Little wonder

This 350 sq ft studio may be tiny, but it has big ideas thanks to smart storage and multi-function furniture, Charlotte Metcalf discovers. Photographs by Andreas von Einsiedel

Designer Helen Bromovsky makes a tiny space chic

‘THIS FLAT CAN function as bedroom, boardroom, or even somewhere to have a banquet,’ says interior and fashion designer Helen Bromovsky of her onebed bolthole near Knightsbridge. The cunningly designed flat, bought 20 years ago as a base for when she is in London (her home is in Somerset with her three daughters), is just 350 sq ft, comprising two rooms and a bathroom. Yet Bromovsky has shoehorned in areas to cook, work, relax and entertain – as many as 30 people at one party – and can sleep five, at a push, if friends or family visit.

The wall behind the sofa in the sitting room conceals a pull-down bed, the daybed doubles as a divan, and the compact bedroom, with built-in storage below, to the side of and above the bed,

can be used as a snug during the day. ‘I used to sail a lot, so I was inspired by yacht design,’ says Bromovsky. ‘The snug reminds me of a cabin.’ Even the kitchen is cleverly tucked away in the sitting room: a drawer fridge and multiuse oven are hidden in custom-built cabinets on either side of the fireplace, and the small kitchen sink is fitted with a single tap for boiling or cold filtered water, so there’s no need for a kettle.

Bromovsky learnt how to adapt tiny spaces as a young, inexperienced decorator at her first design show in New York. ‘I was given the smallest space to decorate, a sort of cupboard extension with a window,’ she remembers. ‘I was full of romance in those days, so I transformed it into Anna Karenina’s anteroom with walls covered in Osborne & Little toile fabric, a huge Regency daybed, a writing table and a painted floor. It fired up my passion for the small.’

Today, Bromovsky’s monochrome palette and simple, clean lines are a far cry from the lush, rococo style she created then, but the neutral decor makes her flat appear airy and far bigger than it is. Another trick she has used is to fit extra-high double doors, which soar up to the ceiling and can be folded back without blocking walls, giving a sense of balance, proportion and height. A coffee-coloured polished-leather floor adds to a smooth sense of flow between the different rooms.

‘I was given the smallest space to decorate… It fired up my passion’

Another purpose the flat serves is to act as a studio and occasional display space for the Turkish robes in vibrant ikat fabrics that Bromovsky designs for her fashion company, The Pasha Collection. ‘I hang and place my robes to decorate the walls, so the living room also functions as a showroom, if it needs to,’ she says. ‘Particularly when I’m with friends or customers; it can get crowded, so every detail counts.’ Again, an uncluttered look was essential, but she has not sacrificed aesthetics for minimalism. The leather floor, limestone bathroom, velvet roman blinds and handmade Murano-glass door handles all serve to add a contemporary, luxurious feel.

‘My mission is to create a home where luxury meets purity, but to achieve that in a small flat you have to be as disciplined as you would be on boat,’ says Bromovsky. ‘My motto is that discipline equals freedom. Rather than hindering your character and creativity, if cleverly planned, the restraint of a small space can only enhance them. I think it’s far better to have a small room with one good thing in it than a huge one cluttered with mediocre stuff.’

‘I used to sail a lot, so I was inspired by yacht design. The snug reminds me of a cabin’

Left Neutral walls, bedding and cupboards are offset by colourful artwork. Above Generous wardrobe storage with a two-seater sofa, which is in front of a hidden, pull-down spare bed. Above leftBespoke cupboards on either side of the fireplace conceal an oven and fridge

Right A Pasha Collection ikatsilk robe above a daybed with complementary cushions in the sitting room, between double windows screened in muslin

Right Helen Bromovsky in her Knightsbridge flat. Below Perspex chairs and a matching side table in the sitting room

Right The stuccoed bathroom, with recessed shelving in the shower cubicle. Below Framed artworks and cut flowers take the focus away from an induction hob. Bottom A decorative cow’s-head keyhook on the back of the front door