Never Too Small by Joel Beath, Elizabeth Price and Colin Chee

How can you design a functional, beautiful and enjoyable space, when you are limited by 50m2 or less?

This is the core question posed by the group Never Too Small (NTS), a group that started in Collingwood in 2017. Originally showcasing small Melbourne apartments, NTS has expanded and now uses their YouTube channel to feature a variety of designs from around the world. Their aim is to invite us into homes that would otherwise be hidden, increase appreciation for small-scale living, and give a platform to the architects who create these designs.

In their self-titled book, Never Too Small present a variety of apartments and explain the thought process of the designers, architects and clients who created them. Alongside this commentary, beautiful photographs and detailed floor plans are provided. Several apartments are from Melbourne or Sydney, but there are also many others such as Hong Kong, Athens, Buenos Aires, La Spezia, and more, successfully balancing NTS’s Melbourne origins with its current international scope.

My favourite apartment was a tiny, three-walled Argentinian apartment that is in a curved shape. At only 25m2, and with its highly unusual layout, I was completely engrossed in discovering how the architects could make it into not only a liveable space, but also homely and pleasant. The owner’s explanation was “at night, it becomes a place to gaze at the stars with a telescope or project a movie. But above all, it invites you to rest and dream”. I never expected that I would want to live somewhere so strange and tiny.

Many of the architects featured discussed how they believe in finding a space’s full potential. The goal is to create pleasant homes, breathe new life into old buildings, and use creative design so that occupants can enjoy small-scale living, rather than feeling limited and constrained.

Aside from simply displaying architecture, this book also includes discussions of how some architects approach problems of housing availability and sustainability. For example, some point out that by renovating existing buildings rather than building from scratch, less waste is generated, and the character of neighbourhoods can be preserved. Solutions for small-spaced living are also becoming increasingly relevant as the global population rises and more people move into cities, and I enjoyed seeing this addressed.

One surprising aspect was that despite all the apartments having corresponding YouTube videos, no mention of this was made in the book. As the videos are intriguing and informative, I found strange. I felt it would have enhanced the experience giving readers the option to learn more about a space and the design principles at work. A video also makes it vastly easier to conceptualise a space, rather than just trying to mentally arrange a layout from the floor plan and photos.

Never Too Small is a wonderful introduction to small-scale architecture. Filled with breathtaking photos and intriguing materials, it gives a luxurious reading experience that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Getting glimpses into other people’s homes and lives, and seeing beautiful designs – what’s not to love?

Find Never Too Small by Joel Beath, Elizabeth Price and Colin Chee

Access Never Too Small on YouTube

Melina