What Renovating a Small Flat Taught Me About Design

Renovating a small flat has a way of stripping design back to its essentials. There’s very little room for excess in layout, furniture, materials, or decisions. Every choice carries weight. Working on my own flat became less about aesthetics and more about understanding how space actually works when you live in it day after day. It was a reminder that good design is rarely about adding more, and almost always about editing well.

Constraints are opportunities

Limited space forces clarity. In a small flat, there’s no hiding poor proportions or awkward circulation. Furniture that’s slightly too large, storage that’s poorly placed, or finishes that don’t relate to one another quickly overwhelm the room.

The process taught me to prioritise spatial flow above everything else. Before thinking about colour or furniture, I had to understand how the space needed to function; how light moved through it, how rooms connected, and where daily life naturally gravitated. Once that framework was right, the rest followed more intuitively.

Function doesn’t have to feel utilitarian

Small spaces are often treated as purely practical problems to be solved. What surprised me was how much atmosphere still matters, perhaps even more so when space is limited.

A well-considered material palette can transform how a room feels without adding visual noise. Subtle variations in texture, tone, and finish create depth without clutter. In my own flat, restraint became a design tool: fewer materials, repeated carefully, allowed the space to feel calm and intentional rather than sparse.

Furniture needs to earn its place

Living with limited square footage made me ruthless about furniture choices. Pieces had to work hard (visually and functionally) or they didn’t stay.

This reinforced the value of investing in fewer, better objects. A well-proportioned table, a comfortable chair, a light that creates atmosphere in the evening; these elements define a space far more than an accumulation of items. I became much more aware of negative space too. What you don’t fill is just as important as what you do.

Storage should be quiet

In a small flat, storage is essential but it shouldn’t dominate the room. The most successful solutions were the ones that disappeared: integrated cupboards, simple joinery, furniture that concealed function rather than advertising it.

This experience changed how I think about storage in all projects. Good storage supports daily life, without becoming a visual feature unless it needs to be.

Budget encourages creativity

Working within a budget sharpened my approach to sourcing and specification. I learned where it was worth spending and where restraint made sense. Second-hand pieces, simple finishes, and carefully chosen off-the-shelf elements became part of a more thoughtful, layered result.

Rather than feeling limiting, the budget created a framework that encouraged better decisions focusing attention on proportion, material quality, and longevity instead of novelty.

Living with the design is the real test

Perhaps the most valuable lesson came after the renovation was finished. Living in the space revealed which decisions truly worked and which ones needed adjusting. Design isn’t static; it evolves as spaces are inhabited.

That experience reinforced my belief that interiors should feel adaptable and forgiving. A successful space supports change whether that’s moving furniture, adding art over time, or allowing a room to evolve as life does.

Renovating my own small flat reminded me that good design doesn’t need to announce itself. When layout, materials, and objects are thoughtfully considered, a space feels composed without trying too hard.

It’s an approach I return to again and again in my work: designing spaces that are calm, functional, and expressive. Spaces that work hard behind the scenes, and feel natural to live in.