Micro-Living Masterclass: How a 24sqm Sydney Studio Redefined Small Space Living
Forget cramped quarters! A stunning renovation in Sydney, Australia, proves that even a tiny footprint can offer boundless living. This isn’t just a design marvel; it’s a blueprint for maximizing space, light, and luxury in urban environments.
Located in Rushcutters Bay, a charming suburb within walking distance of both the city and Sydney Harbour, this apartment is part of a 1960s building originally containing around forty similar units. While many might see its modest 24 square meters as a challenge, its transformation into the “Boneca” apartment redefines what’s possible in compact living.
The Radical Transformation: A Blueprint for Big Impact in Small Spaces
When the designers first encountered the apartment, it was a typical layout: a corridor led into a combined kitchen, living, and bedroom space. The vision for “Boneca” was revolutionary: a complete demolition of the existing interior to create a highly functional and visually expansive home.
The core principle guiding the redesign was to create a strong division between the sleeping and living areas. This is a crucial takeaway for anyone looking to make a small space feel larger and more organized. The design aimed to contain the “amenities of the apartment and the sleeping space to the smallest possible area so the living area could be as big as possible”.
Ingenious Design Solutions You Can Adopt
The Sliding Screen – A Dynamic Divider: At the heart of this ingenious layout is a timber sliding screen. This single element acts as a transformative feature, capable of altering the apartment’s function throughout the day. When closed, it creates a visual separation for the bedroom while still allowing light to filter through. It can also slide over the kitchen area, revealing the sleeping space. The black finish of the screen matches the apartment’s black floor, adding a cohesive and sophisticated touch.
Optimized Sleeping Quarters with Hidden Storage: Even the bedroom, designed to be compact, is packed with clever features. The bed is raised up, ingeniously incorporating drawers underneath for extra storage – a vital addition in any micro-apartment. A small open shelf acts as a bedside table, complete with integrated lighting, blending functionality with subtle aesthetics.
Light and Illusion – Angled Joinery & Full-Width Windows: One of the apartment’s unique features is its full-width windows, and the design team ensured these were emphasized from the moment you step inside. They achieved this by angling the joinery unit next to the bed, allowing it to capture and reflect light, thus enhancing the sense of space.
Seamless Integration of Private Spaces: The bathroom and walk-in robe are cleverly combined, a design choice that significantly contributes to the feeling of a much larger space. Access is via a hidden door, further enhancing the seamless and sleek aesthetic. Inside, gray tiles in the bathroom beautifully complement the apartment’s timber floor, creating an “earthy feel”. This is combined with concealed lighting for a luxurious touch. A full-length mirror just inside the door immediately expands the visual depth, giving a sense of a larger area.
A Thoughtfully Equipped Kitchen: Despite its compact size, the kitchen was meticulously planned. It includes essential appliances like a fridge, oven, and dish drawer, along with a narrow cutlery drawer. An integrated appliance cupboard and a full-height pantry are also cleverly incorporated, ensuring ample storage for kitchen essentials. The minimal material palette extends here, with a gray concrete benchtop and splashback, adding to the apartment’s cohesive modern aesthetic.
Sustainable Urban Living
This project stands as a powerful example of sustainable urban development. Sydney, like many major cities, boasts a wealth of solidly built, older housing stock. Repurposing and refreshing these existing buildings is highlighted as “one of the most sustainable ways we can continue to grow our cities”. It’s about adapting well-built foundations to contemporary living standards, rather than always building new.
The Boneca apartment, with its minimal material palette and intelligent space-saving solutions, offers not just a beautiful place to live, but also a vision for how smart design can transform small, existing spaces into highly functional, luxurious, and sustainable homes.