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Collection by Jordan Plaut

Smart Small Spaces

The ingenuity of architects and design-minded residents is often best showcased in designs for homes with less than ample square footage. These spatial savants found clever ways to circumvent confounding floor plans, and dark and closed off rooms, proving that a few smart moves—tearing down walls, adding adjustable partitions, and applying fresh coats of paint, among others—go a long way. Tour these 10 small spaces, ranging from a renovated apartment in Bratislava to an airy and Spartan home in a historic Brussels building to a shoebox-sized Seattle abode.

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Living small means evaluating what you really need. "Think about what you need rather than what your friends have," advises Michelle. Everyone uses their home differently and you can get rid of a lot of the excess. For example, we didn't need a walk in closet or a dining room." The 600-square-foot home is where Linden's architecture office, Atelier A+D is based, so they did need to create an office space, shown here in the background.
Living small means evaluating what you really need. "Think about what you need rather than what your friends have," advises Michelle. Everyone uses their home differently and you can get rid of a lot of the excess. For example, we didn't need a walk in closet or a dining room." The 600-square-foot home is where Linden's architecture office, Atelier A+D is based, so they did need to create an office space, shown here in the background.
The kitchen was originally long, narrow, and completely closed off from the rest of the apartment. Miller opened up the plan to create a more spacious feel.
The kitchen was originally long, narrow, and completely closed off from the rest of the apartment. Miller opened up the plan to create a more spacious feel.
A drop ceiling defines kitchen and dining area and also provides storage. "It’s the basement we never had, hidden right in plain sight," says Rios. "The other thing that’s worked well about the dropped ceiling is that it creates a sense of intimacy when we’re sitting at the table, which is a really nice feature when you are in fact floating in the midst of a much larger space."
A drop ceiling defines kitchen and dining area and also provides storage. "It’s the basement we never had, hidden right in plain sight," says Rios. "The other thing that’s worked well about the dropped ceiling is that it creates a sense of intimacy when we’re sitting at the table, which is a really nice feature when you are in fact floating in the midst of a much larger space."
"Architecture helps influence the mood and set the scene," architect Jon Handley of Pulltab Design says. That mindset is quite evident in this 700-square-foot Manhattan apartment, where a young couple now maximizes their small space with a clever, fold-away dining table.
"Architecture helps influence the mood and set the scene," architect Jon Handley of Pulltab Design says. That mindset is quite evident in this 700-square-foot Manhattan apartment, where a young couple now maximizes their small space with a clever, fold-away dining table.
Architect Christi Azevedo, along with homeowners Lorena Siminovich and Esteban Kerner, transformed this 1,485-square-foot, multilevel, mid-century maze into a modern and efficient family home in just three months. “It was the craziest frickin’ thing,” laughs Azevedo. “It was like a Tetris game, putting it all together, trying to squeak out space wherever we could.” Purchased as if straight out of 1955, the home is now the ideal small space for Siminovich and Kerner to raise their young daughter, Matilda.
Architect Christi Azevedo, along with homeowners Lorena Siminovich and Esteban Kerner, transformed this 1,485-square-foot, multilevel, mid-century maze into a modern and efficient family home in just three months. “It was the craziest frickin’ thing,” laughs Azevedo. “It was like a Tetris game, putting it all together, trying to squeak out space wherever we could.” Purchased as if straight out of 1955, the home is now the ideal small space for Siminovich and Kerner to raise their young daughter, Matilda.
The budget was nearly as tight as the space in this cheerful renovation of a 516-square-foot flat in Bratislava. The centerpiece of Lukáš Kordík’s new kitchen is the cabinetry surrounding the sink, a feat he managed by altering the facing and pulls of an off-the-rack Ikea system. The laminate offers a good punch of blue, and in modernist fashion, Kordík forwent door handles in favor of cutouts. “I wanted the kitchen to be one simple block of color without any additional design,” he says.
The budget was nearly as tight as the space in this cheerful renovation of a 516-square-foot flat in Bratislava. The centerpiece of Lukáš Kordík’s new kitchen is the cabinetry surrounding the sink, a feat he managed by altering the facing and pulls of an off-the-rack Ikea system. The laminate offers a good punch of blue, and in modernist fashion, Kordík forwent door handles in favor of cutouts. “I wanted the kitchen to be one simple block of color without any additional design,” he says.
Eazy side chairs by Whiteonwhite line one side of the custom-designed table by LOT-EK. Castore suspension lights by Michele De Lucchi for Artemide hang above, and a custom rug by Liora Manné lies below.
Eazy side chairs by Whiteonwhite line one side of the custom-designed table by LOT-EK. Castore suspension lights by Michele De Lucchi for Artemide hang above, and a custom rug by Liora Manné lies below.
A series of levels gives the house a sense of separation between the main rooms.
A series of levels gives the house a sense of separation between the main rooms.
Shibata made the 10-person dining table using $130 sawhorse legs from Maruki Wood Products Company topped with a sheet of birch plywood. A hole in the sliding wall fits over the table, enabling it to be used in both the library and the meeting room. malki.jp A movable wall clad in wainscoting on one side slides along tracks in the dining-room ceiling, dividing the room into a meeting space and a library. The Shiro Simple Modern Pendant lights can be easily removed and reattached after moving the wall. vanilladesign.jp
Shibata made the 10-person dining table using $130 sawhorse legs from Maruki Wood Products Company topped with a sheet of birch plywood. A hole in the sliding wall fits over the table, enabling it to be used in both the library and the meeting room. malki.jp A movable wall clad in wainscoting on one side slides along tracks in the dining-room ceiling, dividing the room into a meeting space and a library. The Shiro Simple Modern Pendant lights can be easily removed and reattached after moving the wall. vanilladesign.jp