The prospect of retirement doesn’t just signal the end of a career; it offers the chance to recalibrate and re-prioritize in life.
8 Tiny Renovations
May 7, 2015
Given the opportunity to renovate, the residents of these eight tiny abodes opted to maximize space rather than add it.
Lidija Dragisic of Studio 360 retooled this 1,000-square-foot apartment in Ljubljana to make it a more flexible space. "Small spaces are a big challenge and inspiration," she says. "The goal is to make small areas look and feel big, and to be as useful as much bigger spaces are."
Originally appeared in A Compact Minimalist Apartment in Slovenia
This renovated 1,000-square-foot apartment in Barcelona plays with subtle color contrasts, such as the chromatic tile mosaics and the blond wood used for sliding doors and benches.
Courtesy of
Adrian Elizalde
Originally appeared in 1930s Barcelona Apartment Gets a Minimal Makeover
Indie film director Jon Watts controlled cost while renovating his 749-square-foot Los Angeles abode by installing a stained knotty-pine ceiling and sourcing furniture secondhand from online auctions.
Courtesy of
Carla Richmond Coffing
Originally appeared in A Tiny House Remodel in a Bohemian L.A. Canyon
In order to rescue a dingy 800-square-foot apartment in a prime location in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, local firm StudioLAB opened the plan and brightened the surfaces. Today the minimal, multi-level home radiates artificial and natural light.
Originally appeared in University Place Apartment
Architect Johanna Molineus recast this pint-sized two-bedroom London apartment as a one-bedroom dwelling. Guests are now welcomed to stay in a clever sleeping nook above the kitchen.
Originally appeared in An American Ex-Pat Renovates a Tiny London Apartment on Her Own Terms
Actor Vincent Kartheiser’s modest Hollywood cabin was redesigned by Funn Roberts to maximize every last inch of space. The bed hangs from the ceiling and can be hoisted up and pulled down as needed.
Photo by
Originally appeared in The Tiny Hollywood Home of Mad Men's Vincent Kartheiser
In Slovenia, a pair of architects turned a 100-year-old utility building into a stylish home anchored by a sculptural, custom-designed black iron staircase.
Photo by
Originally appeared in 100-Year-Old Service Shed in Slovenia Becomes a Miniature Home
Architect José Andrade Rocha recognized the beauty hidden beneath generations of unflattering renovations at this tiny 592-square-foot apartment in Lisbon. Space-saving sliding doors partition the flat, while white interiors make it feel more spacious. “Using white allowed me to lighten up small interior spaces and at the same time respect the original colors of the carpentry and stucco work,” Rocha says.
Courtesy of
Ricardo Oliveira Alves
Originally appeared in Minimal Apartment in Lisbon Divvied Up by Sliding Doors
Lidija Dragisic of Studio 360 retooled this 1,000-square-foot apartment in Ljubljana to make it a more flexible space. "Small spaces are a big challenge and inspiration," she says. "The goal is to make small areas look and feel big, and to be as useful as much bigger spaces are."
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