The mamad is the only room in the house built for a situation that most of the time is not happening — and precisely for that reason it becomes a store room. That is a shame: these are nine square metres in the middle of the home, paid for in full. It can become an office, a child's room, a guest room or a bedroom — provided one boundary is respected.
The one rule that is never broken
No drilling, chasing or breaking through the walls, the ceiling or the openings. Every hole in the reinforced concrete damages the reinforcement and the seal, and any change to the door or the window voids the approval. Everything else in the design is open — it simply has to be done without a rigid fixing to the walls.
Hanging without drilling
- Furniture that bears on the floor. A freestanding bookcase, wardrobe or desk — the simplest and strongest solution.
- Floor-to-ceiling tension poles. They carry shelves and lighting without touching the walls.
- Dedicated rails and adhesives for light loads only, on a clean and level surface.
- Hang on the stud wall that is not part of the mamad, if the room has one. Check against the drawing which walls are mamad walls and which are not — not every wall in the room is protected concrete.
A heavy television is the classic case. The right answer is a floor stand or a freestanding joinery unit, not an attempt to drill. See built-in furniture.
The door
The blast door is the room's most prominent and heaviest item, and it cannot be replaced. What can be done:
- Paint it in a quality steel paint, in the wall colour or the joinery colour. This changes the room more than anything else.
- A magnetic board, or blackboard paint — the door is steel, and this is a natural use for it in a child's room.
- Allow for the open door. It opens outwards and occupies space in the corridor. Planning the furniture around it saves the daily collision.
The door must not be concealed behind joinery that prevents it opening quickly, and the locking handles must not be removed.
The window and daylight
The blast window is small and heavy, so the mamad is almost always the darkest room in the house. Compensate in layers: indirect ceiling lighting instead of a single central point, light colours on walls and ceiling, floor and table lamps that need no wall fixing, and a mirror on the wall opposite the window, mounted on a furniture unit rather than drilled. See lighting design.
Acoustics and comfort
Concrete on six surfaces creates an echo. A rug, a heavy curtain on the wall that is not a mamad wall, upholstery and books soften it considerably. The second point is mobile reception, which is almost always poor in a mamad — a signal booster or a wired network point solves it, and it is worth planning for in advance rather than afterwards. See acoustic insulation.
Uses that work
- Home office. The quiet of the concrete walls is a genuine advantage. See home office.
- Bedroom. The most common use. Needs attention to lighting and ventilation.
- Children's room. See children's room.
- Wardrobe and dressing room. Freestanding floor-to-ceiling units with no wall fixing.
- Home gym. A massive concrete floor takes load and noise better than any other room. See home gym.
FAQ
Can a fitted wardrobe be installed in a mamad?
A freestanding wardrobe bearing on the floor, yes. One bolted to the concrete wall, no.
Can the mamad be tiled like the rest of the house?
Yes — flooring is permitted and desirable, so the room reads as part of the home rather than as an addition.
Can air conditioning be added?
Only through an approved service penetration and with an engineer's approval. See safe room specification and air conditioning.
How we work
Bramy Group designs and builds mamad solutions as part of our finishing works — freestanding joinery, lighting and hanging solutions that never touch the protected walls. Get in touch.