We often refer to an urban residence with an open plan as a bachelor’s pad or a studio apartment. These residences can be seen in condominiums or rentable spaces inside the main residence’s compound.
Like many of our previous posts, let’s point out how these two are not alike, despite their similarities. While these two terms are sometimes mistakenly interchanged, they are actually quite different.
A bachelor’s pad is smaller than a studio apartment by square footage. Studio apartments are bigger than bachelor’s pads. The pad is usually occupied by just one person and this area is partitionless–meaning the kitchen, dining, and bedroom are in one space. The studio apartment, on the other hand, usually has a separate kitchen and dining room.
Both areas have toilets and baths inside.
Historically, they differ as well. The Bachelor’s pad was a symbol of the 1960s cosmopolitan male. It had a bar, artwork, furniture, decor, and an entertainment system. Fictional examples of such urban residences can be seen in early James Bond films, and Tony Stark’s Malibu Mansion, according to some resources.
The first studio-type residences became a household name in the United States in order to meet the needs of single people living in urban spaces. In the 19th century, there was a need for immigrants from America, and other European countries, mostly from Great Britain and Ireland, to find residences in the city. The solution was the studio-type apartments.
Reference:
Ulusoy, Mine, Özkaynak, Merve. “The Emergence of Studio Apartments” . December 2916. Retrieved September 11, 2020. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316327909_The_Emergence_of_Studio_Apartments
Group, Kelson. What is a bachelor apartment. Accessed September 11, 2020. https://www.kelsongroup.com/blog/what-is-a-bachelor-navigating-rental-apartment-terminology.
“Studio, Bachelor or Efficiency Apartment: What’s the Difference?” ApartmentRatings. Accessed September 11, 2020. https://ohmyapt.apartmentratings.com/studio-bachelor-or-efficiency-apartment-whats-the-difference.html.
https://www.canva.com/design/DAEBxUuVi1E/3iViGxtbJizf2v7G-8mbBg/edit