Bright and Spacious Loft with Charming Interior Design in Gothenburg

We really love the overall atmosphere that these Swedish apartments inspire. As usual, we are charmed by the simple, yet charming interior design of this 85 square meter flat consisting of three rooms plus kitchen. The living room (first photos) is the heart of this beautiful crib. Light and airy with whitewashed walls, oak flooring and three windows for abundant natural light, this room seems perfect for familiar gatherings. We really like the cozy reading corner, the oval coffee table, the round window and the strong purple contrasting with the white walls. All of these elements create a dreamy living space, both homey and aesthetic. Next to the living room, there is a delightful bedroom featuring a double bed and a wardrobe. Three of the walls are painted in white and the fourth is covered with a nicely patterned wallpaper by Manuel Canovas. We invite you to check out the rest of the interiors and let us know if this home won you over. – via Alvhem

 

Small and Cozy Reader’s Apartment in Cluj-Napoca, Romania

We received some photos of this tasteful one room apartment from Gina Malin, one of our Freshome readers. Located in Cluj Napoca, Romania, this cozy crib has a few American influences, due to the fact that its owner spends nine months a year working in Arizona. The apartment has 35 square meters and features a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom. Initially there was a wall between the living room and kitchen, but it was demounted so more living space could be gained. The owner wanted an airy home, without useless furniture items and other forms of clutter. The furniture was custom made by a friend. We really like the wall shelves and think they manage to add style, functionality and an overall warm feel. The color palette (black, white, red, silver) is engaging and not at all tiring. The apartment is located on the forth floor of a building and overlooks a beautiful forest. We really want to know how you see this place and if you consider the owner did a good job in designing this small home. We certainly do.

How to Live a Green Apartment Lifestyle

Living a green lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to own a house, apartment owners can do their share in being ‘green’ and eco-friendly. When living in an apartment, appliances, and utilities are most likely handled by your landlord or leasing company.  This doesn’t mean there aren’t tips to help save you money and be environmentally conscious at the same time.  Follow these tips for living a green apartment lifestyle.

Observe your waste: Apartments and their residents generate tons of trash, and refuse on a regular basis. Ask your landlord if they have a recycling system in place for separated recycled content. Recyclable containers for paper, glass, and aluminum are a good start. In your own apartment be mindful of personal waste. Switch from Styrofoam cups to biodegradable or glass ones. Reduce junk mail waste by changing to online billing and paperless statements. Ask for your food take-out to be placed in cardboard or recyclable material containers. Under your kitchen cabinets keep small recyclable containers to sort immediately when you’re finished using a container. This will save you time and energy to not have to sort through a dirty kitchen trashcan.

• Minimize your energy consumption: Regardless if your utilities are included in your monthly rent or if you pay them separately, minimizing your energy consumption can help everyone. Consider turning your thermostat down or up depending on the season.  Consider dressing warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer to avoid changing the thermostat constantly.
• Change out your light bulbs: Consider switching out your traditional incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs. They use less energy and last almost 10 times longer than the traditional bulb. Switch out bulbs in lamps, overhead lighting, wall sconces, and

• Utilize public transportation or carpool: If you live in an urban environment where public transit is an option, considering using instead of driving. This will save money for you and help minimize carbon emissions put into the Earth’s atmosphere. If you need to drive, try to organize a carpool with an apartment neighbor or a coworker.
• Washer and Dryer usage: If you have your own units in your apartment, try to plan a schedule with your roommate so the machines aren’t being used every day to conserve energy. When washing clothes use cold water as much as possible and ask your apartment landlord to install high efficiency washer machines. Use cooler dry settings in dryers, and don’t dry clothes on the longest setting.

Conserve water in the bathroom and kitchen: Plan with your roommate(s) when you will use the dishwasher, and take showers. Be mindful of each other’s schedule and try to shorten the length of your showers and baths. Water consumption in apartments can be kept to a minimal with low flow faucets installed in the showers as well. Ask your landlord if they plan on installing water saving fixtures in your home.

Apartment green living can be made easier with the help of these useful tips. Before renting an apartment, ask what green practices the complex has in place. This should weigh into your impression of the complex. If they care enough about saving money and the Earth’s resources, they will probably be more attentive to their tenants. If your apartment does not have green practices in place, give them a few suggestions to see if they will consider and stress the long term advantages for everyone involved.

Freshome reader’s do you live in an apartment building that practices green initiatives? What specifically do they do that made you want to live there? We’d love to hear your feedback.

Thinking Outside the Square: The Ruiz-Maasburg Penthouse in Madrid

Sometimes the space constrains lead to some of the most incredible home designs. This is the story of the Ruiz-Maasburg Penthouse in Madrid designed by Héctor Ruiz-Velázquez. Forced to turn an attic of only 60m2 inside and 50m2 of terrace/patio into a stylish, practical and modern living zone, the architects took advantage of every available square centimeter of space and optimized it. Using forced perspectives, a good lighting system and white painting, this apartment was turned into a dynamic crib with unusual angles. Here is more information: “A dynamic axis that emerges from the entrance leaves static spaces on both sides of the three-dimensional sinuous diagonal.  This entrance or hallway seems to defy gravity and logic and thus changes unexpectedly the perception of space according to the user and his movement trough them. Thus it creates a completely fluent and dynamic space in a static surrounding. ” Freshome salutes this highly original idea and is looking forward to more homes that seem to challenge the logics of our senses as we know it.