Over the holiday break we’ve been taking a moment to reflect on some of our favourite spaces of 2017, and today we pivot a little to take a look at the small heroes of the last year.

Let’s be honest; we don’t all have enormous space to work with, so it’s always impressive to see how designers work with limited dimensions to make magic happen. This was particularly true in 2017, where some of the most popular homes featured on est were economic in space and scale. These five homes not only represent the best of small spaces as featured on est last year, but have us thinking about how we could create more space in our own homes with some nifty ideas plucked from these projects.

A short-stay accommodation spot in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Nano Pad was thoughtfully plotted out by Architect Prineas to enable maximum function. No element has a single use, with draws, doors and hidden storage tucked away at every angle. The result is a space well-equipped for short and longer stays, filled with natural light and creature comforts that place it on the same scale as a boutique hotel room – albeit with the charm of a ‘real’ home.

Photography by Chris Warnes

Simplification and space were at the core of this apartment design by Emil Dervish, who artfully manages to make 64sqm look a whole lot bigger. The RiverS apartment is segmented into communal and private spaces, the latter tucked offside of the central living space. In committing to a minimalist aesthetic alongside geometric forms, Dervish shows a reduction of elements doesn’t have to mean boring.

Fitting a family into a Manhattan apartment is no small challenge, but local NYC firm sheep + stone pull off room to grow for a young family with this warehouse conversion.  Steel framing and exposed brick walls set a masculine style throughout the home, while vintage and designer furnishings have been artfully arranged to capture the personality of the owners without crowding the spaces. And let’s be honest – exposed beams always go a long way to creating the illusion of more space.

Photography by Nicole Franzen

In response for a client’s wish for a ‘blank slate’ holiday home, Branch Studio Architects deliver a purposefully low-fi coastal retreat on the Mornington Peninsula. With its distinct timber-clad exterior and concrete and timber interior, each wall of the building was specifically designed to contain components that can fold, open and close to manipulate the space – such as the southern wall hiding the fold away bed behind it and the eastern wall that unfolds to create a dining table. Thanks to this duality, this holiday home will remain relevant for years to come.

Photography by Peter Clarke

Designed by Melbourne studio Golden, this South Yarra apartment has a sophistication that detracts from its spatial limitations – in fact, we’d argue it enhances them. Grounded in warm and natural materials, the interiors really flourish with the timber parquetry and white walls that add space and style throughout. Add in the bold asymmetric lines and eclectic furniture selection and the quirks of the home’s layout are no longer a barrier, they’re celebrated with contemporary flair.

Photography by Sharyn Cairns