Super small, all under 30 square metres in fact, these five homes are impressive beyond their measure. Their effective layouts make small living look refined and entirely effortless. Using clever concealing doors, smart space prioritisation, unique storage solutions, plus mindful decor additions (and subtractions) leads to homes that not only rival larger counterparts but beat them hands down in terms of ingenuity. If you have a small space to fill, but don’t want it to appear overfilled, then soak up the originality of this amazing little collection.
The Boneca Apartment was humorously named by its owner for its small size, with Boneca meaning ‘doll’s house’ in Portuguese. The 24 square metre home is actually located in Rushcutters Bay, New South Wales, Australia, and is a studio space equipped with a private alcove bedroom. The original layout has been reconfigured to align the bathroom and kitchen, creating a new flowing small living and dining zone.
A compact dining bench and table set leaves plenty of free space around it, so that the room appears wider.
The small kitchen is predominantly white so that it fades back with the paintwork to increase the sense of space. Just one kitchen shelf cubby is picked out in warming wood tone, which ties the kitchen area in with the wood slatted screen wall that hides away the bedroom.
When opening up the alcove bedroom, the wood slatted screen moves into a new concealing position over the kitchen.
Flipping which side the wood screen covers completely changes the whole nature of the space, from functional daytime to restful cosy nights. The lounge area and bedroom alcove are both oriented to the view and morning light.
A plain white panel door is centred between the bed alcove and the kitchen. This leads to the bathroom.
The walkway to the bathroom is also where the closet is located.
Studio apartment layout.
This 27 square metre Darlinghurst apartment, in New South Wales, has been designed to comfortably accommodate a couple. The small space provides an affordable option for inner city living.
The minimalist living room has a bespoke wall of units that meets the homeowners every storage need. White cabinet doors contrast with a jet black kitchen.
A desk flips up below the TV to provide a comfortable home workspace that doesn’t encroach on precious floor space.
One of the floor to ceiling doors slides across to reveal the bedroom.
The bedroom is raised up onto a platform to create plentiful shoe storage in its foundation.
A thin cupboard door reveals a tall tower of wine storage.
The large door on the other end of the cabinet run leads to the small bathroom.
More storage units make use of the headboard wall inside the alcove bedroom.
A recessed shelf negates the need for bulky bedside tables.
Layout.
This 30 square metre space was designed for a single man. Bright yellow accents pulse high energy bolts through a graphite, black and white backdrop.
The yellow accent living room is earthed by raw timber elements.
A small kitchen peninsula provides an ample eating area for three.
The lounge area is more of a gaming room, with low slung chairs, a prominent TV screen, good sized media unit, and extra wall storage for console accessories.
A chalkboard provides a place for notes, inspiration, humour, and gives the place a sense of personality.
A smooth wooden pendant light drops character into the small home entryway. A splash of dark green complements the natural wood tone.
Diagonally set yellow tiles make up both the kitchen and bathroom vanity backsplashes. The commonality gives the tiny home a sense of flow and connected space.
Green curtains in the living room echo the green feature wall seen in the entryway.
The green wall is in fact an extension of the bedroom.
A beautiful wooden bedroom pendant light dangles by the bed, forming a gorgeous collaboration with a wooden headboard wall and deep green bedroom accents.
Slate tiles give depth to the small bathroom.
The attention grabbing yellow bathroom tiles cross over to form one wall of the shower.
Plants bring in the rich green accent.
A slatted wall loosely divides the sleep space from the lounge.
Our next home has a unique split level living space.
A swing arm wall lamp highlights a small dining area. The open plan bedroom and one wall kitchen have doors that lead directly onto a large terrace. The lounge area is sunken down, like a loose take on a conversation pit.
The outdoor area rivals the home interior on style, comfort and size. A table and modern outdoor chairs make up a large alfresco dining room, whilst a long pergola defines an outdoor lounge room complete with festive lights.
Crisp, clean and very white, our last home is coloured only by natural wood grain. A modern wall sconce burns brightly against pure white paintwork, above a perfectly plain sofa.
A white tiled wall wraps around from the kitchen to envelop a wide supporting wall.
White marble mists across the U-shaped kitchen.
A natural hanging chair makes an easy addition to the room scheme, and keeps the floor looking open and clear. It also forms a screening device of sorts between the living area and the bedroom alcove.
Inside the bathroom, a combination of white tile and white marble fills the walls. An illuminated vanity mirror throws a halo of light onto the ethereal backdrop.
