Victorian House Converted Into 193 Sq. Ft. Micro-Apartments

With housing prices skyrocketing in many major cities, many are looking for more affordable alternatives. That might be why micro-apartments are becoming popular in urban centres like Sydney, Paris and New York City.

Similarly in London, design firm Bicbloc was tasked with transforming an older, four-storey Victorian-era terraced house into 14 micro-apartments measuring 18 square metres (193 square feet), which feature modular multifunctional units that hold a bed, kitchen and storage. In addition, the property has communal interior spaces and a large, shared backyard.

© Laura Encinas

© Laura EncinasThe module has been made in a way that a group of basic design concepts can be adapted to each micro-apartment, and spatially as a "group of volumes intersecting with each other." For instance, there's an elevated bed that sits on top of storage and a pull-out desk/table, lighting, a hidden kitchen with a stove, refrigerator and microwave.

© Laura Encinas

To keep the material palette warm, the volumes are covered with wood veneered panels in smoked walnut or black oak. The idea was to keep everything looking uniform and warm, so that it looks uncluttered.

© Laura Encinas

The bathrooms are separate from the rest of the space and features toilets and showers.

Local regulations state that newly built apartments must be minimum of 37 square metres (398 square feet), but since this building was not new, the project was able to construct 14 micro-apartments instead. It's meeting a rising demand for more affordable and efficient spaces, says Bicbloc's head designer, Laura Encinas:

The client wished to convert the property into a new co-living concept to cater to the strong rental demand in London and changing living habits.

To see more, visit Bicbloc, on Facebook and Instagram.