ᐅ 200 m² duplex apartment in an existing building, almost fully customizable interior
Created on: 3 Mar 2021 15:55
M
misterNES
Hello dear forum community,
my wife and I are currently working with an interior designer to plan our future apartment in an existing townhouse. We are planning a maisonette with approximately 200 sqm (2,150 sq ft) of usable space plus a roof terrace. The design options are still very flexible. Currently, the floors are not yet connected (except for the main stairwell). The spaces were used commercially until recently; a few decades ago, they were residential units. There are only a few load-bearing walls. Apart from the exterior walls, we have a lot of freedom, and our interior designer has created an initial plan based on the latest building plans (of course, everything will be re-measured, floors opened up, checked by a structural engineer, etc.). Floors, ceilings, interior walls, heating, electrical, plumbing, and so on will all be newly installed. High ceilings (3.50 m (11.5 ft) in the basement, 3 m (9.8 ft) upstairs) also allow for some technical installations to be accommodated in (partly) suspended ceilings.
Restrictions/Requirements
- Townhouse from 1860, completely renovated at the end of the 1980s, including the addition of one floor (previously three, now four stories)
- The façade is under heritage protection, meaning no visible changes to the windows are allowed
- Total living space per floor approximately 300 sqm (3,230 sq ft)
- Size of the owner’s apartment: about 200 sqm (2,150 sq ft), divided over two floors of about 100 sqm (1,075 sq ft) each
- Adjacent living areas on both floors are either occupied by the owner’s family or currently vacant and being converted for rental
- Orientation: windows facing south and west
- To the north, the neighboring house is adjacent; the office and child’s room 1 window look onto an inner courtyard
Owner’s Requirements
- Floors: 2 floors (3rd and 4th floor in the building) plus an added roof terrace (not existing yet; planned conversion/extension of the attic above the 4th floor)
- Number of residents: 2 adults (+ 2 children planned)
- Age: 33, 34 years
- Rooms needed on lower floor: entrance/hall, wardrobe, office for two persons, open kitchen-dining-living area, backup kitchen/laundry room, library/playroom
- Rooms needed on upper floor: master bedroom, walk-in dressing room, master bathroom including fitness/wellness area, 2 children’s rooms, children’s bathroom, possibly laundry room (if not on lower floor), access to the roof terrace
- Office: both self-employed, full workplaces for two people
- Overnight guests per year: minimal or none planned
- Open architecture, open kitchen, freestanding island, freestanding staircase in living space
- Modern construction methods where possible in the existing building
- Number of dining seats: at least 8
- Fireplace: wood possible (existing chimney shaft), ethanol fireplace might be better/more flexible as a design element regarding location?
- Roof terrace: planned with the attic conversion above the upper floor
- Heating: underfloor heating (no problem on the lower floor due to high floor build-up, upper floor still to be checked, if necessary radiators/wall heating)
- Cooling: chilled ceiling (summer in the city center can get very hot and likely will get hotter in the future)
Floor Plan Draft
- Designed by the interior designer
- Likes: generous layout, plenty of storage but still not cramped
- Uncertainties: exact location of the roof terrace access (might mean giving up a separate laundry room)
- Price estimate from the interior designer: to follow shortly but not relevant yet
- Personal price limit for the apartment: no specific limit
Most Important/Fundamental Questions about the Floor Plan
- Have we overlooked anything in the floor plan?
- Should the living room area remain completely open or be partially separated by a room divider (maybe sufficiently structured by different ceiling heights in suspended ceilings)?
- Our idea is to forgo a traditional TV and install a projector and screen in a suspended ceiling – does anyone have experience with this?
- Is it better to have the laundry room upstairs or on the lower floor in the utility room?
- Is a controlled ventilation system worthwhile? Possibly decentralized in the bedrooms (on the upper floor this is possible since the façade is not heritage-protected there), but there is concern about street noise in the city center.
Thank you very much in advance!
Dominik
my wife and I are currently working with an interior designer to plan our future apartment in an existing townhouse. We are planning a maisonette with approximately 200 sqm (2,150 sq ft) of usable space plus a roof terrace. The design options are still very flexible. Currently, the floors are not yet connected (except for the main stairwell). The spaces were used commercially until recently; a few decades ago, they were residential units. There are only a few load-bearing walls. Apart from the exterior walls, we have a lot of freedom, and our interior designer has created an initial plan based on the latest building plans (of course, everything will be re-measured, floors opened up, checked by a structural engineer, etc.). Floors, ceilings, interior walls, heating, electrical, plumbing, and so on will all be newly installed. High ceilings (3.50 m (11.5 ft) in the basement, 3 m (9.8 ft) upstairs) also allow for some technical installations to be accommodated in (partly) suspended ceilings.
