The idea for this micro apartment by T-A Square occurred after architect Timothy Lee stumbled across an old ground floor studio unit in Richmond. He explains ‘it was being auctioned on the same day, and I immediately knew this was the dream project I would love to work on, and managed to secure it.’ Timothy saw the potential of transforming a 29sq metre studio into a ‘comfortable contemporary one-bedroom apartment.’
Micro-luxe is really having a moment, as the property market demands new and inventive ways for people to live in cities. For Timothy, the project presented an opportunity to explore the micro-living movement, and test out his own ideas.
This timber-clad urban cabin was designed by Timothy to live in himself, allowing him to custom design the space to meet his own lifestyle. He explains, ‘being the owner, the main criteria were to ensure we could achieve all the functions of an apartment in this small space, and be able to live in it comfortably without breaking the budget.’ Hidden joinery conceals storage (and an unsightly air conditioning unit!), whilst perforated slimline sliding doors provide options for privacy when needed.
Timothy was also interested in exploring the ‘hybrid home/hotel’ concept, to have the capacity to place the apartment on airbnb. Travel to Japan inspired the serene and minimal aesthetic of this tiny home, in particular, the decision to clad the whole place in plywood.
The success of this apartment is in its liveability, which Timothy can attest to. He and his partner moved into the space ‘before the Marie Kondo fad’ and found ‘we really do not need much to live comfortably in this space.’ Timothy totally sells the tiny-living lifestyle to us with this final observation: ‘cleaning the place is a breeze!’
