12 Innovative “Before & After” Renovations That Totally Transform Small Spaces
These projects utilize clever solutions to make the most out of homes that measure up to 850 square feet.
Whether it’s a Craftsman-style cottage in Venice, California, or an artist’s atelier turned family home in Paris, these renovations demonstrate the many ways to make a small space seem larger than its square footage.
An Ancient Barcelona Apartment Gets a Colorful Makeover
Before: Barcelona-based firm Colombo and Serboli Architecture gave this drab 700-square-foot apartment a vibrant makeover for a young Italian woman who works in the fashion industry.
Courtesy of Colombo and Serboli Architecture
Before: The original kitchen was cramped and cut off from the rest of the apartment.
Courtesy of Colombo and Serboli Architecture
After: Once the apartment was gutted, the architects outfitted the entry corridor and living room with colorful storage units where the client can store her wardrobe.
Photo by Roberto Ruiz
After: The new, two-toned storage units delineate the entry into the living room.
Photo by Roberto Ruiz
After: Bold pops of color continue in the combined living, dining, and kitchen spaces. The arched, coral-colored volume hides a powder room for guests.
Photo by Roberto Ruiz
Before: This tiny apartment in Tel Aviv, Israel, felt dark and disconnected, so the owners asked designer Dana Broza of Danka Design Studio to create a more open, light-filled floor plan.
Courtesy of Danka Design Studio
After: Broza installed an iron-and-glass wall for the bedroom to create a visual connection throughout the apartment, as well as to allow natural light to flow into the kitchen and entryway.
Photo by Itay Benit
After: Custom storage keeps the residents’ belongings out of sight from visitors and creates a neutral backdrop for entertaining.
Photo by Itay Benit
Before: When the granddaughter of French painter Pierre Lemaire inherited his Paris studio in 2014, she worked with architect Willy Durieu of Atelier Wilda to convert the 484-square-foot space into a family home.
Courtesy of Atelier Wilda
After: The architect installed skylights and large windows, revealed original beams, and incorporated an abundance of custom cabinetry to make the spaces more functional.
Photo by David Foessel
After: A Japanese tansu-style staircase provides storage in the living room and leads up to a lofted workspace.
Photo by David Foessel
After: The loft features a folding desk that allows room for the owners to lay down a mattress when they host overnight guests.
Photo by David Foessel
Before: When this 775-square-foot Victorian maisonette was getting too cramped for a London couple and their two cats, they tapped the team at Atelier Baulier for a rethink. "The freestanding furniture they owned didn’t really suit the flat, nor was it making the most of it," says designer Aurore Baulier.
Courtesy of Aurore Baulier
After: Baulier created a custom storage unit that doubles as a cat ladder on either end, thanks to the inset triangular steps.
Courtesy of Aurore Baulier
After: In the living room, a door was replaced with an internal window that ushers natural light into the stairwell and also features a built-in cat flap so that the cats can move between rooms when the kitchen door is closed.
Courtesy of Aurore Baulier
Before: Architect Pierre Louis Gerlier and interior designer Eleonore Satger prioritized storage for this overhaul of a 807-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment in the Parisian suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine.
Courtesy of Atelier Pierre-Louis Gerlier
After: The Atelier Pierre Louis Gerlier team updated the space with custom cabinetry that features striking, circular built-ins—each with their own purpose. "The client wanted a nook for the speakers and a desk," Gerlier explains, noting that the computer area functions as a workspace when the client opens the set of doors underneath. The architect also fashioned a comfortable reading nook where the client can relax.
Photo by Ercole Salinaro
After: Cheerful bursts of color compensate for a lack of natural light in the kitchen. Gerlier chose to recycle the original IKEA arrangement by transforming the laminate cabinetry with bright-yellow paint and adding wood countertops to the space.
Photo by Ercole Salinaro
Before: The remodel of this historic 376-square-foot apartment in Lviv, Ukraine, started on the exterior facade.
Courtesy of replus design bureau
After: Replus Design Bureau crafted a steel-and-glass entry cube with metal cantilevered stairs at the front door.
Photo by Maksim Sosnov
After: The brick walls and wood floors were saved and refinished to preserve the home’s provenance. The designers also lofted the bedroom to create more space in the main living area.
