Mezzanine floor in house is the intermediate level, more open towards the lower floor. The word mezzanine comes from the Latin word medians, which means of the middle. They are present in the spaces, with double heights covering half of the floor spaces when built. A mezzanine floor in house is visually striking, adding extra space to the spaces already built for extra functions in a single space. The basic difference between the floor and the mezzanine floor in house is that it is the partial floor between the ground floor and the first floor. Looking at the origin and history of mezzanine floors and their use in various areas for adding more functions to a single space would help us understand them better. Moreover, this would help designers incorporate it into today’s interiors with efficiency.

History and Origin of Mezzanine Floor

The origin of the mezzanine floor dates back to Roman times in the 17th century. The mezzanine floor was used as a space constructed for storage. They were also a part of the theatres, where they were used to increase the seating capacity for the audience. The mezzanine floor gave the possibility of increasing the functionality of the spaces with double heights. As they were used for storage purposes in warehouses, they were built out of fabrication with beams and columns.

Applications of Mezzanine Floor in Homes

With time, the mezzanine floors came out of these warehouses and started to take up residence in the houses of people. They started to become the means of using the spaces for multiple purposes in an efficient manner. As this gave one access to use the spaces vertically at low costs, designers started having alternate designs for a single space. With time and technology, there were various ways and materials with which one could make the mezzanine floor. They also provided opportunities for greater connectivity within the homes, between two floors. The mezzanine floor has various benefits when implied as a conscious design element. Looking at a few tips to incorporate a mezzanine floor into a house can increase its efficiency in design.

Living above the Living

Some rooms have limitations on expanding horizontally due to specific floor areas. Such spaces can be expanded vertically to maintain the functional requirements of the space. In such situations, a mezzanine floor can be designed to add an extra living or sitting space above the living area. Such a mezzanine floor can provide additional space and connectivity between two spaces for the users.

Bedroom above the living

In today’s times, there are space constraints that are faced when one buys a home. Due to the rise in urbanisation, the area of accommodation is getting smaller. This allows one to have smaller spaces in larger contexts. When a house or a room has a high ceiling or roof where the bedroom space can be accommodated in between the mezzanine floors, this can be an option. Such sleeping spaces consume smaller spaces compared to normal bedrooms. Having mezzanine floors in bedrooms or sleeping spaces keeps the space more visible and connected.

Elevated Reading Space

The mezzanine floor in the house allows one to have a combination of spaces within the space. When one uses the mezzanine floor as a reading space, it can be placed along the living room of the house, which becomes the partially connected space between the floors. Such a mezzanine floor used as a reading space can also act as a place to store books. Hence, by using the floor partially as a mezzanine floor in the house, the space can be used in multipurpose ways.

Study Space in the house

The mezzanine floor allows a floor to be used in various ways simultaneously. When placed as a study room above the living area or the moving passage, it adds to the space. When one adds a mezzanine floor to the house, it enhances the living experience of the users by combining the spaces.

Mezzanine floors can be very affordable and time-efficient, according to the materials used for their construction. It doesn’t utilise the whole floor space, thus making itself more usable. There are types of mezzanine floors that are easily constructed with fabrication and fixed on the site. This kind of property can save time on construction that turns out to be much less than normal floor construction. Mezzanine floors are visually appealing as they are elevated between the walls, hanging themselves between the roof and the floor. In the interiors of homes, it provides multipurpose functionality in the same space.

Basic measurements and guide to design mezzanine floor

While designing any mezzanine floor, it is necessary to keep functionality in mind along with aesthetics. It is also necessary to check if the house has a specific amount of height on a mezzanine floor. To design a mezzanine floor, one must have a floor-to-ceiling height of 17 feet and a headroom height of 7 feet above and below the floor. In addition, the basic thickness of a mezzanine floor is generally 3 to 6 inches. Generally, it can carry up to 300–1500 kg/sq. metre.

Design the space beneath carefully

As the mezzanine floor has a specific height, there is the possibility of low headroom below the space. Hence, it is crucial to design the space below the mezzanine space carefully and keep the function in it properly. For example, a sitting area can be designed under a mezzanine floor that does not require a large amount of headroom during its use. Also, the mezzanine floor works best when it occupies half the space.

Include safe and accessible staircase

While designing mezzanine floors in a house, it is very important to provide safe staircases with 2 feet of width for easy access. Staircases can also have handrails for safety purposes while climbing the mezzanine floor of the house.

Making it structurally stable

One must keep in mind the correct measurements of the mezzanine floor according to the material used. The concrete mezzanine floors in the house have different strengths and load-carrying capacities than wooden mezzanine floors. Every different mezzanine floor would require different ways and approaches to its designs. A mezzanine floor in the house must be designed according to the structural design of the existing building.

Add more roof lights

When the mezzanine floor in the house comes up above the space where there is a living room, study space, or sitting space, one can always take opportunities to take in the natural light inside. This will make the mezzanine floor space more prominent and visually appealing. In addition to the lights having an effect on the space beneath, they will also create a wonderful space for themselves.

Add a secure boundary upfront

As a part of aesthetic appearance and safety, mezzanine floors must have a boundary upfront. This can be a safety grill, a glass panel, or any other railing designed at a height of 3 feet to make it secure for the overlooking. The benefit of having a mezzanine floor in the house above is that it guarantees connectivity between two spaces and enhances the spaces visually. Hence, adding the railings or a boundary to the mezzanine would ensure the measures.

Choose Light and Comfortable Furniture

The mezzanine floor in the house should not be overloaded with heavy, dusky furniture. In fact, it must be decorated with simple, plain furniture that is more likely to be used. They have to be easily maintained while kept above. There must be furniture that is for a single purpose, as they are kept above on the mezzanine floor in the house, that is designed for a specific purpose.

Work with the Given Heights

The mezzanine floor in the house is the best design when they are working in the given space. They do not have to be planned during the construction. While the mezzanine floor in the house is not pre-designed, they have to be efficient, keeping in mind the height below them so that they would not cover the headroom in the house.

Design with proper lighting

As the mezzanine floor in the house is the space above any space, it can often lead to darker spaces. Hence, including smart lighting in the spaces, which would balance the atmosphere of the design, would be useful. In addition, the light fixtures must also be planned in an adequate manner so that they are functional on the mezzanine floor of the house.

Add a Gable window

When the mezzanine floor in the house has opportunities for different kinds of openings from the roof, one can opt for having a gabled window. If there are structures that have gable roofs, they can be a very beautiful aesthetic option for the mezzanine floor in the house. These windows on the floor can elevate the level of the space in a very different manner.

Height of the ceiling for having a mezzanine floor in the house

The height of the ceiling should be 14 feet from the ground to have a mezzanine floor in the house. Whatever the function of the floor, this dimension has to be followed. The room’s height with the mezzanine floor must be 4.2 metres.

A mezzanine floor in house will increase the space utilisation capacity of the space without requiring any extensive additional construction. It saves the user time and money by adding up spaces to their accommodation. A mezzanine floor in a house is the vertical expansion of the space that can be customised for various purposes, such as offices, storage, recreational areas, and homes. A mezzanine floor in a house makes the look of the space elegant and unique. It is easy to maintain and adds flexibility to the spaces by making them more functional at the same time. Designing mezzanine floor in house has become more effective in today’s time as there is less space for people to live in. People have less time for construction and want things to be constructed in a short period of time. This makes the mezzanine floor in house a better option for the interiors.

Content Writing And Research By: Ar. Rajeshwari Pandya Modi