Big ideas for small homes - in pictures

This three-bedroom south London terrace was previously home to five Australian students. It’s a small house and the owners didn’t want to extend. Instead, working with architects Studio Octopi they enhanced what they already had. This open-plan living room has a half-wall into the entrance hall. The orange chair is from Twenty Twenty One (Cinema easy chair by Lammhults, from £846). The table is no longer available, but mix and match Serralunga’s Handy 45 tables, £159 each from Made in Design. Photograph: Michael Franke for the Guardian

A sliding panel between the living room and hallway takes up less room than traditional doors and allows the front room privacy when needed. Note the half shutter on the window. Photograph: Michael Franke for the Guardian

The beams above the half-wall are structural, the remains of an old door frame. The alcove displaying vintage toy buses continues into the hallway behind – and these unusual shelves run like a ribbon throughout the house. Photograph: Michael Franke for the Guardian

Wood floorboards and exposed brick add to the industrial effect – the owners stripped off layers of woodchip paper to reveal sections of London stone, which they cleaned with wire brushes and then sealed with PVA. Photograph: Michael Franke for the Guardian

The hallway, seen from the door. Instead of shelves cluttered with keys and post, the owners have curated a gallery-style display. Photograph: Michael Franke for the Guardian

The oval table, by Isamu Noguchi (from £2,122.05 from Rockett St George), is space-effective. The chairs are no longer available, but the Vitra SIM by Jasper Morrison chairs are similar – £219 from Heal’s. The pendant light is by Seppo Koho (Secto 4200, £385 from Skandium) – John Lewis’s new Oslo pendant is a cheaper alternative, at £100. The slatted occasional chairs are by Philippe Starck for Driade (Pipe chair, £610.15 from Atomic Interiors). The window frames are painted the same shade of slate grey as the recessed shelves throughout the house. Photograph: Michael Franke for the Guardian

A bank of white, push-open cupboards elongate the small kitchen. More shelves, this time displaying the owners’ heirloom tea set. Photograph: Michael Franke for the Guardian

The space-saving sliding door. Photograph: Michael Franke for the Guardian

The small bathroom, complete with skylights, exposed brick and recessed lighting. Photograph: Michael Franke for the Guardian

A floating, frosted glass floor allows light to filter down to the ground floor, and the angular alcove shelving provides “windows” into the study. Photograph: Michael Franke for the Guardian

Artefacts collected in Mexico are displayed in the front room. Photograph: Michael Franke for the Guardian