Over the last ten years, or so, we’d rented and stayed in enough of the other apartments that we’d already figured out quite a few things that we did or did not like. We’d also seen some variations of what you could do with a little place like this.
Most of our decisions came down to how to make this little apartment more spacious and comfortable.
We agreed on a set of mission guidelines and then applied them to every considered structural change or furnishing decision: Open space, modern convenience, practical whenever possible but also the occasional splurge on something special, and, without going overboard , some touches of mountain kitsch – this was an alpine vacation place after all.
View through the front door: Bedroom to the left. Minus one kitchen up ahead.
The bedroom in front was one of the more dramatic changes we put in. Originally there were two single beds, built along the walls in an L shape and a large cupboard/closet in the corner that took up most of the standing room when open.
Together with the sofa bed in the living room, the apartment could comfortably sleep four. The last thing we ever wanted to do was sleep apart on vacation, so we’d spent years sleeping on sofa beds and using the front bedroom as a large dressing room – a lot of wasted space for a place so small.
So we ripped out the bedroom wall to make room for a queen sized bed, built cupboards on the back wall and put in a sliding door so that each could enter and exit on their side.
New sleeping area with one big bed.
The sliding door serves an extra function here for us: The thinness of doors vs wall won us a few extra centimeters, which we maxed out with the largest mattress we could get. But Oliver is still too tall (he is for most European beds), so at night we slide doors all to one side so he can stretch his toes can over the edge.
Sliding doors let us open or close the area off, and make room for toes at night.
Next up… the front hallway and bathroom.
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