So Hot Right Now // Living Large in Small Spaces.

I love Australia. I really, really do. But boy does our nation (generally) suck at living in small spaces. Hand on heart, even I’m to blame. I often complain about not having enough room for our young family (and all the crap) in our generously proportioned 2 bed + study apartment. This is completely absurd. Back ‘in the old country’ I grew up and lived in a 56sqm apartment shared by 2 adults and 2 kids (aged 14 & 12). My parents and I often talk about this. In fact, in a sick twist of fait, we went on to downsize even more once the Civil War in Bosnia broke out (4 people in 12sqm), but that’s a story for another day, and certainly not the intended intro I had planned for today’s post. Righto then – let’s get back on track, shall we?

While Australia and a bunch of other places have firmly embraced the concept of McMansions, people in many other countries around the world have continued to live in small spaces for centuries. From Europe, to Asia and South America, small spaces aren’t even considered to be “small” – they are simply a perfectly acceptable way to live. I realise I might be taking a simplistic view here, and I’m certainly not suggesting everyone should rush off and downsize – ability to live well in a small space is dependant on a number social and economic factors, where the city amenities in themselves play a huge part. But it all starts from us, our attitudes, and a willingness to adopt a different way of thinking, which might just allow us to rediscover the freedom a small space can offer by freeing us from all the “stuff”. And of course – my personal favourite – injecting a health dose of really clever, multifunctional, GOOD design. Amen!

So by now, you all now the drill – let’s dive into some fantastic examples of small spaces manifested in the form of apartments, houses, studios and offices.

If you could all just sign a disclaimer here and watch you don’t trip over that kitchen and a sofa, it’s a bit squeezy in here… Ok thanks, aaaaaand go!!

Related Posts: Lean On Me // Two-Legged Furniture & Lighting. << perfect for Small Space living, y’all!

Window House by Yasutaka Yoshimura Architects // Japan.

Window House is a weekend house for a single resident, positioned on a site measuring just 3 x 8m on the edge of Sagami Bay. “It seemed too difficult to avoid blocking the view of the neighbourhood behind. So I designed a large opening of the same size as the sea side on the road side in order to keep the view passing through the building in the absence of the owner,” said Yoshimura.

Images courtesy of Yasutaka Yoshimura Architects.

Multifunctional Artist Studio by Raanan Stern // Tel-Aviv, Israel.

This multifunctional Artist Studio, originally an artist’s apartment, is an incredibly versatile 20sqm workspace. The interior features a large storage unit split into four separate proportions, with each cell, cupboard or drawer crafted according to the requirements of particular art pieces.

Images courtesy of Raanan Stern. Photography © Gidon Levin.

See the whole project in our gallery post.

AP 1211 by Alan Chu // São Paulo, Brazil.

A jumble of wooden boxes provide a compact storage solution in this São Paulo micro apartment by Brazilian architect Alan Chu. “The idea is to use a single element to organise the space of the small apartment with an area of ​​36 square metres, distributed over two floors,” said Chu.

Photography by Djan Chu.

Luxury Studio Apartment by Rick Joy // Chelsea, USA.

This studio apartment by architect Rick Joy may not be generous in size, but it is certainly not short of grandeur. What the apartment lacks in volume, it makes up for in lush materials, clever detailing and a staunch commitment to good design.

See this project in our previous post here.

Harbour Attic Apartment by Gosplan // Genoa, Italy.

Harbour Attic Apartment is located in the village of Camogli. It is a small 35sqm holiday apartment in an attic above an old fisherman’s harbour. The apartment provides all necessities in a smartly-designed, scaled-down space complete with two bedrooms, studio, living room, kitchen, and bathroom. To utilise space, each built-in piece has been designed so as to be stored away when not in use.

Images courtesy of Gosplan Architects. Photography by Anna Positano.

See the whole project in our gallery post.

Bijou apartment by Nicholas Gurney // Sydney.

The Bijou apartment is one of Nicolas Gurney’s compact apartments designed for single, inner-city living. Bijou has a plywood structure housing a desk, table and storage. Cleverrrrr.

Images Courtesy of Nicolas Gurney. Photography by Katherine Lu.

See our interview with Nicolas Gurney here.

29sqm by 3XA // Poland.

29 sqm by 3XA is a small space to live in – naturally the priority of this renovation was to maximise the space. There was just enough room for a semi-mezzanine, and above the bathroom and the hallway is a huge bed area sitting 1,35m above ground.To increase the space further, living, kitchen and dining area are combined into one room.

Photography by S.Zajaczkowski.

HB6B by Karin Matz // Stockholm, Sweden.

Swedish architect Karin Matz renovated the HB6B Home for herself – a space that had been used as a storage unit for 30 years. Matz decided to go for an unfinished look, choosing to leave the crumbling brick and peeling plaster walls exposed. She explains, “I wanted to keep some of this old feeling and atmosphere but at the same time do the new added parts properly and in my way. Therefore it became a clear division between the added and the existing.”

