​A Family Flat Gets A Major Overhaul

Johannes van Graan Johannes van Graan
simple & funny Apartment Interior, Light&Salt Design Light&Salt Design
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Ah, the joys of getting married. Of sharing your life with someone else, and then combining your separate households to merge as one new home. And then when things really change once the youngsters start arriving!

Such was the case with a couple in Korea; the arrival of two little ones made them see that their life (and, thus, their home) needed one major upgrade to accommodate those busy children. Not that their apartment was too small; space was sufficient, it just need to be adjusted. And their lifestyle, furniture, and décor were in serious shambles.

Enter interior designers Light&Salt Design, who took one look at their clients’ surroundings and got to work.

Before: a cluttered mess

Let’s be honest: clutter is not a great thing to have, but it’s not the end of the world. A little tidying up and dusting off can make a messy space look brand new.

However, a little tidying up in this space was not going to cut it – and thankfully our designers realised that.

Before: struggling to enter

This was the entrance to the apartment before our professionals started their renovation magic. Having children undoubtedly leads to a multitude of elements like toys, strollers, shoes, and goodness knows what else. That is fine, but having no space to place everything is not great. 

As we can see, our homeowners did have major spacing issues, opting to park the strollers right in front of the front door. And having that large cupboard (for jackets, shoes, etc.) right near the entrance creates a claustrophobic area that is enough to make anybody tear up.

After: a welcome change

Some creative planning and hard work, and ta-da: a brand-new entrance for our growing family. 

A crisp new white tone replaced that weird off-white colour of the old walls, while some new lighting upgrades turned this space into a modern and elegant area. The wooden flooring had to go and made way for some stylish tiles. A little step area was also placed at the door to emphasise the main entrance. 

In addition, some new closets were inserted, adding fantastic storage options for all those shoes, toys, strollers, and anything else those little ones can dish out!

Before: the dark living room

Nothing seems right here: that lighting needs to go, the colours don’t mix, and the clutter is getting out of hand as it seems to flow out onto the balcony. The space shows some promise, but major work is required before this can become a child-friendly area.

Before: the cluttered balcony

Having a balcony or porch is a terrific addition to any living space. It allows you a little extra room to do with whatever you please. It can be an exterior seating space, a reading corner, a meditation zone… However, using it to hang laundry is not always the most fashionable option, and yet that is precisely what it was used for in its previous state.

After: a bright new space

What a difference some serious commitment to style can make! Out with that old sliding door, in with the brand-new folding door. Exit the deteriorated ceiling light and enter a funky new model. 

Some stylish new laminated flooring, in a pale tone of crispy beach, adorns the new living room now, and we just love it.

After: the new living room

Previously, the bookcase and TV set didn’t seem to belong – they just sort of floated in their respective spots. Now, some elegant shelves have become the focal points of the living room, ensuring sufficient space for a television set, books, and a multitude of decorative objects. 

Just see how stunning that Water Jet blue jumps out from the wall, contrasting most stylishly with the white walls and light timber shelves.

Before: the messy kitchen

It would seem that our designers got there just in time, as those children’s toys were about to take over the entire apartment. But this entire space was begging for a makeover: just see how cramped that dark floor makes the room seem.

Be sure to take a look at: 7 ways to furnish a functional kitchen.

After: light and bright

Not just new floors and wall colours, but some new walls too – how different the hallway to the kitchen looks now! Slanted walls offer a bit of separation between spaces, with the new neutral tones and materials making the rooms seem much more spacious. 

One of the most successful renovations ever, in our opinion!

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