This Teeny-Tiny Milan Apartment Hides Some Seriously Clever Design Tricks

What began as a subdivision in the 1980s to create a small 226ft² (21m²⁾ apartment for high-density living in Milan, Italy, has become a truly functional and enjoyable home. While micro-living isn’t for everyone, Italian architectural firm ATOMAA has created a comfortable city hideaway that prioritizes comfort, space, and rest.

ATOMAA describes the conservative apartment as the smallest apartment they’ve ever imagined. It consists of an alcove behind a screen, a small kitchen, a living room, a bathroom, and a bedroom area. Despite its conservative floor plan, they’ve managed to inject much-needed life and function into what was previously a cramped, crowded, and impractical apartment.

When ATOMAA got to work transforming the micro-living apartment in Milan, Italy, they started with windows and lighting. When the apartment was subdivided in the 1980s, the only two views were dedicated to areas that wouldn’t use them to their full potential: the bathroom and one small bedroom. The entry and the rest of the home, which were used the most, were left in the darkness.

Thanks to ATOMAA, newly positioned windows would see the entrance filled with light. They can’t help but capture your eye as you cross the threshold into the apartment.

But it wasn’t just natural lighting that was letting this space down. The layout, the functionality, and the intimacy were all lacking. Wanting to articulate the space and a degree of intimacy in the simplest way possible, they installed a white curtain wall to hide the secluded bathroom and deliver a welcoming alcove at the entrance.

Innovation was the aim of the game throughout this renovation. A cleverly placed full-height mirror doubled the entrance size. It also formed half the door of the bathroom and half of a cabinet. Adjacent lay the new kitchen, an innovative space with a moving steel backsplash. Completing the entertainment area is a living and dining area with a fold-down dining table.

The bedroom is still part of the main living area but is cleverly separated by a partition wall bordering the bathroom. The hidden bed alcove is elevated to provide storage space underneath.

From the broad entrance and cleverly positioned bathroom to the naturally-lit living and dining area and innovative and intimate bedroom area, this quaint apartment epitomizes the very best of micro-living.

The Milanese miniature apartment by ATOMAA cleverly incorporates all the necessities of a fully functional home in just 226ft² of space. The wide, naturally-lit entrance guides you into the apartment, which consists of an alcove behind a screen, a kitchen, a bathroom, a living area, and a quaint bedroom space.

A newly installed white curtain wall cleverly breaks up the apartment into functional spaces, starting with the bathroom. A full-height mirror to the left of the entrance forms half of the bathroom door and half of a cabinet. The mirror offers the illusion of extra space.

The main apartment entrance guides you into the intimate kitchen area. Here, you’re met with modern wood cabinetry, striking black and white flooring, fresh white plastered walls, and a dining space illuminated by the nearby window.

ATOMAA really pulled one out of the box when creating this kitchen. A steel splashback closes in two movements to hide kitchen essentials like burners and the faucet. The curved shape makes it resemble a chest or console when closed and provides meal preparation space on top.

The mirror over the kitchen sink becomes fully transparent in the highest part, delivering natural light from beyond the wall.

There’s more to this modern white dining table than meets the eye. You can retract the top to become a circular white piece of art on the wall.

 The shelf supporting it also forms the backrest of the bench positioned under the window.

The alcove in the living area creates distance and distinction between the living and bedroom area. The blue wall cleverly increases the living room’s depth. It also guides you into the intimate bedroom space with an elevated bed.

Storage space is abundant in the bedroom area of this micro-living apartment. The mattress lifts to reveal a large storage area. The bed headboard also hides cabinets and accommodates books and knick-knacks.

A secret drawer in the living area provides easy access to the bed.

The bathroom adjacent to the main entrance is moody and intimate.

It boasts floor-to-ceiling handmade Zellige tiles throughout, including the large shower.

ATOMAA injected style and functionality into a 5.5m x 3.8-metre rectangular box. It was once filled with bulky furniture and was initially too vertical, but the designers put on their thinking caps and used all the necessary tricks.

They broadened the spatiality of the apartment through horizontal furniture placement. They also transformed the area with a harmonious material palette of wood, white plastered walls, and metallic. The final result is a practical apartment in Milan, Italy, that’s both stylish and functional for all your inner-city living needs.