Small Loft Apartment Utilizes 'Box in a Box' Approach

The past few years have compelled many of us to change our habits. Thanks to the global COVID-19 pandemic, we learned what it was like to fully hunker down at home, learning new skills like cooking a meal from scratch, birdwatching, and taking care of a puppy, while also navigating a new work-from-home and homeschooling paradigm.

The pandemic taught us that having flexible spaces at home and in our neighborhoods can be a huge help when one has to work, sleep, cook, and look after the kids—all under one roof. But for many of us, working from home can be less than ideal, especially if the space has not been appropriately set up. It's all right to temporarily use the kitchen table or the couch as a stopgap measure, but it gets old fast when one's workspace is neither ergonomic nor distinct enough from other spaces that are also supposed to be places for relaxation and leisure. Such functional separations can be necessary to maintain one's sanity and one's level of professionalism when working from home.

These considerations were top of mind for Polish architect Mateusz Jóźwiak from Photon Studio when he was redesigning a mid-century loft space in Poznań, Poland, where he and his partner were already residing. Both Jóźwiak and his partner—a designer of digital projects—were obliged to work from home when the pandemic first emerged. However, both of them found it difficult to maintain a healthy work-life balance due to the lack of separation between the spaces for living and work.

To tackle the issue, Jóźwiak modified the 624-square-foot (58-square-meter) apartment to make these distinctions more clear by taking what we might call a "box within a box" design approach. Jóźwiak's first step was to remove the existing walls to create a blank slate from which to work.

Indeed, the renovation project is called Box In A Box Apartment, and features what seems like a warmly textured birch box that actually contains and hides the bedroom and home office apart from the living room. This nesting of dedicated spaces is a versatile technique that we've seen succeed time and time again, especially as a space-saving measure in shoebox apartments or historical residences that might not have been updated in some time.

From the perspective of the living room, the space feels uncluttered and open, thanks to the full-height wall of staggered shelving and integrated storage that the birch plywood walls offer. The peg wall isn't adjustable in design, but nevertheless one can imagine it being flexible enough that items of different sizes can fit here.

Coupled with an expansive sectional couch, this arrangement makes both the entertainment center and home library blend more seamlessly together, forming a space where one can feel more relaxed.

Soft, diaphanous curtains soften the incoming sunlight and offer a textural counterpoint to the cold, grey concrete walls and the pale birch ply.

Though the birch-clad volume looks like a monolithic entity, it in fact also hides additional storage closets within its massive bulk, helping to declutter the entry area. As Jóźwiak tells Sheet Good:

“My goal was to keep a spacious, utilitarian space in which geometry and the naturalness of material play the leading roles. [..] I wanted a material with a very natural wooden character to balance the concrete.”

The dining area is equally open, thanks to its minimalist treatment. There is a round table here with a few chairs, which fits better in a compact space and helps to make the flow of circulation around it that much more smooth.

The kitchen is simple and also looks seamlessly integrated, thanks to the combination of its bright white cabinets and open shelving to make the corner look more visually striking.

The bedroom is located down the main hallway of the apartment, within the birch mass.

There is a lovely contrast between the warmth of the birch wood, and the grey industrial quality of the existing ceiling and closet doors.

The home office is right beside the bedroom and incorporates the same themes of materiality and color.

It seems like a space where one can be shielded from distractions for a more productive workday.

The bathroom is at the end of this sequence down the hall and has a clean and streamlined feel, with white tiling and fixtures.

The shower is large and open, due to its large glass wall.

There are many advantages when it comes to open-plan spaces, such as having more flexibility. On the other hand, they have to be designed well in order to minimize visual clutter and optimize functionality. In this case, the "box within a box" design approach helps on all these fronts, ultimately creating a home where one can finish up a long day of work and fully relax under the same roof. To see more, visit Instagram.