Leaders Changing the World no: 4 Suzannah Bartlett
Suzannah specializes in the design of small livingspaces.
With the rapidly increasing urbanization of the global
population an increasing number of people are living in small
spaces and facing challenges of fitting both their lives and their
possessions into that space.
Good design advice can transform a small space from the
proverbial 'shoebox' into a jewelry box where there is space and a
place for everything, Good design can make small homes desirable
and this in turn offers individual, economic, social and
environmental benefits.
Suxannah is creating an online design solution to address
these problems; helping people fit-out and kit-out their small
homes to do just that, maximize space.
Suzannah says "I know how hard it is to design small living
spaces: I have run a property business for 10 years and have
converted many buildings into small flats. I have then managed the
tenants living in these flats gaining insight into the challenges
of small space living. I also have first hand experience, having
lived in a one bedroom flat with my husband and baby: with good
design and clever products we made it a perfectly workable and
comfortable home without compromising on style.
However, small homes can feel cramped, cluttered and
claustrophobic, and all too often we blame the lack of space rather
than the lack of good design. So we move further out, often trading
location for space without necessarily enhancing quality of life.
Longer commutes, expensive travel costs, higher energy bills, and
moving away from our community can all impact heavily on our
everyday lives. But such a move may not be necessary if we could
learn how to maximize the space that we have."
Suzannah's online platform offers an affordable online design
service delivered remotely and a product platform for compact
products.
- The design service offers customized design packages
(for consumers and businesses) delivering floor plans and
specifications for fit-out, furnishings and finishes.
- And the product platform offers a hub for well-designed
compact products ranging from stackable or foldable utensils to
multifunctional furniture.
Upwards of 40m people live in London, Paris, New York, Honk Kong
and Tokyo and it is expected that 70 percent of the world
population will be urban by 2050.By using this platform she aims to
help 1m people transform their small homes within the next 7
yrs.
There are numerous advantages to making small homes desirable:
to the individual they offer freedom and flexibility; on an
economic level small homes are cheaper to build, buy, and run; on
an environmental level they take up less space and consume fewer
resources; and on a social level the smaller the home, the more
activities are conducted out in the community which can ultimately
shift the dynamic of society.
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