Architecture

Architect transforms storage room into a micro home

Architect transforms storage room into a micro home
Swedish architect Karin Matz, transforms an abandoned 36sqm room into a multi-purpose tiny home
Swedish architect Karin Matz, transforms an abandoned 36sqm room into a multi-purpose tiny home
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Swedish architect Karin Matz transformed an abandoned space it into a multi-purpose tiny home
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Swedish architect Karin Matz transformed an abandoned space it into a multi-purpose tiny home
Elevated bed is cosy
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Elevated bed is cosy
The wardrobe sits beneath the raised bed
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The wardrobe sits beneath the raised bed
Three decades later Karin Matz has breathed new life into the apartment
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Three decades later Karin Matz has breathed new life into the apartment
Swedish architect Karin Matz, transforms an abandoned 36sqm room into a multi-purpose tiny home
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Swedish architect Karin Matz, transforms an abandoned 36sqm room into a multi-purpose tiny home
It took Matz a little under six months to complete construction of the HB6B home
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It took Matz a little under six months to complete construction of the HB6B home
Roller curtains have been fitted to the ceiling, allowing the kitchen and/or the sleeping quarters to be closed off from the living area
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Roller curtains have been fitted to the ceiling, allowing the kitchen and/or the sleeping quarters to be closed off from the living area
Glass panels are used to separate the kitchen/bed/wardrobe spaces from each other
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Glass panels are used to separate the kitchen/bed/wardrobe spaces from each other
Using pine-plywood Matz based the design of the kitchen and bed area on an IKEA unit
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Using pine-plywood Matz based the design of the kitchen and bed area on an IKEA unit
The interior features a kitchen/bed/wardrobe zone made from a single structure
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The interior features a kitchen/bed/wardrobe zone made from a single structure
Karin Matz successfully converted the space into a light-filled compact home
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Karin Matz successfully converted the space into a light-filled compact home
HB6B's light filled and not so tiny kitchen
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HB6B's light filled and not so tiny kitchen
Curtains are used to divide the different spaces
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Curtains are used to divide the different spaces
The 36 sq m (387 sq ft) space had not been touched since the 1980s when its owner started initial renovations before falling ill
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The 36 sq m (387 sq ft) space had not been touched since the 1980s when its owner started initial renovations before falling ill
The walls are left bare as a reminder of its past
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The walls are left bare as a reminder of its past
Interior final touches
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Interior final touches
The bathroom floor and the kitchen table were made using pigmented plywood
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The bathroom floor and the kitchen table were made using pigmented plywood
The 36 sq m (387 sq ft) space had not been touched since the 1980s when its owner started initial renovations before falling ill
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The 36 sq m (387 sq ft) space had not been touched since the 1980s when its owner started initial renovations before falling ill
The total cost to complete the HB6B home was approximately €27,000
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The total cost to complete the HB6B home was approximately €27,000
"I found it fascinating that this apartment had been in this state for 30 years," Karin Matz tells Gizmag
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"I found it fascinating that this apartment had been in this state for 30 years," Karin Matz tells Gizmag
The final result is not only practical but light filled and spacious
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The final result is not only practical but light filled and spacious
Kitchen view from the elevated bed
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Kitchen view from the elevated bed
HB6B by Karin Matz
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HB6B by Karin Matz
"This project was somehow impossible to resist," says Matz
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"This project was somehow impossible to resist," says Matz
The clothes rack hides underneath the raised bed
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The clothes rack hides underneath the raised bed
The bathroom sits adjacent to the living room
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The bathroom sits adjacent to the living room
Space saving kitchen/bed/wardrobe zones were made with a single structure
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Space saving kitchen/bed/wardrobe zones were made with a single structure
Using pine-plywood Matz based the design of the kitchen and bed area on an IKEA unit
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Using pine-plywood Matz based the design of the kitchen and bed area on an IKEA unit
The unit hosts three sections: the kitchen
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The unit hosts three sections: the kitchen
Window look out over Stockholm
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Window look out over Stockholm
The bathroom shares an internal window with the living room, which also has a curtain for privacy
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The bathroom shares an internal window with the living room, which also has a curtain for privacy
Night time view of the shower
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Night time view of the shower
HB6B home by Karin Matz
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HB6B home by Karin Matz
Floor plan of the HB6B home by Karin Matz
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Floor plan of the HB6B home by Karin Matz
View gallery - 34 images

When Swedish architect Karin Matz discovered a small space in Stockholm, which for over 30 years had been used for furniture storage, she was instantly inspired to transform it into a multi-purpose tiny home. The 36 sq m (387 sq ft) space had not been touched since the 1980s when its owner started initial renovations before falling ill. Three decades later, Matz has breathed new life into the apartment, successfully converting it into a light-filled compact home and finally finishing what the previous owner had started.

"I found it fascinating that this apartment had been in this state for 30 years," Karin Matz tells Gizmag. "Time had been frozen; wallpaper was half removed, only a few tiles and a kitchen faucet were sticking out of the wall, there was no electricity and the bathroom only had signs of rats as inhabitants. In a city like Stockholm with an enormous housing shortage and with every square meter increasing in price by the minute, this project was somehow impossible to resist."

It took Matz a little under six months to complete construction of the HB6B home. The interior has been divided into two parts, featuring an open space living area and kitchen/bed/wardrobe zone made from a single structure. Some of the walls have been left bare as a reminder of the apartment's past.

Glass panels are used to separate the kitchen/bed/wardrobe spaces from each other
Glass panels are used to separate the kitchen/bed/wardrobe spaces from each other

Using pine-plywood Matz based the design of the kitchen and bed area on an IKEA unit. Glass panels are used to separate the kitchen/bed/wardrobe spaces from each other and roller curtains have been fitted to the ceiling, allowing the kitchen and/or the sleeping quarters to be closed off from the living area. The bathroom sits adjacent to the living room and shares an internal window, which also has a curtain for privacy. The bathroom floor and the kitchen table were made using pigmented plywood.

The total cost to complete the HB6B home was approximately €27,000
The total cost to complete the HB6B home was approximately €27,000

"It was very difficult to fit everything into the small space," says Matz. "It took a lot of different tests but I really enjoyed puzzling everything together in a smart space-saving way. It was a big challenge to fit things into a space which is actually too small to fit everything into it. It was also difficult to find a rail which was strong enough to hold all of the clothes."

The total cost to complete the HB6B home was approximately €27,000 (US$36,855).

Source: Karin Matz via Web Urbanist

View gallery - 34 images
1 comment
1 comment
BigGoofyGuy
I think that is very clever and creative. I like it.