- Furnishing your apartment: our tips and tricks
- Furnishing your living room: nice and cosy
- Furnishing your bedroom: Our tips
- Designing your kitchen: what to keep in mind
- Designing your bathroom: our ten tips
- Your first apartment checklist
- Furnishing your first apartment: our tips
- The lighting concept for your home
- Safe, age-appropriate living
- Furnishing guest rooms: feels like home
- Moving from a bigger home to a smaller one
- Build in instead of move out
- Expanding your living space: The possibilities
Build in instead of move out
Is the apartment too small, is there a room missing or is there simply not enough storage space? Clever installations help here. Much also can be implemented in rental apartments. In an apartment, in which one wants to stay longer, custom-made and certain fixtures are worthwhile. Although they are an investment, they offer the desired living comfort, space or desired solution of a problem. Be inspired by these 10 very different ideas for rethinking.

1 Black box as extra room
In a small Parisian apartment, design and architecture firm Batiik Studio works wonders with its clever design. Instead of simply placing furniture, a new space is created that offers privacy and storage space while looking great. This black box is impressive: A bed is placed on a podium accessible with some stairs. You can delimit it during the day with a sliding door. It contains cupboard, storage space in the steps and bathroom at the same time.

2 Glass pavilion in the living room
Many people love big, open apartments. But sometimes family relationships change, offspring come or a workspace must be created. Residents of this apartment, discovered on Planete Déco’s blog, solved this with a glass installation. Like former supervisory offices in factory buildings, the installation is a new space that offers both views inside and outside and does not disturb the light flow.

If you want privacy, you can draw the curtains, which are attached to the window fronts. With relatively little effort, a charming new room emerges. It fits the look of the apartment and does not change existing space. Such an installation also is possible in a rental apartment, because it can be dismantled easily when moving out. (Picture from the Planete Déco blog)

3 Extra level for the bed
Another type of demarcation takes place in this apartment. There the bed is on a raised floor, which also provides storage space. Thus, a studio apartment almost becomes a two-room apartment. For this installation, it does not require very high ceilings, but of course a good carpenter and good planning. (Picture on the Découvrir l'endroit du déco blog)

4 Toy box furniture
Architecture studio Hao Design Studio always impresses with how it conjures room in apartments in a stylish and clever way. This children’s loft bed has a base that you can put on and take off. This creates flexible scope and the rest of the room is larger or smaller, depending on the application. This installation also offers all the furniture.

5 Bed under the kitchen
Small apartments are a reality for many people, especially in big cities. Living space is sought after and therefore expensive. When space is limited, practical and beautiful solutions are needed. This example shows another idea from French architecture and design studio Batiik Studio. In this small attic studio, the bed is in a drawer under the kitchen.

It can be pushed in during the day and there is room for two bar stools in the vacated space. The counter is also flexible, can be opened and offers perfect dining in minimal space. (Architecture: Batiik Studio)

6 Sofa on the box
Simple, uncomplicated and inexpensive wooden boxes provide a basis for beds and sofas. If you continue to develop such an idea, then even more storage space is created. (Picture: Bolig Magasinet)

7 Wall unit with living space
A wall unit doesn’t have to cover everything. This cabinet offers not only desired storage space but also shelves, niches as a bedside table, and even a small seat. In addition, it has built-in light sources and therefore next to the bed it provides the entire furniture for a small bedroom. (Picture on the Planete Déco blog)

8 Kitchen detail with style
Something that most apartments and houses have are fitted kitchens. These usually cannot be chosen by a tenant. But if you have the opportunity to select a kitchen, it can go a little beyond the usual designs. Devol Kitchens from England has one answer. This small, pretty detail shows that coziness is important in this kitchen. Open shelf space, hooks for hanging things and showcase cabinets are included.

9 Reading room
This room-filling sheving system looks light and modern. It dances through the room, respecting the architecture. If you need a lot of storage space, be it for books or other things, you often get better advice with a personal solution that is tailored to the existing space instead of just filling it up with finished shelves and cupboards. (Picture from the SF Girl blog)

10 Closet behind the door
The annoying problem with the wardrobe at the entrance can be solved in this way. Here a kind of cabinet furniture is built around the door. It offers plenty of neat storage space for shoes and clothes. (Picture: Roomaholic blog)