A cleaning cupboard in one of the country’s most exclusive neighbourhoods has gone on the market as a studio flat for £225,000.
The property on the landing of a block of flats in Kensington, west London, measures just 14ft long and 13ft wide but it boasts a bathroom, kitchen and lounge/bedroom area.
Architects Ian Hogarth and Claire Farrow purchased the cupboard for £120,000 in 2007 before converting it and renting it out for some £875 a month. It now up for sale for £225,000 – or £1,991 per square foot.
Separated from the kitchen by a sliding glass door is a small wet room-style bathroom, which has a toilet, sink and shower. But there is no privacy if someone is using the kitchen at the same time.
The property on the landing of a block of flats in Kensington, west London has gone on the market as a studio flat for £225,000
The home measures just 14ft long and 13ft wide but it boasts a bathroom, kitchen and lounge/bedroom area
There is a sofa running along one side with a double bed that pulls down from the wall above, and a shelf which can act as a TV stand, dining table and work space
Mr Hogarth, who has created the miniature home with his wife Claire Farrow, said it is less than a third of the size of the national minimum new-build space standards.
The couple have used clever space-saving tricks to make the most of the confined conditions and make it a livable property.
The front door opens into the kitchenette which has built-in units, a fridge, a sink, a hotplate and a microwave combination oven.
The rest of the room is a 9ft 2in by 7ft 3in living space which acts as living room, dining room, bedroom and study.
There is a sofa running along one side with a double bed that pulls down from the wall above, and a shelf which can act as a TV stand, dining table and work space.
Above that is storage and to the side is a mirrored cabinet big enough to hang clothes in.
Mrs Farrow, 49, said: ‘When we bought it the walls were sticky and covered in grease. But these tiny, tight spaces really excite me because I know Ian can work wonders with them.
‘Housing is desperately needed in London, but just because it is small doesn’t mean it can’t be luxurious.’
Cosy: The sofa doubles up as a bed, with storage space on shelving units affixed to the wall above
Mrs Farrow, 49, said: ‘These tiny, tight spaces really excite me because I know Ian can work wonders with them. Housing is desperately needed in London, but just because it is small doesn’t mean it can’t be luxurious’
The property is less than a third of the size of the national minimum new-build space standards but its right to be used as a residence had already been established
Separated from the kitchen by a sliding glass door is a small wet room-style bathroom, which has a toilet, sink and shower. But there is no privacy if someone is using the kitchen at the same time
The front door opens into the kitchenette which has built-in units, a fridge, a sink, a hotplate and a microwave combination oven
The couple have used clever space-saving tricks to make the most of the confined conditions and make it a livable property
Mr Hogarth, 62, said: ‘It’s less than a third of the size of the national minimum new-build space standards but at some point someone had started living in it so when we bought it, its right to be used as a residence had already been established.
‘But we had to make it user-friendly and employ ways of making it seem far more spacious than it really is.
‘Whatever we are designing, especially in London, we are always up against the problem of space.
‘This is the smallest space I have ever had to work in but it’s the same principle I apply to larger projects – maximise every last inch.
‘My most important rule is make everything work at least twice. It’s a waste to give a space just one function no matter how big your house is.’
The couple have now put the studio flat on the market with Haus Properties to focus on other projects.
Their company, Hogarth Architects, works on everything from building contemporary homes to reinventing period houses.