UGANDA, Kampala | Real Muloodi News | Presently, studio apartments, also known as one-roomed apartments, are on the rise since they are easy to manage and flexible to suit one’s personality needs regarding house designs. They also help one to spend less on home ownership.
Elizabeth Nakalembe, who owns Appvilla Properties Limited says, “These rooms usually have a simple layout that utilises a relatively small space in which most of the activities are practised.”
Initially, because studio apartments are small they were mostly taken up by low-income earners. However, the one-roomed apartments are now being taken on by upper-scale earners as well.
Mariam Tarinyeba Tusubira, a property developer and founder at Info Trust Property Consultants says, “Before, they were inadequate in functionality as they were just basic rooms. Developers have transformed them into spacious self-contained housing, which has greatly improved their demand.”
The ordinary size of a studio apartment is 523 square feet, including the bedroom, kitchen, living room and bathroom. The small square feet units are always misunderstood to be one-bedroom houses.
Nakalembe, however, explains the difference that one-bedroom houses have a bedroom which is separated and partitioned by a wall. She says that property developers always target locations with young people who would effectively use the space rendered by a studio apartment.
“These are young people that have been exposed to quality and expect it even if it is a studio apartment. Forget the cramped one-roomed slum spaces. The studio apartment is spacious, airy and fitted with every possible amenity for modern living. You will find such apartments in places such as Kyanja, Bulindo or Ntinda among others,” she explained.
“Unlike one-bedroomed houses, studio apartments are self-contained housing which only has the bathroom set apart from the rest of the room and enclosed either by a wall, door, or waterproof curtain,” she added.
Joyce Mudondo, a student living in a studio apartment, says that the space meets her needs.
“My 11.6 square feet room sits on a three-storied building that accommodates a usable space and offers great functionality regarding my storage needs and access to my learning institution…I am challenged to keep my home as neat as possible since everything is on display. To control the smells from my kitchen and bathroom, I use air fresheners and diffusers to keep the air clean and fresh,” Mudondo says.
There is enough sunlight when she uses light curtains and opens the windows, making her room appear spacious.
Even though studio apartments are small, they still keep their beautiful touch and serve their purpose.
Nakalembe advises that the space can be easily partitioned to serve different purposes so that one lives comfortably by just optimising. An artistic curtain can also be used to separate spaces.
Mudondo, on the other hand, uses inbuilt storage units and those that come along with her furniture, such as cabinets, her bed and a reading table.
Apartment guides also advise that using rugs and designing wall spaces to distinguish spaces helps one to partition a studio apartment. Boxy furniture, such as couches, can be used to section off a living room.
However, even though studio apartments are on the rise, they are not financially exciting for investment.
Tusubira says, “While they are becoming trendy, the market is still small. Few people appreciate this kind of living. For example, not many people would be willing to pay rent of shs 1m for a studio apartment, however spacious or luxurious it is. Such tenants are far and in between.”
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