The growing lack of affordable housing in many of the world’s big cities has sparked debates over how to best tackle the ongoing crisis: perhaps building more housing units, and improving urban density by distributing it better, building up, and infilling; or maybe implementing some kind of subsidies for renters, or developing more cohousing and co-living projects.

Of course, there’s also the possibility of rehabilitating existing housing stock by updating it and making it more livable through good design. We’ve seen countless examples where smaller living spaces are improved by such an approach, whether that’s in Paris, Sydney, Hong Kong, or of course, London. Local architecture firm Proctor & Shaw did just that with their recent renovation of a tiny 318-square-foot (29-square-meter) micro-apartment in a late 19th-century townhouse located in Belsize Park, a neighborhood in the northern part of London.

By doing away with the apartment’s existing walls in order to overhaul the layout, and implementing a space-saving “sleeping pod” concept, the space has become a true haven in a busy city. We get a better look at the apartment’s transformation via Never Too Small:

Done with a “Japanese boho” aesthetic in mind, the Shoji Apartment project exudes a clean and calm atmosphere, thanks to the restrained palette of neutral colors and materials like wood and polycarbonate, and the occasional pops of color and texture from accessories and furnishings.

The client, who is a young professional working and studying in London, wanted something more open and flexible to suit his lifestyle, in addition to having more space to comfortably socialize with friends. So to start, the design called for the removal of the previously existing partitions, which walled off the living room, kitchen, and bedroom—making an awkward layout with a warren of dark rooms that were separated from each other.

As the architects note, the new scheme makes the most of what’s already there: lovely, Victorian-era bay windows and tall ceilings, while deploying more creative solutions to maximize space:

The living room now occupies what used to be the bedroom. With the removal of the old walls, natural light can now enter more of the apartment unimpeded, illuminating the entire space and bouncing off the clay-worked plaster walls, and light-colored birch plywood cabinetry.

Extra storage is built into the alcove in one corner of the living room.

The new kitchen sits in what used to be a walled-off living room and now feels much larger and more functional than before.

That increased functionality emerges from the addition of a full-sized dining table in the heart of the space, as well as the installation of a long quartzite counter, bracketed by long rows of storage both above and below it.

The lofty height of the apartment is accentuated by adding a minimalist pendant light over the dining table.

The star of the show is the elevated sleeping pod, which helps to make good use of the high ceilings by doubling up on the number of functions that the space serves. Access to the upstairs sleeping loft is provided by this series of alternating tread stairs, which shrinks the length of the staircase, but not its height.

The sleeping pod itself is wrapped in sheets of metal-framed polycarbonate, which can slide open or closed.

The idea here is to create a light-filtering device for both habitation and illumination, say the architects:

The loft itself is equipped with a king-sized bed, providing comfort in a cozy space.

Below the loft, a series of storage closets have been constructed to hold clothes, equipment, and even a second mini-freezer.

The bathroom is still located in its original location, off to the side of the kitchen and behind a birch plywood door, but has been significantly updated with new fixtures, a glass shower wall, and micro-cement coated walls.

The project is a wonderful example of one viable approach to green building, where we revisit old housing stock and explore how they can be updated, rather than demolishing them. As the architects point out:

To see more, visit Proctor & Shaw.