Just 200 feet from Venice Beach, this micro apartment in Los Angeles, CA features a hyper-efficient interior. We converted an unneeded, mostly windowless laundry room into a desirable living unit with critical access to natural daylight and air.

The built-in cabinets provide visual and acoustic separation for the sleeping area and offer plentiful storage space, an essential requirement for micro living. A vibrant orange built-in bar for dining doubles as prep space for cooking and the kitchen features ample storage with floor to ceiling cabinetry. A small office tucked under an existing exterior staircase offers a distraction-free work zone. Large, frosted glass panels increase the amount of daylight, reducing dependence on energy while also enhancing the perceived volume of the space. Double doors extend the living space to a new patio.

Located on the first floor of a three-story building, the existing walls of the unit were part of the overall structural system. Creating the new openings and enlarging existing ones was essential to the success of the design and required precise structural reinforcement. Structural work was also done under an exterior stair to reclaim critical inches in an unused storage space that now serves as the full bathroom for the unit.

A minimalist palette was key to increasing the perceived volume of the space. The cabinetry, countertops, and concrete floor match in color. This was achieved using an integral additive color for the concrete. The brightly colored powder-coated metal bar and shelves are formally simple but offer visual intensity without overwhelming the compact space. As architects specializing in small space design, we work to provide the organizing principles needed to create comfortable living environments within spaces of any size.

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