The optimal area depends on three factors: the number of people living in it, your lifestyle, and your budget.

1. Basic area guidelines

There's a simple rule:
approximately 25 - 40 square meters per person is a comfortable minimum.

That is:

1 person - 40 - 60 square meters
Couple - 60 - 90 square meters
Family of 3 - 80 - 120 square meters
Family of 4 - 100 - 140 square meters

These aren't strict guidelines, but rather a comfortable balance between space and convenience.

2. Why a house that's too big isn't always a good thing

A big house means:

higher heating and maintenance costs
more time spent cleaning
some rooms are often simply unused

Many owners of 200+ sq m houses actually live in only 2-3 rooms.

3. What's more important than space

Sometimes a 90 sq m house feels more spacious than a 150 sq m house - it's all about the layout:

open kitchen-living room
high ceilings
large windows
minimum "dead zones" (long hallways)

Maintaining a well-designed space is more important than extra square footage.

4. Detached house vs. apartment

A house usually requires slightly more space than an apartment because:

there's a boiler room and storage rooms
they often build a separate kitchen
more privacy is desired

But this doesn't mean you need 200 sq m right away.

5. A truly comfortable range

For most families, the ideal is:

100 - 140 m²

This is enough for:

3 bedrooms
a kitchen-living room
1 - 2 bathrooms
small additional areas

And yet, the home remains economical and comfortable.

Conclusion

The ideal home is not the largest, but one where:

there is no wasted space
everything is well-thought-out
easy to live in and maintain

It's better to invest in layout, lighting, and quality than simply chasing square footage.