Living Small: What This Space Has Taught Me
A reflection on designing a studio flat — and how living with less can bring more clarity, calm, and intention to everyday life.
I’m sitting at my desk as I write this, with the sun streaming in through the window beside me. The semi-sheer blind is pulled halfway down to soften the glare, but I can still see out into the garden.
It’s one of my favourite places to be in the flat — a small corner that holds both focus and calm.
As this Room-by-Room series comes to an end, I’ve realised it was never just about designing a studio flat.
It was about understanding how I want to live.
A home that works, not just looks
Each space in this flat had to earn its place.
The bathroom became a place of calm and ritual.
The sleeping area taught me the importance of rest — and how one simple shift, like a Murphy bed, can completely change how a space feels.
The kitchen became about conscious choices — cooking with less, but better, and thinking carefully about materials, health, and what I bring into my home.
Storage asked the hardest questions — what do I really need, and what am I holding onto unnecessarily?
And the living zone brought it all together — a space that shifts throughout the day to support work, creativity, and rest.
Each room is small. But each one works hard.
Living small changes how you think
Before this, I lived in a much larger home. I thought space gave freedom.
But what I’ve found here is the opposite.
When space is limited, you become more intentional. You think more carefully about what you buy, what you keep, and how you use your home. You begin to understand what is enough.
I no longer hold onto duplicates “just in case.”
I choose items that are useful, beautiful, or meaningful — often all three.
I’ve learned to reuse what I already have, whether that’s paint sample pots, furniture, or everyday objects.
Living small has made me more creative — not less.
The power of daily rituals
What surprised me most is how much small actions shape the experience of a home.
Putting the bed away each morning.
Closing cupboard doors to reset the room.
Packing work into a box at the end of the day.
Switching from overhead light to soft lamps in the evening.
Watering and misting plants each morning.
These rituals create rhythm, and that rhythm creates calm.
In a studio flat, where everything happens in one space, these moments matter even more.
Designing for how you actually live
This home isn’t designed for an idealised version of life.
It’s designed for my real, everyday life — cooking, working, resting, creating.
It reflects what makes me feel good:
Light and views of the sky
Colour and pattern
Natural materials
Objects with meaning
Space to think and create
Every decision comes back to one question:
Does this support the way I want to live?
Less space, more clarity
Living in a smaller space hasn’t felt like a compromise.
If anything, it has felt like a refinement.
There is less to manage, less to clean, less to store. But there is more clarity, more intention, and more appreciation for what is here.
I’ve realised that a home doesn’t need to be large to feel complete.
It just needs to be considered.
A continuing journey
This space won’t stay the same — no home ever does.
There are still things I’d like to make, adjust, and improve. That’s part of what I love about interiors — they evolve as we do.
But for now, this flat holds everything I need.
It makes me smile every day.
And it has shown me that living with less doesn’t mean living without — it means living more closely with what matters.
Exploring how we live, what we need, and what we can let go of.
Sharing my story to encourage you to be curious about your own.
The full series:
Room by Room: Designing a Studio Flat
A series exploring how to live well in a small space
This series documents the redesign of my 1930s studio flat in London — exploring how each part of a home can work harder, feel calmer, and reflect how we truly live.
Living in a small space asks different questions.
What do we really need?
What makes a home feel good?
And how can we create more with less?
Each post focuses on one area of the flat — combining personal story, practical design decisions, and reflections on living more intentionally.
The Series
Room One: The Bathroom — Making a Small Space Feel Like a Haven
A focus on creating calm through materials, light, and simple rituals in a compact space.
Room Two: The Sleeping Area — Creating a Bedroom in One Room
How a Murphy bed, thoughtful joinery, and a hand-painted mural transformed how the space feels and functions.
Room Three: The Kitchen — Designing a Healthy, Hard-Working Kitchen in a Studio Flat
A compact kitchen designed around conscious choices, low-VOC materials, and cooking with less, but better.
Room Four: Storage — Letting Go to Make Space
An exploration of living with less, creating clarity, and designing storage that supports daily life.
Room Five: The Living Zone — Creating a Living Room in a Studio Flat
A flexible space that shifts from morning to night — supporting work, rest, and creativity within one room.
Final Reflection: Living Small — What This Space Has Taught Me
A personal reflection on how living in a studio has changed how I think about space, possessions, and home.
What This Series Is About
This is not just a design project.
It’s about:
Living with intention
Creating a healthy home with low-toxicity materials
Designing for real life, not perfection
Using what we already have
Finding joy in small spaces
Start Anywhere
You can read the series in order, or jump into the room that feels most relevant to you.
If you’re new here, I recommend starting with the Sleeping Area or Storage — where the biggest shifts happened.
Follow the Journey
You can follow more of this project and future work here:
Substack: NatashaMarshall1
Instagram: @nminterior
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#SustainableInteriors #LowVOC #ConsciousLiving
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