Thursday 16 October 2014

studio M

If there's one thing that defines what this studio is like, it's the very, very, very bright atmospheric space that greets you the moment you open the thick, heavy room door. It's the floor-to-ceiling windows that illuminate your world, all at once, never mind the fact that right on the other side of the door is a corridor, that on casual observation, resembles the corridor of a block of one-room flats, but narrower still. *It's so narrow that the housekeeping cart can barely fit at the sides* 

There's a desk right in front. That piece of furniture must probably be the centerpiece of the whole room. It's a desk that doubles up as an open shelf and a window seat and a dining table AND a step that leads you to the little staircase on the side, and which leads up to the mezzanine where your bed and a wall-mounted TV is. It's a cute, narrow, little staircase, that's what it is, and beneath it is a space where you'll find your coffee cups and hot water kettle and fridge and counter.

The bathroom and water closet are adorably small, so small that you could feel either cocooned or claustrophobic. There's no sink in the either- the sink's in the room itself, meaning you're brushing your teeth in the room. There's a small sofa that doubles up as a sofa bed. There're a couple of hangers on a rack above where your shirts and dresses are in full view of everyone who comes visit you. Upstairs, there're little white shelves behind your headboard for all your little belongings.

There aren't that many hotels with a duplex concept, not at this time at least, For me, and perhaps many locals, who spend much of our time in homes without floor-to-ceiling windows, who live in single story apartments neatly laid out along a corridor, to have a mezzanine floor, an upstairs-downstairs, even for a day or two, means that you're having a vacation. It means you've changed your living style for a day, and that you're loving it, you're giving yourself a chance, you're going about life- and living- differently.
 
light o'er the wall

 
Yes, it is a simple staircase. It is simply a loft concept. It is simply a bed elevated above the ground.

But I like it.

I like the fact that there's a division. I like the fact that the space is divided between ultra-personal and semi-personal. I like the fact that the division creates an element of organization that you can utilize however you want. Whether you wish to work upstairs on your bed, whether you wish to work on the sofa, or spread out your papers on the multi-purpose desk, it's feasible. Whether you want to put it all away and sit and let your mind wander as you stare out the windows, it's doable. Whether you wish to scribble on papers and place them everywhere, you can.

I like the fact that you can be very organized in it, or you can decorate it as you want to. You can put things in places if you wish to. A book here, a newspaper there. You can lay out all the necessary electronic gear and it still wouldn't look messy. If you're having a little party for four, there's the sofa for beer and snacks or wine and cheese. If you're having a dinner for two, you can do it up with candles and flowers and bring in dinner plates and dinner sets, or you can go casual with pizza, cake and soft drinks. You can decorate the space with balloons and streamers and the like for a birthday party.
 
That's the beauty of this room, however bright it may seem at the beginning. The balanced amalgamation of work and play. The space that permits you to be what and how you want at your decided time.

It's as beautiful in the late evening too, where the light of the day has slipped into the vastness of night and where the windows and walls become a shelter, a comfort, a cocoon that usher you easily from the tasks of the day into the quietness of the night.