312 Sq. Ft. Micro-Apartment Is a 'Hotel-Home Hybrid' (Video)

An existing 1960s studio apartment in Melbourne has been transformed into a more efficient one-bedroom apartment.

We've seen a number of wonderful examples of older apartments being redesigned into more efficient spaces, where instead of building anew, the smaller space is transformed into something modern and fresh.

That's the case with this 29-square-metre (312-square-foot) compact apartment in Melbourne, Australia, done by architect Timothy Yee of T-A Square. Inspired by the streamlined aesthetic of boat and airplane cabins, the interior of the Itinerant micro-apartment features a place for everything, with all visual clutter hidden away behind the warm, wooden cabinetry. Watch this short tour of the space from Never Too Small:

As Yee recounts, the apartment building was built back in the 1960s, and the existing studio apartment had the sleeping area lumped in with the living room, plus a kitchen and bathroom in their own separate rooms. To create a true one-bedroom apartment and what Yee calls a "hotel-home hybrid," the new design has switched the kitchen out, merging it with the living room, and giving a closed room for the bed.

© T-A Square

Never Too Small/Video screen capture

Never Too Small/Video screen capture

© Never Too Small

© T-A Square

The minimalist, yet elegant, interior features birch plywood throughout, lending a welcoming and clean atmosphere. This is offset by the contrast of the darker, industrial details found in the open kitchen at one end of the apartment. The kitchen cabinets are faced with perforated metal screens to allow the user to see what's stored behind, and to hide the refrigerator and washing machine. There's also a custom-made light fixture hanging over the kitchen counter that also serves as a shelf.

© T-A Square

Never Too Small/Video screen capture

Adjacent to the kitchen is a full wall of cabinetry that provides space to store foodstuffs, small appliances and other items. To eliminate visual clutter, there are no handles; all the doors are pushed to open or close them.

© T-A Square

Nestled behind a sliding door, the bedroom is now located where the kitchen once was. To make it a cozier space, the bed has been elevated onto a platform, which also helps to hide plumbing and other service connections.

Never Too Small/Video screen capture

© Never Too Small

The bathroom has been updated with modern fixtures and wall-to-wall dark-grouted, white tiling, giving the illusion of a larger, "infinite" gridded space.

© T-A Square

Never Too Small/Video screen capture

It might not seem like a big space at first, but a wealth of clever space-saving ideas have been packed into this micro-apartment to make it feel larger than before, allowing it to stand out from the rest. If you're in the area, you can rent it via AirBnb. To see more, visit Itnr, Instagram and T-A Square.