Architecture
How Ambiguous Spaces are Blurring the Lines of Where We Live
Architects are buzzing about ambiguous spaces, where walls move, floor plans are flexible and rooms are function-fluid
With many of us moving to smaller homes and putting added pressure on our spaces as being somewhere to work, rest and entertain, the idea of ambiguous spaces has firmly taken hold. Think flexible spaces where the walls shift, ceilings rise and rooms perform multiple functions throughout the day and into night, allowing you to take your abode from quiet work space and meeting hub to chill-out zone in a flash.
Here, we pin down the key elements of ambiguous living spaces, and explore how you can incorporate them into your home.
Here, we pin down the key elements of ambiguous living spaces, and explore how you can incorporate them into your home.
Tucked away
More of us are working from home than ever before, and with space increasingly in short supply, that often means setting up a desk or study nook in the main living area. But when you’re ready to put your feet up for the evening or relax with friends over a home-cooked meal, the last thing you want is to have your work paraphernalia on full display. Folding doors, which allow you to tuck the functional parts of your home away in an instant, are a fantastic solution.
For extra flexibility that allows you to reconfigure your living space so that it performs multiple different functions – think work space, meeting zone, chill-out area and even party place – add in movable tables and storage on castors, stackable and folding chairs, and modular furniture.
24 Hipster Home Offices
More of us are working from home than ever before, and with space increasingly in short supply, that often means setting up a desk or study nook in the main living area. But when you’re ready to put your feet up for the evening or relax with friends over a home-cooked meal, the last thing you want is to have your work paraphernalia on full display. Folding doors, which allow you to tuck the functional parts of your home away in an instant, are a fantastic solution.
For extra flexibility that allows you to reconfigure your living space so that it performs multiple different functions – think work space, meeting zone, chill-out area and even party place – add in movable tables and storage on castors, stackable and folding chairs, and modular furniture.
24 Hipster Home Offices
Fluid spaces
A truly ambiguous space allows you to reconfigure your home to suit your needs, not just now but in the future. Changes in lifestyle and new members of the family are cleverly accommodated without encroaching on anyone else’s space.
Making the most of under-utilised space is a crucial factor. In this renovation, the underside of a staircase was turned into a charging station and cubby space for a beautiful black lab. Down the track, this versatile spot could also be used as a study nook or for storage.
15 home office nooks that might be right under your nose
A truly ambiguous space allows you to reconfigure your home to suit your needs, not just now but in the future. Changes in lifestyle and new members of the family are cleverly accommodated without encroaching on anyone else’s space.
Making the most of under-utilised space is a crucial factor. In this renovation, the underside of a staircase was turned into a charging station and cubby space for a beautiful black lab. Down the track, this versatile spot could also be used as a study nook or for storage.
15 home office nooks that might be right under your nose
Seamless indoor-outdoor flow
Smart glazing can help form a meaningful connection between your interior spaces and nature outside. Here, glazing that runs the full width of the wall creates a sense of ambiguity between the indoor and outdoor zones, while infusing the open-plan living area/kitchen with natural light thus making it appear bigger than it actually is. This idea can work beautifully in other spots too; consider, for example, opening up your ensuite to a private, landscaped courtyard with an outdoor shower or spa.
You can also use glazing to blur the lines inside your home. Rather than opting for solid partitions between rooms, choose full- or half-height glass panels instead. These will create a sense of division, while allowing light to flow through and maintaining a feeling of connection between the spaces.
Smart glazing can help form a meaningful connection between your interior spaces and nature outside. Here, glazing that runs the full width of the wall creates a sense of ambiguity between the indoor and outdoor zones, while infusing the open-plan living area/kitchen with natural light thus making it appear bigger than it actually is. This idea can work beautifully in other spots too; consider, for example, opening up your ensuite to a private, landscaped courtyard with an outdoor shower or spa.
