This small apartment in Brighton has bags of big ideas

Location, location, location: it's an important factor and it's why many people prefer a small apartment (opens in new tab)somewhere central, to a larger place further out when looking for their new modern home (opens in new tab).

Nothing demonstrates this more than the apartment that's narrower than a London bus (opens in new tab).

The design project ahead is not as extreme an example, but maximising space was the priority for the clients that came to Marc and Edwina Boase (opens in new tab), a husband and wife interior architect and interior design team.

THE PROPERTY

A one-bedroom apartment in Brighton, with views across the South Downs.

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The couple had wanted a 'doer upper' and had purchased a sorry looking bedsit at an affordable price. Centrally located in Brighton, with easy access to the buzzy bars and cool shops in the North Lanes, as well as the beach and countryside, they knew it had bags of potential but were stumped with what to do with the property, so they approached Marc and Edwina, who they'd met through friends.

LIVING SPACE

Marc and Edwina's challenge was to maximise every inch of space, adding a much-needed bedroom whilst not compromising on the flow of space, light and air. 

The concept of the partition wall was that it offered seating, storage, interactive art display and a small dining area (opens in new tab), enabling their creative clients an ongoing opportunity to update and style the compact living room (opens in new tab) with ease, whilst adding the required bedroom. 

Their approach to the project was to create a stylish, calm and coherent aesthetic that flowed throughout; incorporating natural materials such as olive ash wood, cork with a pared-back earthy colour palette that wouldn’t date, bringing a sense of warmth and calm to the space. 

The pendant over the table is the Filagrane by Established & Sons.

They've even managed to squeeze in a stylish home office (opens in new tab) into what was once a boiler storage area. The desk chair is from &Tradition.

Marc and Edwina looked to Japanese architecture and design to draw inspiration, specifying sliding pocket doors throughout and sliding reeded glass windows into the newly added bedroom (opens in new tab) and shower-room ensuring natural light and air flow through every room regardless of whether there was an external window. 

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Clever details like this recessed shelving area and the wall light from Astro Lighting save space and provide bedside storage.

The previously shabby bathroom is now a slick shower room (opens in new tab) kitted out with an Aquadec wet room system and clad in beautiful zellige tiles from Marazzi Tile.

The layout re-configuration included additional structural openings. Installing pocket sliding doors and underfloor heating throughout freed up crucial space, making the studio redesign as versatile as possible.

Wall shelving up to the ceiling makes the most of unused space. Japanese Raku Kyoto tiles from Claybrook complement the zen aesthetic while adding a splash of colour. The chunky worktop surface by Neolith works well with the porcelain floor tiles. 

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