11 apartments that prove small spaces can be just as stylish

At first glance, you’d never suspect that this supremely sophisticated apartment once lacked character and charm. But that’s exactly the state developers left it in when they converted the 1891 building into apartments.

Now, the apartment is like a Parisian-inspired hideaway with a clever design that feels bigger than the floor plan gives it credit for.

She might have downsized from six bedrooms to one but Real Housewives of Melbourne star Chyka Keebaugh refuses to downsize on style. As the magnetic directors of hospitality agency The Big Group, Bruce and Chyka Keebaugh design whimsical and stylish events, from high-society Melbourne Cup parties to a royal wedding in Saudi Arabia featuring seven elephants. They’ve instilled this same sense of wonder and fun in their Richmond abode in Victoria.

A bells-and-whistles renovation of this Sydney penthouse has produced spectacular results for a pair of empty-nesters. “We wanted a casually elegant home where family and friends would feel welcome to sit down and not feel stiff and formal,” says Anne. The couple gave Marylou Sobel Interior Design a vast brief, and the result is a true transformation. 

Charmed by the waterside location and 1920s building, Philippa and Simon bought this compact three-bedroom apartment north of Sydney knowing it needed reinventing to accommodate family life with their teenagers.  “We had initial concerns about moving a family of four, plus our labrador Jackson, into an apartment,” reflects Philippa. “But once I saw how the finished rooms were so functional and lovely, it felt like home as soon as we moved in.”

The vision for this two-bedroom apartment in Melbourne was relatively simple. “All you really need is a comfortable bed, a dining table to share with friends and a room with a view,” shares homeowner and founder of Heatherly Design, Georgie. Intended as a bolthole for Georgie, husband Will and their two adult children, the abode didn’t have to fulfill the role of a dream home but still needed serious work to ensure comfortable (and stylish) living befitting a bespoke bedroom furniture queen.

Cosiness is exactly what you want from an alpine retreat, but when ‘cosiness’ means ‘cramped’, it loses its appeal somewhat. This was the primary challenge faced by interior designer Kate Walker of KWD when she began redesigning this two-bedroom Mt Buller apartment to fit a family of five – including three exceptionally tall sons.

Designing a weekender is an opportunity to have fun with interiors – when it’s not your permanent home, you can be bolder than you otherwise would while, in theory, skimming over some of the mundane practicalities. In that sense, this project was a unique challenge because the ski-mad homeowners use it full-time for a large chunk of the year, living and working here for weeks on end, with their young children. “It was very important for us to design a home away from home that wasn’t just a weekender,” explains interior designer, Kate Walker.

This penthouse apartment was once but a dream for a country-based couple. Ever since their first trip to Mooloolaba on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast 22 years ago, Kylie and Simon had imagined one day having their own place in the popular holiday spot.

Now, the newly renovated Sunshine Coast penthouse apartment has become an idyllic beach retreat with sweeping ocean views that are a dream come true.

After purchasing their Melbourne apartment off the plan, these homeowners already tweaked the layout. “We felt we could create more spaciousness and light by linking the family room with the dining and living areas,” says Fran.

With the home’s open-plan potential freshly unlocked, they turned to Melissa Balzan Design for the finishing flourishes. Part-decoration, part-curation, the project focused as much on rehoming the couple’s existing decor as it did on sourcing new pieces. Both Fran and Melissa envisaged a sophisticated space with lashings of refined grandeur.

Leigh and Gary’s homestead, on a farm in the rural community of Pallamallawa in north-western NSW, has very few similarities to their Gold Coast apartment with its sweeping coastal views over the water. “It’s a complete change in every way. The moment we get to the coast we relax,” says Leigh of the apartment, a six-hour drive from their home.

The owners of this coastal apartment wanted an “an open, light and modern” abode that would radiate relaxation but would never descend into beach kitsch. “Their number one request was for the home not to be boring!” says Anna Williams from Your Beautiful Home. “They wanted a sense of ‘wow’ when it was all done.”