Photo by Maksim Sosnov
After: By raising the bed above the main level, the living room now offers ample space to fit a sectional sofa, as well as built-in storage along the walls.
Photo by Maksim Sosnov
Before: This 721-square-foot apartment in Barcelona was previously dominated by one long walkway that separated the main living spaces from one another—and from the garden views at the end of the hall.
Courtesy of Nook Architects
After: Barcelona-based Nook Architects eliminated a bathroom and bedroom from the existing apartment in order to connect the primary living spaces into one fluid social area. The original window and ceiling treatments were kept for character.
Photo by Gael del Río
After: The lounge’s original painted windows were stripped and restored. A new, bespoke daybed offers a place for overnight guests to sleep—or for the residents to read a book or enjoy a siesta.
Photo by Gael del Río
After: The architects removed an existing bathroom to make space for a designated dining area with a built-in buffet and storage.
Photo by Gael del Río
Before: Architect Irene Astrain of Astrain Studio had a strong first impression upon visiting this 665-square-foot flat in a historic London building. Astrain changed the layout, relocating the bathroom and putting a spacious dining room in its place.
Courtesy of Astrain Studio
After: The front entryway leads to the renovated dining area. In the hall, an angled shelf represents a geometric motif that recurs throughout the home.
Photo: Richard Chivers
After: The dining room features Grain pendant lamps by Jens Fager for Muuto, as well as a Hamilton Weston wall covering that depicts an 1862 map of Victorian London.
Photo: Richard Chivers
Before: For Whitney Leigh Morris and her husband, Adam, renovating a 400-square-foot Craftsman home in Venice, California, required simplifying the material palette and maxing out the function.
Courtesy of Whitney Leigh Morris
Before: The cottage’s original, uninspired backyard area gave the owners an opportunity to extend the small living space.
Courtesy of Whitney Leigh Morris
After: Now, a light color palette maintains a feeling of spaciousness throughout the home. Beige linen covers the built-in sofa cushions in the multifunctional living area. Depending on the family’s needs, the space can be a lounge, dining room, playroom, office, or child’s bedroom.
Courtesy of Whitney Leigh Morris
After: Whitney arranged the rear garden with lush plantings, string lights, and a custom outdoor sofa with a built-in mirror that makes the area feel larger.
Courtesy of Whitney Leigh Morris
Before: L&M Design Lab set out to transform this 366-square-foot Shanghai home into a multifaceted apartment that can accommodate a couple, their child, and one set of grandparents—and their many individual hobbies as well.
Courtesy of L&M Design Lab
After: The designers employed diagonal views across the apartment to make it feel larger than its actual footprint. A folding wall separates the living room and primary bedroom, while the mezzanine about the living area serves as the daughter’s playroom.
Photo by Hu Yijie
After: The designers made sure every square inch of the home is multifunctional: In the primary suite, the platform bed is surrounded by smart storage options. The sleeping area can also serve as extra seating on family movie nights.
Photo by Hu Yijie
Before: In order to reimagine this small studio apartment in Paris’s 18th arrondissement into a vibrant living space, the team at Hoch Studio had to do away with the bland gray carpeting.
Courtesy of Hoch Studio
After: An artwork depicting Brigitte Bardot with quotes from Jean Luc Godard’s 1963 film, Le Mepris, hangs above the bed, which is bordered by geometric storage that forms a cozy nook around the sleeping space.
Photo by Yohann Fontaine
After: Jade-green paint covers one of the walls in the bedroom, where the architects and the designer balanced classic and contemporary aesthetics. "Our client is always out, working late, or traveling abroad," says Thomas Hostache of Hoch Studio. "This is the cozy place she needed when she’s ready to crash."
Photo by Yohann Fontaine
Before: Faulkner Architects cleverly transformed a crumbling former tack barn in Glen Ellen, California, into 839-square-foot living space connected to a 107-square-foot screened porch.
Courtesy of Faulkner Architects
After: Inside the entry porch, an unconditioned hallway leads to the screened porch.
Photo by Joe Fletcher
After: The screened porch functions as the guesthouse’s primary bedroom, which creates a camp-like experience.
Photo by Joe Fletcher
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