How To Make a One-Bedroom Apartment Work for a Family of Four

Raising a family in a city is not easy. One of the biggest hindrances? Space. When they started their family, and started looking for real estate in New York, Casey and Kumar first thought they would have to leave the city. But instead, they decided to get creative.

The places they could afford were a bit on the small side — a one-bedroom apartment for four people? But the couple, both designers, were drawn to one particular Clinton Hill apartment, in whose layout — especially the long, narrow living room — they saw the potential for some very creative solutions.

Reckoning that their two sons, ages two and four, needed a quiet place to sleep and also to spread out all their toys, Casey and Kumar decided to turn the apartment’s existing bedroom into a nursery. That left the problem of where they would sleep — and that’s where things got interesting.

The layout of the apartment’s kitchen and living room provided them with the perfect opportunity to build a ‘flex room’. Separated from the rest of the living room by a sliding wall, this room can be closed off at night to create a master bedroom, and opened up during the day to create a living room big enough for a family of four.

The far wall of the flex space is occupied by a wall of cabinetry, which includes closets, storage space, and a Murphy bed that folds up during the day so you almost couldn’t tell the space is a bedroom at all. It’s a clever and elegant solution that makes this one-bedroom into a comfortable home for a whole family — and enables them to stay in the city they love.

The renovation also involved tearing down some walls between the kitchen and living room, and completely replacing the unit’s old, outdated kitchen. You can read more about their kitchen remodel as well as see more “before” photos here.

Casey and Kumar found their contractor, Kris, on Sweeten, an online resource that connects homeowners with local design and construction experts for home renovations. You can read more about the project, see more photos, and find sources on the Sweeten blog.

Re-edited from a post originally published 9.7.2016