? 200 Small Apartment Ideas by Cristina Paredes Benitez (Firefly Books, 798 pages) $49.95
LIMITED space doesn't have to mean limited options.
As increased density results in more people taking up residence in smaller apartments the need for good space utilization becomes more important.
Like the apartments selected for this book, there are a lot of details squeezed into this compact volume. Buildings from around the world are included to demonstrate the best in small apartment design.
Benitez divides the book into five chapters. Starting with the extra small apartments, which she defines as up to 50 square meters, she then looks at small sized units that go up to 100 square meters, finally there are those apartments that reach 150 square meters.
The fourth chapter is a look at remodeling and Benitez looks at the entire structure in the final chapter where she examines a variety of buildings to show how the initial design has impact on the final layout of the interior.
Within each section are dozens of examples of outstanding design choices that have made the best possible use of the available space. With attention to the various criteria for livability, such as best use of natural light, common use areas, walkways, storage and layout these apartments show how to maximize with minimum space. Along with the beautiful colour photographs are the layouts of the majority of the apartments featured.
From the hundreds of colour photographs, anyone living in a small apartment will find lots of great ideas to let their own personality shine through.
