Apartments That Feel Much Bigger Than They Are

A movable feast: In designers Nix and Novak-Zemplinski's 1,000-square-foot apartment’s open-plan kitchen, dining, and living space, almost everything is convertible. Cookbooks are kept in low "nesting" shelving, keeping the countertops free. Photo by Andreas Meichsner.

In architect Felippe Crescenti's Rio de Janeiro apartment, an open-plan living room—and its accompanying view of a tropical garden—makes the space feel more open than it actually is.

Hynam designed and built the cabinets under the stairs and a drawer that slides out from beneath the bottom step. Drink H1 pendant lamps from Rotaliana hang in the kitchen and above a Grassworks dining table by Jair Straschnow.

A sliding partition separates the living room from the dining room.

The floors were sanded and painted a deep matte black. The black makes the apartment look much bigger than it is," explains Barmon.