With open floor plans here to stay, it makes sense to incorporate movable walls into the design of both home and office spaces. Learn the advantages and disadvantages in our movable walls guide.
The average size apartment in Manhattan? 550 square feet.
The average size apartment in Tokyo? 200 square feet.
If these numbers tell us anything, it is that apartments are getting smaller and more expensive. And while this may seem bleak, there is a silver lining: you can make the most out of the smallest of spaces.
One way of doing this is through movable walls. Movable walls are the key to making your tiny space seem a whole lot bigger.
Movable wall panels, or demountable walls, are walls that can be relocated, reinstalled and unmounted to be moved to a different location.
There are two different types of movable walls: modular and unitized. Modular walls often come in a few pieces and need to be assembled in the location. Unitized ones usually come as one piece and are less labor to install and often go up quite quickly.
Movable walls have so many functions in a space. They can be used to create new office spaces in a hurry, separate your studio apartment bedroom from your living room, and ensure that you will get the most out of your tiny space.
Think of when you are a kid, and you created a diorama for school.
You were able to take parts and move them around to fit the needs of your projects. Nothing was settled in. Everything, minus those four original walls, was mobile and allowed you to design and redesign again.
Movable walls let you do the same thing for your apartment. They can take a smaller space and make it look larger. They can be used to cover shabby parts of your apartment and turn them into more contemporary spaces.
Movable wall panels allow you the option to live in a different looking space every day.
And who does want to live in a new and quickly renovated space on a regular basis?
Like all these in life, movable wall panels can go from cheap to ultra expensive.
On average, they cost $1.50-$3.00 per square foot.
This may sound like a steep price for some folks, but when one considers the lack of options in big cities for big affordable spaces: movable walls are more than worth it.
Think about turning your studio apartment into a formal dining room for an evening. Think about having to host your future in-laws in your 350 square foot space with the open closet that no matter how you organize it: it looks a mess. Think about how movable walls can be used to create dressing rooms, small spaces for parties, and reading nooks.
Movable walls are your adult Lego bricks. They allow you to take what little space you have and make it your own no matter what its square footage.
These ingenious creations come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and materials. Somewhere out there, there are these small movable panels just waiting for you to take them home and make them your own.