CIAO organises London micro flat around multifunctional plywood wall

Local architecture studio CIAO has completed a 25-square-metre micro flat in Islington, London, separating the open interior with a room divider that incorporates a table, TV console and wardrobe.

CIAO, which stands for Creative Ideas and Architecture Office, organised the apartment's spaces around the dividing wall, which is made from birch plywood and panels of translucent reeded glass that help filter light into the compact interior.

Working with a compact interior measuring 25 square metres, CIAO's main goal for the flat was to create functional, distinct spaces that are connected in a calming way.

"The main challenge of the project was twofold: to work within an extremely constrained footprint while still accommodating everyday life, and to ensure that the layout remained clear and coherent, avoiding a fragmented arrangement in favour of a continuous and fluid interior while maintaining privacy between spaces," CIAO co-founder Diego Dalpra told Dezeen.

"This was addressed by conceiving the apartment as a continuous spatial layout rather than a series of enclosed rooms, allowing openness and visual connection throughout the flat," Dalpra continued.

"Functions are organised within bespoke joinery and integrated storage, which structure the plan and define the different zones," he added.

"As a result, the sleeping, living, and service areas remain distinct while still forming part of a single, calm, and uncluttered interior."

The living room is located on one side of the plywood dividing wall, where it contains storage, a mounted TV and a small round table protruding from its corner.

A bedroom is tucked behind the other side of the wall, providing built-in hanging and drawer storage.

A plywood unit was also built under the windows on one side of the room, creating additional shelving and bench seating in the living room and bedroom.

The kitchen was built along one wall, and a mezzanine overhead provides storage space in the apartment's high ceiling, accessed by a ladder to keep the interior free from clutter.

The only enclosed space in the apartment is the bathroom and utility room, which is concealed behind a door cloaked in birch plywood.

CIAO designed a neutral colour palette of white walls, birch panelling and timber floors to create a calming interior, complemented by pops of green in the kitchen cabinets, soft furnishings and house plants.

"Comfort and calm within the compact setting were achieved through clear spatial organisation, a restrained material palette, and the reduction of visual clutter," said Dalpra.

"Natural light is carefully distributed through the use of translucent glazing within the central spine wall, allowing light to pass between the kitchen and bathroom while maintaining privacy and separation."

Other micro apartments that have featured on Dezeen include a London flat with a pull-down bed concealed behind plywood joinery and a 24-square-metre apartment in Melbourne that was finished with chipboard and recycled denim.

The photography is by French + Tye.

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