Small Spaces When Traveling
Over a year ago now I vowed to blog once a week – but I’m afraid to say I got through a couple of weeks before business and life seemed to get in the way. But here I am on a transcontinental flight home from London, so I suppose this is as good a time as any to stop making excuses and get to blogging….
Having just spent 10 days in London and Barcelona, I have realized a few things. First of all, London is most assuredly in my top 3 cities in the world, along with Chicago and Kyoto. And since we had such a wonderful time there it is currently at the top of the list. A melting pot of interesting and friendly people, fascinating historical sites, and a formal aire that suits me well. I also learned that gelato, when eaten daily, can cause you pants to grow a bit tight. But most importantly to this blog, I saw first hand how design can be creative, functional and beautiful even in small spaces.
Let’s face it, hotel rooms in Europe aren’t typically spacious. Perhaps that is to encourage the visitor to get out and embrace the city while they roam the streets or wander from one beautiful historical site to the next. More likely it is because they are short on space and often built in much older buildings retrofit to the modern needs of a weary traveler. The hotels we stayed at didn’t waste a bit of space but they managed to make the rooms feel spacious by some key design decisions.
For example, our hotel room in London was in a very old building and had an odd shape due to the exterior wall of the building. It effectively gave us a nook area in the room, much too small for a seating area or a bed, but prime real estate just the same. They built a closet with a built in dresser, complete with a safe, plenty of hanging space and shelf space on one side of the nook and placed a small traditional writing desk on the other side, creating a very functional and beautifully appointed space. The built-in closet was much more functional than a stand alone dresser because it stretched from the corner all on long the wall of the nook. And felt much less heavy than a dresser since it was painted white to match the window molding in the room. Also in the nook was a tall window which had floor to ceiling drapes. It made the small space look tall and lean, appearing much bigger than it was in actuality.
In Barcelona our room was much more contemporary and even smaller. But they still managed to fit a desk. This time however, the desktop was glass, effectively minimizing the desk in the room so visually it did not feel as full. And again, they had built-in floor-to-ceiling closets which were the same finish as the rest of the woodwork in the room, allowing it to blend in and look sleek. It even had a coffee nook in the middle – the perfect spot and perfect lighting to fix my makeup everyday.
I think we often think “bigger is better” in the States, but Europe clearly knows how to make the most of small spaces. I often have clients who want to renovate a space to function more effectively but feel overwhelmed or disappointed at the lack of existing footprint they have to work with. I am leaving London and Barcelona excited to come home and work on the many projects waiting for me on my desk. I’m grateful my clients are patient and let me escape for a bit of fun and I’m coming home inspired to make even small spaces functional and beautiful!
