- Nicolas Ruiz, architect and founder of the HNA studio, offers his video services free of charge during confinement in order to optimize his home to make him feel good.
- "A clear space gives an impression of volume", explains the architect.
- "We have to partition spaces, not materially but visually," he recommends.
- "Putting your sofa in place of the TV and vice versa can give the impression of being in another space", he still advises.
We had never spent so much time at home as during confinement! Many people have realized that their interior was not fitted out in the best of these exceptional circumstances. Nicolas Ruiz, architect and founder of the HNA studio, offers his video services for free during confinement in order to organize his home as well as possible to feel good there. The architect gives his advice to readers of 20 Minutes to live better "24 hours a day, 7 days a week" at home.
Spring cleaning
“In the apartments that I have been able to visit virtually thanks to this initiative, there are cases that recur regularly. The first thing is a question of storage, especially in small areas, ”observes the expert. We are therefore inspired by lagom, or the art of "neither too much nor too little", which our Scandinavian friends cultivate on a daily basis.
“The mess takes up a lot of space visually. A large part of the perception of space is visual before being spatial, an open space gives an impression of volume ”, explains the architect, who recommends“ making a big sorting ”. Goal ? “Keep only the things you really need. The storage method is simple: "The idea is to take everything you have at home and divide into two categories, what you will keep, what you want to throw away." And you have to transfer immediately what you want to throw so that it does not clutter anymore in order to focus on the storage of what you keep. "
"The goal of tidying up is to go towards a better life", confided to 20 Minutes Marie Kondo, the high priestess of spring cleaning, during the release of her best-sellers La Magie du rangemen t (First Editions, 17, 95 euros) and Ranger: The spark of happiness (Pygmalion, 17.90 euros) adopted by millions of followers. For advice from the world's most famous storage consultant, don't hesitate to watch Tidying Up With Marie on Netflix.
However, in a period of containment, it is not always easy to sort. The tendency is rather to store supplies and food to avoid going out too often. In most cities, the collection of bulky items is suspended, waste centers closed, structures taking donations such as resourcers no longer accept them.
In this case, you have to show a little ingenuity for lack of space.
“You have to be organized and logical in the way you tidy up and think in terms of ergonomics. What you need regularly needs to be close at hand, accessible and what you need least can be in boxes, hidden. They will take up less space in the apartment visually, ”advises the architect.
Delimit spaces for uses
"We must partition the spaces, not materially but visually, and especially in the uses", recommends Nicolas Ruiz. In the studios, where the sofa bed is used for sleeping and working space: “When it is in the bed position, it is for sleeping. To work, he must be in the sofa position. This allows the brain to realize that there are two uses and two different spaces. The feeling of space will thus be distributed according to use and not superimposed, ”underlines the expert. And to insist: "If the studio space constitutes the bedroom, the living room and the kitchen. We must create rituals to allow us to put ourselves in the spirit of the use we want to make at that time. "
It is essential to have a space, even a symbolic one, dedicated to teleworking. “The most important thing is to find a place where you feel good and where it is comfortable to work. I have had many people who work on their coffee table, are folded in half and hurt their backs. It is not a good idea, ”said the architect.
Ideally, the desk should be installed facing the window to take advantage of natural light and a little fresh air. Avoid placing it back to the window so as not to be bothered by reflections on the screen. The computer screen should be placed more than 50 cm from you and placed so that the top of the screen is at your eye level, recommended an occupational therapist to employees of 20 Minutes . Some small apartments are not equipped with a desk or table: "You have to raise the laptop or the coffee table with books under your feet, for example," suggests the specialist.
City dwellers are particularly lacking in greenery during confinement, do not hesitate to put a plant on your workspace. “A house also lives to the rhythm of the activities of its occupants. Do not hesitate to work half a day in the kitchen when it is sunny and migrate to the living room, when it is sunny, ”recommends Nicolas Ruiz. And to add: "If you have an outdoor space, you should make the most of it!" "
If your apartment is facing north and dark, light reflectors can improve your situation. If you can't get it, there are many tutorials for photographers to tinker with cardboard and aluminum foil. We can also use "small bathroom mirrors, if possible stickers". "We will place them on the side of the window," notes the expert.
Reinventing your interior
People who are confined with children sometimes do not know how to manage their bazaar too much. “It is possible to recover a storage unit used for something else, to empty it and to dedicate it to the storage of toys during confinement. We must also take advantage of this moment to empower the children and tell them: "this piece of furniture is for your toys, you can do as you want, but they must be put away at the end of the day", "recommends the architect. .
Do not hesitate to move the furniture to find a new, more practical organization during quarantine. "I notice with people who call me that what is good for people during confinement is having a project," says the architect. Transforming your living room by changing the arrangement of furniture can do you good. “Even if the layout is not problematic! It gives things to do, a perspective of change and it gives the impression of no longer going around in circles at home. Putting your sofa in place of the TV and vice versa can give the impression of being in another space ”, underlines the architect. What change perspective while remaining confined to home!
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