terrace, so the interior space engages the exterior — and that makes it feel bigger, too. Smart design feature: Millwork that runs from the entry and carries on through the kitchen cabinetry. It gives visual flow, provides storage and conceals utilities. The challenge: Consolidating all the utilities in the one wall and then minimizing all the walls and maximizing the openings. We used an open stairway design that lets the light pass through.
GRAHAM SMITH
Who: Principal at Altius Architecture, Toronto, and lead architect on Solo 40, a one-bedroom, 480-square-foot modular “cottage.” The floor plan is customizable. The space: It’s essentially like a well-designed one-bedroom condominium that’s been pulled from a building and can be put anywhere. It’s got a functional kitchen and a full-sized bathroom. We’ve done away with space for a dining-room table because one or two people don’t need one. Smart design feature: The kitchen and living room are the primary living spaces in North America, so we’ve taken those spaces and said, “This is all we need.” The challenge: Getting over the stigma of the trailer look in our earlier designs (this is the fifthgeneration Solo). The Solo 40 has a mid-century, modern look with the butterfly roof.
ROBERT MATTHEWS
Who: Principal at N45 Architecture, Ottawa, and designer-owner-resident (with his wife) of the GennY (for Generation Y), a one-bedroom, eight-foot-wide, 580-square-foot home on Ottawa’s west side. The space: I have large, south-facing windows so the space doesn’t feel small, and there are a couple of rooms that are fairly large. The house also has a large veranda and second-floor balcony with sliding screens that can add over 350 square feet of living space. Smart design feature: The bedroom closet — it’s 10 feet long so we each have five feet, with long clothing hanging on one side and baskets for drawers on the other. We don’t have dressers. The challenge: Trying to get everything I need — the two-burner gas stovetop, the dishwasher underneath, counter space — in a five-foot-wide counter.