Condo Living Case Study – What to do with the +Den?

Zoom-Room is based in Miami, so we know from condos. People the world over seek out their piece of paradise on our shores, and justifiably so.

Condominiums are a good solution for urban living, not only in sunny Florida, but in most large US cities. Modern condo developers are now offering more creative floorplans, sometimes to adapt to interesting contemporary architecture (standard boxes are on their way out) and sometimes to just make better use of limited space (cost per square foot is a powerful driver!).

These creative floorplans, often include the “+ Den”, which can mean anything from a small room with few or no windows, an alcove in the living room, or an undefined “in-the-middle” space between the kitchen and laundry room.

In virtually every case, condo buyers face a small space design challenge, and we’ve found that our remote controlled Zoom-Bed often offers a smart solution and effective way to maximize what can be an awkward space.

Sep Niakan, a long established Miami realtor and owner of both the CondoBlackBook and HB Roswell Realty, was kind enough to send me floorplans of new construction Miami condos with “+ Den” floorplans, so that we could demonstrate some ways the Zoom-Room murphy bed can help.

The first was of Paramount Bay, a high-end building that happens to be just behind Zoom-Room’s home office. Arquitectonica, Miami’s most famous design firm, were the architects. They are well known for their sleek and often whimsical buildings, and in many ways created the contemporary “Miami” style (if you’re of an age to remember the opening credits to “Miami Vice”, several of their buildings were featured in those great helicopter shots).

The floorplan Sep sent us was of an 1,800 Sq. ft. 2BR + Den. At 14’ x 14.6’, the den is larger than most, but it has a slightly odd shape, has one wall that opens to a terrace, and is the only passage way from the second bedroom out to the main living area. It also contains the “back door” of the apartment, leading to the service elevator, and the only access to the laundry room.

In this case, we decided to keep the den a den (as opposed to a home office or other room). The apartment is large with an open floorplan and spectacular views of Biscayne Bay, but no intimate family space. Also, when the second bedroom is used for the kids, the den is a great place for them to hang out while the folks relax in the living room or on the front terrace.

Below you’ll see a schematic and photos of our Zoom-Bed murphy bed solution. In keeping with the ultra-contemporary décor of the apartment, we used “Luxe” high gloss white lacquer finish from Spain with locally sourced blue glass inserts. Note that there’s plenty of space for a flat screen TV and storage for books, games and the like as well as a lit display case. And of course, in a pinch, it’s the perfect guest room.

This Zoom-Bed Murphy Bed created an attractive and totally functional room of what was otherwise an unwieldy space. The Zoom-Bed’s flexibility allows us to create small space design solutions, including home offices (with our innovative Zoom-Room wall bed with desk), dressing rooms, living rooms, etc. in any style using wood, laminates, lacquers and even metal and glass. For more information, see www.zoom-room.com, or contact us at (888) 211-1120.