Room For One More design an answer for growing families

Adding a child to the family is a wonderful gift of life, but it can cause complications to your living situation. 

For many people, selling the existing home and upsizing may prove too expensive, or simply doesn’t fit in with their lifestyle.

But Studio Ben Allen’s ‘Room For One More’ concept may prove to be an adequate solution to this problem.

The firm has recently updated a flat on London’s brutalist Barbican estate to feature a colourful central volume that includes a bed, fold-out desk, and extra storage space.

Previously home to just one bedroom, the apartment has been reconfigured to accommodate a child’s bedroom.

“The client was keen that the intervention would relate to the architecture of the Barbican and provide a high degree of flexibility to allow the growing family to continue living in their much-loved but modest-sized flat,” explained the studio.

Instead of changing the layout of the residence, the firm curated a full-height, multifunctional volume in the middle of the floor plan. 

One side of the unit presents a cherry-red desk that the residents can fold down on days they want to work from home, while the other side has been fitted with shelves where ornaments can be displayed. 

The structure also contains an array of storage cupboards and a disc-shaped mirror that runs through its centre.

“It creates an interplay with the underlying arched and circular geometry of the Barbican and, from the living-room seating-area, provides a reflected view of the adjacent Barbican façade itself,” the studio added.

The design also helps partially conceal the child’s bedroom, which has been positioned at the rear of the apartment’s existing dining area.

Looking inside reveals a teal bunk-bed accessed by a short flight of stairs that doubles-up as a small desk where the child can read or do some homework. A newly-fitted swing door can be used to completely separate this room from the rest of the home. 

The move to producing innovative furniture to create space in smaller homes is ever-increasing — especially as the cost of property goes up. 

Ingenious solutions like this Queen Wall Bed from Palermo offers a way to have your bedroom and living room in the same area, depending on the time of day. During daylight hours, have a stylish wardrobe-looking unit, before pulling it down when the sun goes down to reveal a bed. 

A similar concept has been put towards desks. Where space is scarce, this fold-down desk by Hutton is the perfect choice for your home office. It comes with a modern 2-in-1 design, incorporating a desk with a wall-mounted bookcase that provides ample storage space for books and stationery essentials.

Click here to read more lifestyle articles.