Adapting a home to its real uses before renovating — to live better all year round or during temporary stays
Service in Costa del Sol
(Málaga · Torre del Mar · Nerja and surrounding areas)
The same surface.
A smarter layout.
This project is based on a spatial optimization study carried out before renovating a home.
The goal was not to decorate or modernize, but to understand how the space could function better.
The result is a reorganized floor plan and clear decisions before the works begin.
Diagnosis — An apartment that works, but not for this way of living
Apartment in Torre del Mar — 90 m² + terrace
Real case of a family home on the Costa del Sol
The original plan did not present major flaws, but its layout was poorly adapted to current uses. The floor plan analysis helps identify where usable space is lost and how spaces actually relate to one another.
Circulation areas take up a significant portion of the surface without providing quality of use. The entrance is narrow and dark, with no connection to natural light or living areas.
The overall plan analysis helps understand how the surface is actually divided between living spaces and circulation areas.
The original plan did not present major flaws, but its layout was poorly adapted to current uses. The floor plan analysis helps identify where usable space is lost and how spaces actually relate to one another.
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Narrow entrance, with no link to light or living areas
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Poorly dimensioned circulation spaces consuming usable surface
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Main bathroom without a shower, poorly suited to everyday use.
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A generous kitchen disconnected from daily life and the living room
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Laundry and storage areas inherited from another way of living
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Plenty of storage, but badly positioned in the home
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Terrace and natural light present but poorly integrated into the layout
This analysis of the existing floor plan is the foundation of any spatial optimization before renovating a home.
The context
This is a 90 m² apartment with a terrace in Torre del Mar, analysed before any renovation.
The home was intended for dual use:
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personal residence for much of the year
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short-term stays during the summer
The existing layout was not catastrophic.
But it did not clearly respond to any of these uses.
Simply an inherited layout,
poorly adapted to current ways of living.
And that is precisely where many projects take the wrong direction.
The starting point
Before thinking about solutions, you first need to understand how the space is meant to be lived in.
The owner used the home for several months each year.
and he also wanted it to work well for temporary stays.
He wasn’t looking to “make it pretty.”
He wanted the apartment to work better for his everyday life.
His priorities were very clear :
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a spacious kitchen open to the living room
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to be able to talk with guests while cooking
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a shower instead of a bathtub
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a separate guest bedroom with its own bathroom
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a comfortable home both for personal use and for short stays
He was willing to carry out renovation work,
but first he wanted the apartment to truly suit him.
The home did not have any major defects.
The issue was not the condition of the property,
but how the layout responded to real uses.
The problem was the organization of the plan.
Spatial analysis
First you observe. Then you decide.
Before talking about renovation, we carry out an analysis of the home’s floor plan and its existing layout.
We look at:
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how the rooms connect to each other
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where space is lost in circulation
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which areas are oversized or underused
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which changes are feasible without altering the structure
This study of the floor plan and layout allows an apartment to be optimized before any work begins.
But above all, it helps to understand it and adapt it to your way of living.
This project applies the same approach to reading and rethinking a floor plan explained in our floor plan analysis methodology.
The same apartment can support several coherent layout options.
Each one responds to different priorities.
One space, several options.
One client, one way of living.
Our role is to analyse, prioritise and propose.
The final decision always belongs to the client.
AFTER
New apartment layout following the spatial analysis.
Existing layout - Selected project layout
Housing plan in its original state with fragmented spaces and a narrow, dark entrance with no clear role in the layout.
The new layout allows natural light to reach the daytime living areas. The entrance becomes a true living space, not just a passage zone.
The plan shows the balance between living, sleeping and service areas.
Housing plan in its original state with fragmented spaces and a narrow, dark entrance with no clear role in the layout.
What really changes
✔ A bright, spacious and welcoming entrance The entrance stops being just a passage. It takes on an active role in the home again: bringing light, perspective, and a connection to the daytime living areas.
✔ Space once used for circulation is integrated into lived-in areas. No square meters are added — they are redistributed. Part of this space came from outdated uses: excessive storage, oversized closets, a very large laundry room. Today, these no longer match how we live. They are recovered for what is actually used every day. In this project, nearly 11 m² out of 90 m² shift from passive surface to useful living space.
✔ A home shaped around the way the client lives More light and a greater feeling of space from the moment you enter. An independent guest bedroom, so friends or family can stay without disrupting everyday life. A large kitchen open to the living room, because he enjoys cooking while staying connected with others. A sofa and TV corner linked to the main living area, but gently separated with a glass partition — not isolated, yet not intrusive. Everything feels more connected and natural. A bathroom with a shower (more practical than a bathtub for daily life) and a small, well-designed laundry area that doesn’t take up unnecessary space. Fewer useless spaces. More space to live. Light, openness, and a home that adapts to real life.
✔ Home prepared for flexible occupancy The new layout seeks a real balance between: personal use for much of the year and temporary stays at certain times. The home can comfortably accommodate: • 3 bedrooms • one with a private bathroom for guests • spaces designed to live together without getting in each other’s way The goal is not to increase capacity, but to ensure the apartment works well both for family use and temporary stays. A bright, clear, and easy-to-live-in home, adapted to the real rhythm of its occupants.
✔ Decisions made before starting the work The owner chose to rethink the layout first, before beginning any construction. This allowed him to decide calmly what was worth doing and what was not. Renovating a poorly organized apartment means renovating a problem. When the layout is clear, the renovation is simpler, more coherent, and far less stressful.
It’s not about decorating.
It’s about making your space work better for you.
An alternative option considered
A second option was explored for the master suite.
It was possible to create it by taking part of the TV lounge relaxation area.
On the floor plan, it increased the accommodation capacity.
In real life, it changed the day-to-day balance of the apartment.
As the owner lives there a large part of the year,
he preferred to keep a calm, independent living room, separated from the main space by a glass partition.
Better quality for everyday use.
Less focus on maximum occupancy.
What really matters
The same space can generate several coherent responses.
Analysing the home’s layout, applied to projects on the Costa del Sol, allows for clear decisions before starting a renovation.
Understand first.
Rethink it next.
Renovate after.
Understanding space is the key to a lasting, intelligent, regret-free project.
Send us your floor plan and how you want to live in the space.
We’ll tell you what can be optimized before renovating.
Other spatial optimization case studies:
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