Small apartments can be made to feel more spacious with a few interventions like hidden storage, clever layout and the addition of a mezzanine, if space allows. Sao Paolo, Brazil architect Alan Chu of Chu Kato Architects (previously on TreeHugger here) created a generous, bachelor-pad interior out of a mere 380 square feet (36 square metres) for a recently divorced young businessman.

Using a simplified material palette of light- and dark-coloured woods, white tiles and the occasional splash of bold colours like red and black, Chu says that the "decor plays with the transience of the moment: a time of changes, improvisation and reorganisation."

Visual clutter is markedly reduced by a playful configuration of wooden cabinets that are constrained to one wall of the ground floor, hiding various storage spaces and freeing up more living space. The insides of the cabinet are painted red to match the fire engine red refrigerator -- a nice touch for consistency.

A relatively enormous sofa bed occupies a prominent spot by the full-height windows, allowing a leisurely lounge during downtimes, or a convenient spot for a guest to crash.

A winding black staircase leads up to the main bedroom and bathroom, located on a glass-panelled mezzanine that overlooks the living space below.

Using some basic tricks for enlarging an existing tiny space, Chu's design for the tiny apartment at AP 1211 proves that less can be more, and can be fun at the same time. More over at Chu Kato Architects.