A one-bedroom apartment,
redesigned around daily life.
A typical Dubai one-bedroom apartment of around 70 to 85 square metres. Same footprint, no structural change: a different way of living in it.
This is a study drawn by URU Design on a typical Dubai layout to show how we think. It is not a client commission, and the drawings are illustrative.
Plenty of area, little of it working.
Across many Dubai communities, one-bedroom apartments share a pattern: a long entrance corridor, an enclosed kitchen, furniture pushed against the walls, too little storage and a balcony too hot and exposed to use. Daylight reaches only the rooms along the balcony.
Start with the day, not the floor plan.
- Arrival: a bench, shoe storage and a place for keys, so the corridor becomes a threshold instead of a passage.
- Cooking and gathering: the kitchen opens to the living space, with an island facing the window so whoever cooks is part of the room.
- Rest: the bed sits in an enclosed corner of the bedroom, with a sliding screen to the study for quieter nights.
- Work: a study nook by the window, separate from the bed, for anyone working from home.
Bring the outside back in.
The balcony becomes a garden room with a shade screen, planters chosen for heat and low maintenance, and two chairs. Living furniture is arranged around light and views rather than the television wall. Natural textures in timber, linen and stone replace high-gloss finishes.
Change what matters, keep what works.
| Element | Decision | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Walls and wet areas | Kept | No structural or plumbing change, fewer approvals and far less waste |
| Kitchen wall | Opened, subject to building approval | Daylight and connection; often the single largest improvement |
| Storage | One full-height wall along the corridor | Frees the living room from clutter furniture |
| Balcony | Shade screen and planting | Cooler threshold, usable outdoor room, less glare inside |
| Finishes | Durable natural materials | Last longer, age well, healthier indoor air |
Any change to walls, the kitchen or the balcony needs the building management’s and developer’s approval first; a Space Audit identifies those checks before design begins.