Artist, maker, and content creator Cristiana Felgueiras adapted a ’70s commercial space in Porto, Portugal, into a multifunctional studio apartment for her, her partner, and their many musical instruments. Bonus points: it’s only a rental.

Some people are creatures of habit, while others prefer a little more variety. This Singapore apartment is perfect for the latter, with its flexible zones each designed to serve not only multiple purposes but also multiple moods.

With inspiration from Japanese temples and hidden gardens, this run-down Sydney terrace house was transformed into a peaceful and personalised retreat for creatives, Laura and Aman and their pets. And yes, that is a garden in the kitchen.

A case of the blues. David and Koichi had a clear vision for their home: open, light-filled, and industrial with a bit of colour and a couple natural elements.

Architect Kei Makito from Roovice helped them achieve it all – and blue floors to boot.

When interior designer Jade Cham of knock knock studio first met Jackie and Tobbie, they handed her a small Swiss army knife and explained how it was the perfect analogy of what they were looking for in their one-bedroom home: compact, functional, and well-designed.

It inspired them to create a ...

Good things come in threes, so they say. This was the case for tra•ma architecture studio founders Patricia Carrasco and Ricardo Mancho and their 55sqm/592sqft apartment with three side-by-side balconies.

With their supply of natural light well cared for, the couple set about transforming the sp...

Jack Mama and Nina Tolstrup, are the husband-and-wife duo behind Studiomama. Their fascination with small-space design boils down to the puzzle it presents in terms of discovering the simple changes or elements that will transform it into its most effective and eye-catching form.

For this 54sqm/...

Interior designer Cushla McFadden and her husband looked at their detached garage and saw potential. With no real use for a double garage, the couple set about transforming it into a stylish and compact 40sqm/431sqft studio home that they lived in for two years with their two small children and d...

Artist and architect Nobufumi Takahashi, who goes by the name Zajirogh, has always felt a pull to small-space living. As a small child, he dreamed of living in a camper or a ship and grew fascinated by the ways a ship’s design supports comfortable living in a tight space. “A small house is simila...

Samuel Garcia and Delia Sloneanu, both architects at Studio Papaya, encountered a fairly blank canvas when they stepped into the 29sqm/312sqft São Paulo apartment of their client.

With nothing but a few walls and some basic plumbing to contend with, Garcia and Sloneanu transformed the unit into ...

With one foot in the past and the other in the present, the design of this Berlin apartment is so much more than a homage to its heritage. The 46sqm/495sqft home, by architect Jessica Keupp of Dax I, harmoniously balances decorative cornices, rich colours, and vintage furnishing with clean lines,...

Located in an apartment building in the south of Taipei City, Taiwan, adjacent to the Jingmei River, the home’s footprint was reduced to 70sqm/753sqft to let in more light. The footprint of the mezzanine level, added by the previous owner, was reduced to open the vertical volume and ease the crow...

When it comes to designing for small footprints, architect Eleanor Peres believes in creating “spaces that work hard so that life is a little easier”. Her 27sqm/290sqft Sydney apartment exemplifies this beautifully, combining modern, artisanal upgrades with the building’s original Art Deco featur...

With the design of his Tokyo apartment, architect Yutaro Ohta wanted to “not only experience the Sumida River as a landscape, but also to incorporate it into the interior”. Ohta’s original design translates the natural beauty and industrial aesthetic of the river and its surrounding infrastructur...

In smart design, the illusion of space can actually rival having the extra space itself — and this 46sqm/495sqft Madrid apartment has some tricks up its sleeve. Using carefully considered spatial strategies like floor-to-ceiling storage, mirrors (aplenty), and consistent materials, Gonzalo Pardo ...

Function, flexibility, and fluidity guided the design of this 47sqm/505sqft apartment, nestled in an early 20th-century building within the lively Goutte d’Or district of Paris. Architect and ovo/studio–founder Bertille Bordja embraced inspiration from the existing architectural features and the ...

At only 35sqm/377sqft, this Scandinavian-inspired apartment in Verona, Italy illustrates how sometimes a little imagination is all that’s needed to achieve optimised living.

Set amongst the cafés and galleries of Berlin’s Schöneberg neighbourhood, the home of interior decorator Kateryna Gonchar echoes the area’s eclectic, era-defying sensibilities through her personalised décor choices.

This rental apartment is a testament to how thoughtful choices in furniture and ...

Located in the bohemian Paris neighbourhood of Montmartre, a stone's throw from the historic Sacré Coeur basilica, this 37sqm/398sqft apartment ticks all the boxes needed for a bright and airy feel.

Curved features, a light colour palette, and smart furniture choices — not to mention the health...

There are common themes in a Brad Swartz-reinvented small dwelling: a restrained palette, clever storage solutions, and a creative touch when utilising space — and the tranquil Slow Down Apartment is no exception.

The clients had briefly moved from Sydney to Brisbane during the COVID-19 pandemi...

A bare “skeleton apartment” left unfinished for over 10 years might not sound like a desirable first apartment on paper, but for architect Franco Luiz Faust, there was nothing but potential.

His vision for the 55sqm/592sqft space was a peaceful respite that would serve as a comfortable backdrop...

To create the illusion of several independent spaces in the open 58sqm/624sqft floor plan, the architects used monochrome colours to demarcate each key living area, inspired by the traditional colours of the surrounding building façades.

Each distinct area has been decorated with low-cost alumin...

When living in a city with some of the most iconic architectural monuments in the world, inspiration is not hard won. Approached with a decrepit, dark apartment dating back to the 1890s, architect Flore Gustin of Amate Architecture immediately knew her muse: Le Corbusier’s Villa La Roche. Coincid...

Making the most of space in a small footprint home is already a challenge in itself—to comfortably fit a family of five into a 28sqm/301sqft apartment is, undoubtedly, an even bigger one. Fortunately, designer Josef Karol Egwaras of Studio Josef Karol was afforded a few advantages before embarkin...