Images courtesy of Karin Matz.

Slim House by ALMA-NAC // Clapham, London.

Slim House by ALMA-NAC is situated on a very narrow plot, 2.7 metres wide between cross walls. The site was originally a passageway between buildings that led to stables at the rear.

Photography by Richard Chivers.

Renovation of an Apartment by Carles Enrich // Barcelona, Spain.

What was once an old laundry space in Barcelona, is now an apartment. The single story space now has three levels, a bookshelf that merges with a staircase and is a studio apartment for a young family.

Images courtesy of Carles Enrich.

Hollywood Home of Mad Men’s Vincent Kartheiser by Funn Roberts // Hollywood.

Actor Vincent Kartheiser’s Hollywood cabin, redesigned by Funn Roberts, is only 50sqm in size designed to maximise every last corner. (Disclaimer – by American standards that’s more like 5sqm, k?)

Photography by Joe Pugliese, via Dwell.

The Living Cube by Till Koenneker // Germany.

The Living Cube is Till Koenneker’s solution to the lack of space and storage in his apartment. Made with Till Koenneker‘s carpenter Remo Zimmerli, The Cube serves as storage, a cupboard, shelf and guest bed.

Photography by Rob Lewis.

Keret House by Jakub Szczesny // Warsaw, Poland.

Keret House claims to be the worlds narrowest house at just 1.22m across the widest point. It is an ­art installation in the form of an insert between two existing buildings, representing different historical periods in Warsaw’s history.

Photography by Bartek Warzecha, © Polish Modern Art Foundation, The National Centre for Culture.

Didomestic Apartment by Elii Architects // Spain.

Didomestic is a small, hyper-functional apartment in the attic of an old building in Madrid. The pastel colours make it look almost like a play-house, but don’t be fooled – little and sparse as it may look, Didomestic is fully equipped with all the domestic necessities.

Image courtesy of Elii Architects. Photography by Miguel de Guzmán.

See our previous feature on this project here.

Tardis Studio by Edwards Moore, Melbourne.

This studio by Edwards Moore is a conversion of an existing back yard structure to create a self-contained studio residence and workshop at garden level. 

See this project in our previous post here.

Armadillo by Yuji Tanabe // Kanagawa, Japan.

Armadillo, in Kamakura, Japan is built on a diamond-shaped plan. It is an annex space for a young couple, her father, two dogs and a cat, built on the site of their exiting home. The space is for playing music, relaxing, sleeping as well as hosting parties.

Images courtesy by Yuji Tanabe.

Daylight House by Takeshi Hosaka Architects // Yokohama, Tokyo.

The concept for this house emerged from a tough set of constraints. Takeshi Hosaka architects needed to squeeze a family of four onto a tight site, crowded by overshadowing buildings on all sides. The final house is only a mere 74sqm.

See this project in our previous post here.

Toormix Workshop by Vora Arquitectura // Barcelona, Spain.

Toormix Workshop is a very small, 18sqm space. All the surfaces are panelled with plasterboard and the original floor is covered with phenolic parquet. A former shop, the graphic design studio is split into two environments: a working area with a large table and an informal relax and reading area, which is occasionally used as a showroom for presentations and exhibitions.

Images courtesy of Vora Arquitectura. Photography © Adrià Goula.

Building Refurbishment by Alfonso Alzugaray // Pamplona, Spain.

“This is a project about the restoration of a building between two party walls defined by a medieval division into lots old town. The plot is stretched in order to light up in two parallel streets and around 19 meters far from each other. The minimal width of 2.20 meters makes it worthy of being qualified as “unagi no nedoko”, which are narrow residual plots in Japanese cities.” – From the architect, Alfonso Alzugaray.

Photography by Luis Prieto.

The White Retreat by Colombo and Serboli Architecture // Spain.

Colombo and Serboli Architecture designed this seaside studio apartment for an art historian and curator who asked for a simple space where he could display his art, music and books. The apartment contains a combined living room and bedroom, with a small kitchenette and a bathroom.

See this project in our previous post here.

Albert Frey House II in Palm Springs.

This iconic tiny house was designed by Albert Frey, a Swiss-born architect who became a fixture in Palm Springs. He built two houses for himself in the town, of which this is the second.

See this project in our previous post here.

House Komazawa Park by miCo // Japan.

From the outside, House Komazawa is fragmented and appears quite small; inside, however, it is surprisingly light and spacious. Working with the existing two-storey structure, Mizuki Imamura & Isao Shinohara of miCo made it their aim to re-interpret the wooden home so common in Japan, and modify the landscape it sat in.

See this project in our previous post here.

Flinders Lane Apartment by Clare Cousins Architects.

Flinders Lane Apartment by Clare Cousins Architects is an understated city pad designed for a young family. Located in a heritage-listed building in Melbourne’s CBD, the apartment incorporates lots of flexible inbuilt storage, maximising the limited space and using it to it’s full potential.

See this project in our previous post here.