3+1

Published on

06/07/2021

Keywords

MEASURE, HOUSING STANDARDS, REAL ESTATE

3+1

Cansu Cürgen and Avşar Gürpınar

One of the descriptive parameters of residences in Istanbul’s real estate market is the number of rooms. As the market gives clearer information about the division of the house, it is preferred over descriptions based on square meters. Since the living room is bigger compared to the rest of the rooms and a special importance is attributed to it, it is defined as “+1,” isolated from other rooms, in house descriptions. This means that houses vary from 1+0 to 8+4. For instance, “1+0” refers to a house in which different functions such as kitchen, living room, doorway, bedroom have been fit in a single area. Wet areas such as bathrooms and toilets are not taken into account.

In Istanbul, 3+1 is a term that describes flats that usually have an area of around 65 to 190 square meters. Among a wide array of flat types, 3+1 is the most widely accepted within the Turkish context. This type is mostly built with one room as a master bedroom,¹ another room as a child’s room, and the third room as a lounge. Living room, which is the “+1” of the house, is seen as a reception or hospitality area. In most houses this is the room where the sofa set is covered, and doors are kept closed unless special guests have arrived.²

1
The Turkish word for master bedroom is ebeveyn odası, which can be translated as “parents’ bedroom”. The word ebeveyn comes from abwayn in Arabic, which means two fathers or parents. The word father, abü, also emphasises a dual state.

2
If the kids can reside in a single room, one of the three rooms of three plus one goes spare. This enables that spare room to be redecorated and used as a guest room. Since this turns the living room into one that is opened more rarely and makes it somewhat more valuable, the furniture inside need to be protected with various covers, and the unnecessary comings and goings of family members, as well as the wearing off of the furniture need to be prevented. That is why the sitting units are covered and the doors are tightly shut.

The Turkish word for master bedroom is ebeveyn odası, which can be translated as “parents’ bedroom”. The word ebeveyn comes from abwayn in Arabic, which means two fathers or parents. The word father, abü, also emphasises a dual state.
If the kids can reside in a single room, one of the three rooms of three plus one goes spare. This enables that spare room to be redecorated and used as a guest room. Since this turns the living room into one that is opened more rarely and makes it somewhat more valuable, the furniture inside need to be protected with various covers, and the unnecessary comings and goings of family members, as well as the wearing off of the furniture need to be prevented. That is why the sitting units are covered and the doors are tightly shut.

About the authors Avşar Gürpınar and Cansu Cürgen are co-founders of the Ambiguous Standards Institute. Their research focuses on critical design and cultural studies and histories of standards. Their work is exhibited internationally, including Istanbul Design Biennials, Milano Design Week, Dutch Design Week, Luma Days, and Jerusalem Design Week. They co-authored the book Daily Life Studies Publication No. 1 (2016). Their most recent work The Institute Within an Institute exhibition opened in Art Institute Chicago in February 2021.