You can also use glazing to blur the lines inside your home. Rather than opting for solid partitions between rooms, choose full- or half-height glass panels instead. These will create a sense of division, while allowing light to flow through and maintaining a feeling of connection between the spaces.
Un-enclosed rooms
Having the flexibility to turn your outdoor area into a usable living space is a boon in a small home. And by resisting the urge to enclose it fully, you’ll maintain that all-important connection to nature.
If you’re concerned that an un-enclosed living space might not be practical – after all a sharp wind, heavy downpour or searing hot temperatures could quickly render the space unusable – you needn’t be. Today, there are many ways to keep you and your guests cool, dry and comfortable while enjoying a sense of connection with the outdoors. These include louvered and retractable roofs, cafe blinds, and motorised glass panels that allow natural light to penetrate the space without fear of getting drenched in a downpour.
Having the flexibility to turn your outdoor area into a usable living space is a boon in a small home. And by resisting the urge to enclose it fully, you’ll maintain that all-important connection to nature.
If you’re concerned that an un-enclosed living space might not be practical – after all a sharp wind, heavy downpour or searing hot temperatures could quickly render the space unusable – you needn’t be. Today, there are many ways to keep you and your guests cool, dry and comfortable while enjoying a sense of connection with the outdoors. These include louvered and retractable roofs, cafe blinds, and motorised glass panels that allow natural light to penetrate the space without fear of getting drenched in a downpour.
Flexible floor plans
As we put more pressure on our homes to perform added functions, the idea of a fixed floor plan no longer feels relevant. Instead, expect to see flexible floor plans and moveable walls that allow us to configure spaces to suit our changing needs.
Changes in materiality can help you achieve this sense of fluidity. Partitions made from transparent materials, for example, can be used to carve out zones for living, work, sleeping zones and more, which are then easily switched up further down the track.
As we put more pressure on our homes to perform added functions, the idea of a fixed floor plan no longer feels relevant. Instead, expect to see flexible floor plans and moveable walls that allow us to configure spaces to suit our changing needs.
Changes in materiality can help you achieve this sense of fluidity. Partitions made from transparent materials, for example, can be used to carve out zones for living, work, sleeping zones and more, which are then easily switched up further down the track.
Vertical divides
Want to open up your home for a dinner party or carve out some quiet space for the kids to get on with their homework? Pocket doors, which disappear into a cavity into the wall when opened, give you the ability to turn a large open-plan space into a series of semi- or fully-divided rooms in an instant.
Want to open up your home for a dinner party or carve out some quiet space for the kids to get on with their homework? Pocket doors, which disappear into a cavity into the wall when opened, give you the ability to turn a large open-plan space into a series of semi- or fully-divided rooms in an instant.
Blurred lines
Ambiguity can be applied to outdoor spaces and facades too. Here, a fenced wall becomes a tilt garage door. As the roof plane of the garage overlaps the swimming pool area to the left, it creates a layer of ambiguity as we can’t define where the garage ends and the pool area begins.
TELL US
What are your thoughts on the idea of ambiguous spaces in and around the home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to like the story, save your favourite images and join the conversation.
Ambiguity can be applied to outdoor spaces and facades too. Here, a fenced wall becomes a tilt garage door. As the roof plane of the garage overlaps the swimming pool area to the left, it creates a layer of ambiguity as we can’t define where the garage ends and the pool area begins.
TELL US
What are your thoughts on the idea of ambiguous spaces in and around the home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to like the story, save your favourite images and join the conversation.
With many of us moving from large-scale suburban homes to compact city abodes, our pre-conceived notions about how individual rooms function are ripe for change. When you’re dealing with issues such as a lack of storage space (a common complaint in smaller abodes), smart solutions and an open mind are called for.
The kitchen of this small home is a great example. Making the most of the room’s great ceiling height, the owners have transformed empty space near the ceiling into an additional usable space, which can function as a study or storage nook. As a result, the kitchen is no longer simply a kitchen, but a versatile (and clutter-free), dual-purpose space.
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