5 Excellent Design Ideas for Flats from our Houzz Tours
Between them, the savvy solutions in these apartments boost space, max light, add aesthetic coherence – and more
Don’t let a smaller home limit your stylish living dreams. These stunning spaces show how functional and beautiful even the smallest or trickiest of apartments can become. Be inspired, be very inspired…
The mirrored wall then became the starting point for the whole style and arrangement of the apartment. The sofa is positioned against it, so no one sitting down looks into it. “You don’t really notice it during day-to-day life, but it does a great job of making the space feel bigger and brighter,” says Alexeeva.
Look around the whole of this one-bedroom flat
Look around the whole of this one-bedroom flat
Redistribute space
Before its renovation, this compact studio flat was not making great use of the available space. The original layout had been created in the 1970s and hadn’t had an update since.
In this ‘before’ photo, you can see the front door in the background, the kitchen on the right, and the bathroom on the left behind the wardrobe. Behind the photographer, wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the street.
The transformation, masterminded by architect Emilie Melin, takes a deceptively simple idea…
Before its renovation, this compact studio flat was not making great use of the available space. The original layout had been created in the 1970s and hadn’t had an update since.
In this ‘before’ photo, you can see the front door in the background, the kitchen on the right, and the bathroom on the left behind the wardrobe. Behind the photographer, wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the street.
The transformation, masterminded by architect Emilie Melin, takes a deceptively simple idea…
…and executes it beautifully. It feels like a different flat, doesn’t it? In this ‘after’ photo, you can see the new bedroom, enclosed at the front by a steel-framed glass door and window.
The new sleeping area takes up part of what used to be the bathroom and steals a little floor space from what had previously been a fairly generously sized living room.
It was worth it to fit in a double bed, as well as integrated storage, shelving and a wardrobe (on the left of the photo). The headboard also divides the sleeping area from the new, smaller bathroom.
See more of this cleverly laid-out small home
The new sleeping area takes up part of what used to be the bathroom and steals a little floor space from what had previously been a fairly generously sized living room.
It was worth it to fit in a double bed, as well as integrated storage, shelving and a wardrobe (on the left of the photo). The headboard also divides the sleeping area from the new, smaller bathroom.
See more of this cleverly laid-out small home
Make the most of every nook
There are so many smart ideas in this Victorian mansion flat, which was transformed by Jess Lavers of Jess Lavers Design from a one-bedroom, one-bathroom flat into a roomy pad with two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
To achieve this, Lavers started from scratch with the layout and didn’t hold back on knocking down walls. One of the bonus spaces she freed up was this area in the centre of the flat…
There are so many smart ideas in this Victorian mansion flat, which was transformed by Jess Lavers of Jess Lavers Design from a one-bedroom, one-bathroom flat into a roomy pad with two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
To achieve this, Lavers started from scratch with the layout and didn’t hold back on knocking down walls. One of the bonus spaces she freed up was this area in the centre of the flat…
…no, not just a pleasant hallway with a beautiful big window between the kitchen and bedrooms, but an airy and storage-packed reading or daydreaming spot. “I wanted to make a lovely cosy nook where you could sit with a good book and a glass of wine to relax,” Lavers says.
In the previous photo, you can see how a sliding pocket door has increased the available space, giving the cosy perch an uncluttered feel.
It’s been softened up with throws and cushions that tie into the colour scheme elsewhere in the flat to further streamline the overall design.
Be inspired by the clever redesign of the rest of the flat
In the previous photo, you can see how a sliding pocket door has increased the available space, giving the cosy perch an uncluttered feel.
It’s been softened up with throws and cushions that tie into the colour scheme elsewhere in the flat to further streamline the overall design.
Be inspired by the clever redesign of the rest of the flat
Think inside the box(es)
A mezzanine floor is a fantastic way to increase floor space in a flat with a high ceiling, like this 19th century former artist’s studio.
But in the original incarnation of a raised sleep space, as you can see, the design wasn’t especially inspiring. For the couple who lived here, and were expecting a baby, it wasn’t especially practical, either. Nor did it make as clever a use of space as architects James Davies and John Weir of Paper House Project did after they’d got their hands on it. Just check out the ‘after’ photo below for proof.
A mezzanine floor is a fantastic way to increase floor space in a flat with a high ceiling, like this 19th century former artist’s studio.
But in the original incarnation of a raised sleep space, as you can see, the design wasn’t especially inspiring. For the couple who lived here, and were expecting a baby, it wasn’t especially practical, either. Nor did it make as clever a use of space as architects James Davies and John Weir of Paper House Project did after they’d got their hands on it. Just check out the ‘after’ photo below for proof.
“The brief I gave to the architects was to create two bedrooms that were closed off from the rest of the house,” says homeowner, Tom Scott. “I also wanted to retain as much light as possible.”
The result was the creation of these two ‘floating boxes’ with large windows and skylights, each one housing a bedroom. A particularly clever space-saver is the staggered-step staircase. “You get used to it very quickly,” says Scott. “We can run up and down it now!”
See more of this cleverly designed space
The result was the creation of these two ‘floating boxes’ with large windows and skylights, each one housing a bedroom. A particularly clever space-saver is the staggered-step staircase. “You get used to it very quickly,” says Scott. “We can run up and down it now!”
See more of this cleverly designed space
Create aesthetic continuity
There’s no doubt that a white backdrop can really open up a space and – if you have enough natural light – it’ll boost the effect (too little light and white risks looking sludgy).
There are no problems on that front in this bright mansion flat, redesigned by Sean Ronnie Hill of RISE Design Studio. But colour and texture are what will add warmth. It can be tricky, though, to incorporate different elements without visually cluttering up an open-plan living area, especially when it’s the main space in a flat.
Take a tip from here by dividing up different zones – helping the room to feel more spacious and multi-functional – but connecting them by choosing materials to reuse, in the style of a motif, around the whole area.
There’s no doubt that a white backdrop can really open up a space and – if you have enough natural light – it’ll boost the effect (too little light and white risks looking sludgy).
There are no problems on that front in this bright mansion flat, redesigned by Sean Ronnie Hill of RISE Design Studio. But colour and texture are what will add warmth. It can be tricky, though, to incorporate different elements without visually cluttering up an open-plan living area, especially when it’s the main space in a flat.
Take a tip from here by dividing up different zones – helping the room to feel more spacious and multi-functional – but connecting them by choosing materials to reuse, in the style of a motif, around the whole area.
Here, mirroring the floor in the kitchen, the same encaustic tiles are used in the living and dining areas of the apartment, creating eye-catching worktops for a built-in sideboard (seen in this photo) and also the top of a coffee table next to the sofa (out of shot).
Nose around the rest of this crisply designed flat
Which of these ideas can you imagine translating into your own home? And do you have any apartment-dwelling tips to share? Tell us in the Comments section.
Nose around the rest of this crisply designed flat
Which of these ideas can you imagine translating into your own home? And do you have any apartment-dwelling tips to share? Tell us in the Comments section.
The star feature in this elegant sixth-floor, one-bedroom flat designed by Olga Alexeeva of Black & Milk Interior Design is so clever, you might miss it at first glance. Ironically, while refurbishing the entire flat top to bottom, it was one of the few details she chose to keep from the original design. Spotted it yet?
Yes, it’s that full-wall mirror behind the sofa. “The builders covered it up to protect it during the work and this made us realise how much it actually helped the room, so we decided to keep it,” she explains.