Make a small apartment work from morning to night

Start with an ordinary week

Walk through the entrance, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living area with a notebook. Record where things accumulate and which tasks you postpone because getting ready is awkward. Ask everyone which apparently empty surfaces they use for unfinished work.

Sort needs into permanent, shared and occasional uses. Sleeping every night deserves a different decision from hosting a rare overnight guest. The living-room layout guide addresses that room; your whole-home brief should also reveal who loses their place when another activity begins.

Draw both the daytime and evening apartment

Consider this illustrative example: 2 people share a 46 m² apartment and one works at home. This is neither a minimum floor area nor a universal layout. The key question is where work materials go when the table becomes the place for dinner.

Draw both arrangements in the space planner. A folded chair still needs somewhere to live; moving its outline off the drawing does not make the changeover workable.

Inventory belongings before drawing cupboards

Group possessions by use and measure the awkward ones: the vacuum cleaner, suitcases, bedding, drying rack and hobby equipment. Record where each is used, who retrieves it and whether it must be completely dry before storage. Develop your kitchen storage inventory separately while keeping a household overview here.

Give each group a location and a way to get it out. Check usable internal dimensions after allowing for hinges, drawers and dividers. Do not assign the same compartment twice to things that will be in the apartment together.

• Daily: keys, bags and shoes close to their usual point of use.
• Weekly: cleaning and laundry items with access you can repeat easily.
• Seasonal: clothes and luggage with their actual dimensions recorded.
• Shared: documents and tools everyone can find.
• Unresolved: belongings without a destination, settled before shopping.

Count the work involved in changing the room

Try an extending table or convertible bed with the person who will use it. Repeat opening, closing and putting away accessories. Ask where the bedding goes and whether somebody can rest while the next activity is being prepared.

Compare each proposal with a fixed alternative serving the main activity. If both work, consider cleaning, access to moving parts and whether components can be replaced. Resist assigning furniture to every remaining patch of floor: that space may let you pack a suitcase or cope with a temporary change of routine.

Keep the building working

Spain’s CTE HS3 addresses air supply, transfer and extraction in homes. Before enclosing an awkward corner, mark vents, windows and maintenance access for your technician to review.

Check the apartment after dark where you cook, find clothes and move between rooms. Coordinate these situations with your home lighting plan. If the main difficulty is in a wet room, develop the small bathroom layout as a separate brief.

Source: CTE · Documento Básico HS Salubridad

Spend on the piece that removes a daily obstacle

Anti-tip fixings need to suit the furniture and the wall material. Have installation described in the order. For custom joinery, provide your inventory, representative objects, opening arrangements and photographs. Agree who checks final measurements and how you will reach the less visible parts of the unit.

Compare quotations for the same scope, then choose finishes once capacity and operation are settled. The guide to finishes and spending priorities can help with those decisions.

Source: IKEA España · Furniture anchoring and wall materials