- Railroad Apartments
- Structure of railroad apartments
- Living in railroad apartments
- Making the most of railroad apartments
How we live is an evolutionary process. This is mainly because with time, our preferences change with time, but importantly new trends are introduced to enhance functionality and improve lifestyles. This era is primarily dominated by making healthier choices and comfortable living. When we talk about housing choices, we have centuries of examples that dominate this evolutionary process. The housing industry of today is much more different than what it used to be, however, older and functional housing options keep making a comeback. A similar trend is railroad apartments which were introduced in the 19th and 20th centuries, but are making a slow comeback in big metropolises like New York City. Let’s explore this unique form of construction.
How Were Railroad Apartments Introduced?
Despite our ever-changing housing preferences, developments such as railroad apartments have made a comeback, dotting the landscape of Manhattan, New York. This is mainly because the idea was introduced in the US’ cities of New York, Chicago and Washington DC to overcome the challenge of overcrowding in these cities.
These apartments still dominate the landscape of New York, and are preferred by a large number of people. This is mainly because the rent of railroad apartments is much less, and the vast area allows for greater customization. Let’s look at the layout of the railroad apartments to understand its functionality better.
Structure Of Railroad Apartments
Railroad apartments, as the term suggests, are designed like the bougies of trains. These continuous apartments have rooms that are interconnected and do not have halls or corridors of any kind.
It’s like a large rectangular space that is divided into living spaces, much like a studio hall. In a typical railroad apartment, you can get two rooms, one living room, and a kitchen. The kitchen can either be situated in the middle or at the end. Moreover, bathrooms are situated right next to the bedrooms, or behind them, similar to an en-suite feature.
You’ll find living spaces such as the kitchen and the living room typically at the front of the rail, whereas other rooms are mostly at the back. The most common endearing feature of railroad apartments are their tall colonial-style walls. Which makes this continuous design seem a lot more open and offers breathing space as well.
In some cases, you might find arched hallways in between different rooms or a common hall, running parallel to the main apartment area with multiple entry points. In addition to these features, windows are almost always situated at the front of the building, and are not even spread.
Living In Railroad Apartments
Now that we have looked at the features, let’s look at the kind of lifestyle that you can expect in a railroad apartment.
Firstly, let’s look at ventilation and natural sunlight. With windows only at the front of the apartment building and unequally distributed, not all rooms will have the same access to natural sunlight and ventilation. This might make the indoors a bit stuffy.
Secondly, the continuous pattern also provides little privacy, as people have to cross bedrooms to go across the length of the apartment.
Lastly, the apartment might appear to be too small.
Due to these reasons, the railroad apartment is more suitable to single people who want a bigger space at a lower rent, and young couples settling down. This is not suitable for people looking to share the space.
However, wherever there is a problem, the solutions can be quite creative. There are a range of ways through which you can make your railroad apartments appear to be good and functional units.
Making The Most Of Railroad Apartments
Railroad apartments can be perfect for people who want to adopt a minimalist lifestyle, since the layout doesn’t support heavy furniture.
You can set your space using only the things that you absolutely need, and a little bit of décor. Since these apartments have large and tall walls, you can use these to your benefit.
You can install pocket doors for each room to cater to your privacy issues. Pocket doors also don’t take additional space, which can be a real game-changer.
Add hanging lights wherever you feel natural light penetration could make the space open and lighter.
You can use modern convertible furniture pieces. These are a space saver and also provide the maximum functionality. Wall-mounted desks are another great example. To create a sense of openness, you can install mirrors opposite to each other as well.
These dedicated guides will help answer your decor queries:
- Decor ideas for small spaces
- New themes in home decor
- Types of curtains
- Latest lighting trends
- Grand millennial style
If you’d like to know more about unconventional house designs and how to make the most of them, write to us at blog@zameen.com. Also, keep checking Pakistan’s largest property blog, Zameen Blog for all news related to property.
