The rise of studio apartments

ESTHER BRIDGET NAKALYA

More than just a great starter plan, studio apartments are easy to manage and enable one scale down on expenses. They are also an ideal way to suit your needs and personality, when it comes to designing and redesigning.

According to Elizabeth Nakalembe, a proprietor at Appvilla Properties Limited, studio apartments are locally known as one-roomed apartments.  “These rooms usually have a simple layout that utilises a relatively small space in which most of the activities are practised ” she explains.

In Uganda, these small units were exclusively used by the low-income earners and mostly situated in slum settings. However, Miriam Tusubira, a property developer and founder at Info Trust Property Consultants, says the humble one-room has now become popular in the upscale market.

“Before, they were inadequate in functionality as they were just basic rooms. Developers have transformed them into spacious self-contained housing, which has greatly improved their demand,” she says.

Sizes and availability

The average size of a studio apartment is 523 square feet. That includes everything; the bedroom, kitchen or kitchenette, living area and separated bathroom. These small square feet units are usually mistaken for one-bedroom houses. Nakalembe differentiates one-bedroomed house to be separated from the rest of the space by a bedroom, which is partitioned using a wall.

Joyce Mudondo, who lives in a studio apartment says the space meets her needs as a student. 

“My 11.6m square feet room sits on a three-storeyed building that accommodates a usable space and offers great functionality in regard to my storage needs and access to my learning institution,” she says.

Nakelembe says property developers usually target areas with young people that need more than just basic accommodation.

“These are young people that have been exposed to quality and expect it even if it is a studio apartment. Forget the cramped one-roomed slum spaces. The studio apartment is spacious, airy and fitted with every possible amenity for modern living. You will find such apartments in places such as Kyanja, Bulindo or Ntinda among others,” she says.

Benefits

According to Nakalembe, studio apartments provide a great value addition to occupants. “Unlike one bedroomed houses, studio apartments are self-contained housing which only have the bathroom set apart from the rest of the room and enclosed either by a wall, door, or waterproof curtain,” she explains.

Mulondo says this arrangement helps her keep her space neat without much effort or expense. 

“I am challenged to keep my home as neat as possible, since everything is on display. To control the smells from my kitchen and bathroom, I use air fresheners and diffusers to keep the air clean and fresh,” she tips. Mulondo also allows in plenty of sunlight by using light curtains and ensures the windows are open for good aeration.

“Letting in some light into my space brightens up the room hence allowing it to appear spacious. I also hang my washing outside to avoid dampening the space,” she says.

Pros

There is beauty in the little things. Regardless of how small the unit may occur to occupants, it still serves fulfilling purposes. Nakalembe says one can live comfortably if the space is used optimally.  “This space can be easily partitioned to serve different purposes. One is able to incorporate a decorative glass bathtub or an artistic curtain to separate spaces to meet their liking,” she says.

Mulondo relies on multiple storage units to store her clothes, books and cutlery.

“My storage units are inbuilt and others come with the furniture such as cabinets built onto my bed side or reading table,” Mulondo shares.

You can go ahead and mount a shoe rack on your door or have a cloth rack nailed onto the wall. Ensure to do the most with utilising the wall spaces but be intentional about decongesting the room. Avoid cluttering your space with heavily inbuilt storage systems.

Cons

According to Tusubira, studio apartments do not have a good return on investment.  “While they are becoming trendy, the market is still small. Few people appreciate this kind of living. For example, not many people would be willing to pay rent of Shs1m for a studio apartment, however spacious or luxurious it is. Such tenants are far and in between,” she says.

Studio apartments limit on decorative pieces and structures as these might end up cluttering the space with inessentials. This implies that one can only add a few aesthetics or do nothing at all.

“I have placements for area rugs to serve a decorative purpose and also differentiate spaces for instance the bedside rug and bathroom rugs. My most valuable hanging is the photo framing placed above my bed head rest,” Namulondo says.

Partitioning

Online portal, apartmentguide.com, recommends creative means to achieve great functionality and make the room appear spacious.

Use boxy furniture such as couches or chairs to section off the living room if the space allows for their placement.

Hang curtains or set up folding screens and room dividers around the bedroom.

Occupants can also design the available wall spaces with small bits of sectioned wall paper for example at the bedroom area or kitchen wall to replace kitchen dash tiles.

Area rugs also distinguish spaces such as the work station or reading table or the bathroom door mat.