Flexibility in the Interior Design of Small-scale Residential Spaces

Flexibility is viewed as a functional concept to make an optimum use of interior spaces in residential areas. Changes in human interests, customization of designs, including the need to strengthen user-designer interactions as well as rapid developments in lifestyles in the course of time are among the major reasons why flexibility is critically significant. The present study is aimed at offering practical ways to accommodate flexibility in buildings so as to improve the quality of living spaces in terms of interior architecture. To this end, such important issues as furniture and wall designs were investigated and analyzed, with a focus on adaptability to specific needs of the residents. In this study, the concepts of flexibility, adaptability, diversity and variability are first described and clarified. Then examples of applying flexibility to a number of buildings are reported and discussed, using illustrations of real-life projects. The results of this analysis can be used as guidelines to improve the quality of designs and that of interior spaces of a dwelling.