Restrictions/Requirements
- Townhouse from 1860, completely renovated at the end of the 1980s, including the addition of one floor (previously three, now four stories)
- The façade is under heritage protection, meaning no visible changes to the windows are allowed
- Total living space per floor approximately 300 sqm (3,230 sq ft)
- Size of the owner’s apartment: about 200 sqm (2,150 sq ft), divided over two floors of about 100 sqm (1,075 sq ft) each
- Adjacent living areas on both floors are either occupied by the owner’s family or currently vacant and being converted for rental
- Orientation: windows facing south and west
- To the north, the neighboring house is adjacent; the office and child’s room 1 window look onto an inner courtyard
Owner’s Requirements
- Floors: 2 floors (3rd and 4th floor in the building) plus an added roof terrace (not existing yet; planned conversion/extension of the attic above the 4th floor)
- Number of residents: 2 adults (+ 2 children planned)
- Age: 33, 34 years
- Rooms needed on lower floor: entrance/hall, wardrobe, office for two persons, open kitchen-dining-living area, backup kitchen/laundry room, library/playroom
- Rooms needed on upper floor: master bedroom, walk-in dressing room, master bathroom including fitness/wellness area, 2 children’s rooms, children’s bathroom, possibly laundry room (if not on lower floor), access to the roof terrace
- Office: both self-employed, full workplaces for two people
- Overnight guests per year: minimal or none planned
- Open architecture, open kitchen, freestanding island, freestanding staircase in living space
- Modern construction methods where possible in the existing building
- Number of dining seats: at least 8
- Fireplace: wood possible (existing chimney shaft), ethanol fireplace might be better/more flexible as a design element regarding location?
- Roof terrace: planned with the attic conversion above the upper floor
- Heating: underfloor heating (no problem on the lower floor due to high floor build-up, upper floor still to be checked, if necessary radiators/wall heating)
- Cooling: chilled ceiling (summer in the city center can get very hot and likely will get hotter in the future)
Floor Plan Draft
- Designed by the interior designer
- Likes: generous layout, plenty of storage but still not cramped
- Uncertainties: exact location of the roof terrace access (might mean giving up a separate laundry room)
- Price estimate from the interior designer: to follow shortly but not relevant yet
- Personal price limit for the apartment: no specific limit
Most Important/Fundamental Questions about the Floor Plan
- Have we overlooked anything in the floor plan?
- Should the living room area remain completely open or be partially separated by a room divider (maybe sufficiently structured by different ceiling heights in suspended ceilings)?
- Our idea is to forgo a traditional TV and install a projector and screen in a suspended ceiling – does anyone have experience with this?
- Is it better to have the laundry room upstairs or on the lower floor in the utility room?
- Is a controlled ventilation system worthwhile? Possibly decentralized in the bedrooms (on the upper floor this is possible since the façade is not heritage-protected there), but there is concern about street noise in the city center.
Thank you very much in advance!
Dominik
misterNES schrieb:
The kitchen should definitely function independently from the backup kitchen.Currently, there is not enough countertop space. misterNES schrieb:
My wife thinks that she would be working with her back to the window and casting a shadow on her workspace.That's why I suggest a long countertop line under the windows. misterNES schrieb:
Also, the view of the kitchen from the living area might look more "harmonious" if the island is not positioned at a right angle. Any valid objections?Well, your area in the north is characterized by sharp angles, almost slanted walls. You can choose to emphasize exactly that, which also supports the individuality. misterNES schrieb:
Without a platform, this won't be resolved,The platform can remain. The raised step from the living room is the issue here, not the staircase itself. misterNES schrieb:
A spiral staircase is not an option for us as the main traffic route.I would never suggest that either, since it’s usually not allowed anyway 😉
ypg schrieb:
I would never suggest that either, since it’s not allowed at all 😉 It is actually permitted. There is an exit to the stairwell upstairs, so there is an escape route available.
M
misterNES4 Mar 2021 13:26Hmm, I can imagine the issue with not having enough countertop space. Although, theoretically, the island could be made a bit longer. Now the question is whether it really needs to function completely without a backup kitchen.. 😳
Rotating the island 90 degrees and placing a work counter beneath the windows would be an option, yes. But, to ask plainly, wouldn’t that be too much countertop space combined with a large freestanding island, or can you actually never have enough..?
Highlighting the slanted wall is an interesting idea. Honestly, the wall looks extremely slanted on the plan. I have stood in front of it many times, and it doesn’t actually appear noticeably slanted. Maybe photographing the plan caused some distortion; I’ll take another look.
I don’t quite understand your suggestion regarding the staircase. At what height would the landing be, and where would it lead to upstairs?
Rotating the island 90 degrees and placing a work counter beneath the windows would be an option, yes. But, to ask plainly, wouldn’t that be too much countertop space combined with a large freestanding island, or can you actually never have enough..?
Highlighting the slanted wall is an interesting idea. Honestly, the wall looks extremely slanted on the plan. I have stood in front of it many times, and it doesn’t actually appear noticeably slanted. Maybe photographing the plan caused some distortion; I’ll take another look.
I don’t quite understand your suggestion regarding the staircase. At what height would the landing be, and where would it lead to upstairs?
RomeoZwo schrieb:
It would be allowed. There is an exit to the stairwell above, so an escape route is available.Yes, that’s correct. There is another staircase in the hallway. However, my question was whether this door could simply be incorporated into a room. It would not change the escape route.
misterNES schrieb:
I don’t fully understand your suggestion regarding the staircase. At what height would the landing be, and where would it lead to at the top?Exactly as it is now 🙂Similar topics