Multifunctional Rooms: How to Combine Different Functions in One Space?

Do you dream of a bedroom with a bathroom? Or are you preparing to plan the space in your living area? Today our expert Krzysztof Miruć answers the question of how to arrange a room with multiple functions. Read on and learn how to combine function and comfort into an aesthetic whole.

 

Large living areas must fulfil many functions. Within a single room there is a kitchen, dining area and living room. How to arrange a large, open space so as to preserve the cosy character of the room?

 

Krzysztof: I would start designing a multifunctional interior by determining the functional and spatial layout that will be ergonomic and comfortable. Secondly, we must pay attention to circulation routes, because we will be moving around in this room, and therefore a table or armchair must not stand on the circulation route. Thirdly, let us remember the viewing axes, so that when using a given part of the room we have a nice view and a sense of the surrounding space.

 

Should the kitchen, living room and dining area in a living zone always be open? What are the tricks for separating these rooms while maintaining the aforementioned circulation axis and the ability to move between these rooms?

In most of today's rooms, the living area is an open space containing a kitchen, dining area and living room. Residents do not always want the kitchen to be completely open. In that case, you can place a partition between these rooms, the relaxation zone and the cooking zone, not necessarily a full one. It can be an openwork partition, a glass one or a media wall. The latter may consist of several solid elements on which the TV hangs, and on the sides there can be openwork elements, panels made of transparent, graphite or fluted glass. We can play with the element of such a screen or decorative wall, which will be visible from both sides. It will be a freestanding element in the middle of this room and should be interesting, functional or finished with an interesting material. It can be shiny, it can be a mosaic, sheet metal or porcelain stoneware. There are many possibilities, but let us remember one rule. The partition is to separate two rooms for us, not to fence them off. You can be tempted to use a partition the width of our TV plus 20 cm on the sides, in case we wanted to buy a larger TV someday or mount wall lamps on the sides.

How to choose materials in a multifunctional space to maintain consistency?

You need to be consistent and remember that four materials is already too many. The base is the floor, so first we choose the base, and then we place various pieces of furniture on it. It is good to play with one colour palette but different textures. You can add a decorative element in the form of a stronger colour or pattern, but you have to be restrained. I suggest playing with one tone, at most two finishing materials. The worst thing is placing light wooden furniture on a light wooden floor, because we will never manage to match the colour. It is better to combine darker furniture with a light floor or vice versa. Then the interior will be more contrasting, but we will not make such mistakes, it will not be bland or monotonous.

I think every woman dreams of a real walk-in closet. When the developer does not include such a room in the apartment plan, investors most often arrange it in the bedroom. How then to combine these two rooms into an aesthetic whole?

A walk-in closet has one feature – we can store more things in it than in wardrobes, it is more spacious and functional. The smallest walk-in closet is always a better idea than a wardrobe and it is worth finding space for it in the bedroom.

 

 

It should be remembered that it is a completely separate room and must be separated. If we have a very large bedroom in which we can afford to make the walk-in closet part of it, we must remember to position it appropriately. The walk-in closet annex should be placed with its back to the bed, we cannot look at it. It is a separate room, the wardrobes are not always closed there and we do not always keep them tidy.

Can a walk-in closet be stylish, or is it better to treat it more like a storage room or a large wardrobe?

A walk-in closet can be a room. I suggest that if we have the opportunity, let's play with its style, arrange it like a separate interior, or even a private clothing salon. We can put a dressing table, a comfortable armchair and play with decorations.

 

What doors to choose for a bedroom with a walk-in closet?

In a small walk-in closet we can use sliding doors, full or hidden e.g. Sara Eco 2. When connecting the bedroom with the walk-in closet, they can successfully be about 70 cm wide, because we do not need larger ones. If the room itself is large and representative, we can be tempted to use glazed doors through which our treasure will be visible. Here I would recommend, for example, a door leaf with transparent glass DRE Supreme model SOHO.

 

Finally, a question and an increasingly popular combination of a bedroom with a bathroom or even a bathing room. How to arrange such a space so that it is aesthetic and at the same time provides privacy for those using the bathroom?

With open bathrooms connected to the bedroom, only the toilet and shower area should be separated. Bathtubs and washbasins can be part of the bedroom. This is a very interesting solution, it gives many design possibilities, mirrors enlarge the space, and bathing in a bathtub in the middle of a room is pure luxury. Remember about privacy when taking a shower or using the toilet. The point is that a person lying in bed does not see it, or that we can close the toilet in a separate, small room.

 

What doors to choose for such a space?

Large, nice, glazed. After all, we don't want to show off our bathroom only to partition it. Therefore, a door leaf with transparent glass, e.g. DRE SOHO 2, single or double, will fulfill its function.