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Living small

How to Create ‘Rooms Within a Room’ in 312 Square Feet

For a tiny apartment in London, the solution was a shape-shifting bank of custom cabinetry built on a tight budget.

Looking into the convertible green living space in Helen Zhou’s London apartment.
Helen Zhou’s studio apartment performs multiple functions thanks to an inventive design by the architecture firm Suprblk.Credit...Nicholas Worley

By Tim McKeough

When Helen Zhou began looking for an apartment to buy in London, she already liked the thought of living small.

“I’m into the idea of minimal living, and a strict follower of Marie Kondo,” said Ms. Zhou, 33, a software engineer. She was also concerned about the environment and knew that living in a small space was one way to reduce her carbon footprint.

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Ms. Zhou’s apartment building in central London sits behind an older structure.Credit...Nicholas Worley
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To reach the modern building, you pass through an archway and into a courtyard.Credit...Nicholas Worley

As it happened, those desires dovetailed nicely with her budget. “I wanted a flat that was quite central,” she said, with south-facing windows for light. “What I could afford was just a small studio.”

In November 2020, she closed on her new home: a 312-square-foot apartment that she bought for 328,000 British pounds (about $420,000).

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CreditCredit...Nicholas Worley

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