If you’re reading this, chances are you’re aware that London housing stock is a) expensive, b) not exactly spacious and c) in increasingly short supply.

See also…

• On the record: vinyl storage for all collections
• Moving house in London: 5 lifehack services that’ll sort you right out
• Living bigger in small flats: 5 space savers for London living

The Space Standards document published by the government last year outlines the legal requirements for accommodation in London based on bedrooms, occupants and storeys. If you’re single, in search of a place that has one bedroom and don’t mind having a shower and not a bath, legally anything over 37 square metres is fair game. But while it might be fine in the eyes of the planning department, there’s no doubt that living in those sort of dimensions is somewhat of a squeeze.

Ever keen to look on the bright side of the rather dour housing crisis, we’ve rounded up some rather splendid examples of cutting edge design in minuscule apartments.

Infinite Spaces in Barcelona

This video did the rounds a couple of years ago, but we’re reposting here for good reason: in terms of innovation, this is quite hard to top. This tiny space, that in its former guise looked no more promising than a pigeon coop in terms of its design potential, is now something very special indeed.

Multi-tasking New York Apartment

The founder of Treehugger, Graham Hill, pulled out all the stops back in 2012 when he created an apartment with a minuscule footprint of 350 square feet, that was as high in the style stakes as it was in green credentials.

Australian apartment with accolades

It’s quite something when an apartment measuring just 27 square metres wins a national design award, but that’s what Brad Schwartz’s tiny Sydney pad did in 2015.

Former maid’s masionette

Paris, like London, is an expensive place to live and though their building regulations are clearly very different to our own (it seems inconceivable that a dwelling so tiny could ever be signed off by the Department of Housing), you’ve got to give Kitoko Studios, the architects behind this build, kudos.

Sliding Storage Solution

Fuse Project + Yves Behar with MIT have come up with a robotic storage and furniture system that could radically alter how internal space can be used. We rather love the idea of this Transformer-like shape-shifting system and it seems like it could work well as a retro-fitting solution to older buildings… Will it ever be a viable option for those of us on this side of the Atlantic? (And, we have to wonder, at what cost?)

There’s no doubt that if you’re in possession of some serious architectural training and design nouse (or have the means to commission somebody who does) these options could be rather more attainable than for the average London-based flat-dweller, but it’s really encouraging to see designers and organisations taking seriously the very real problem of designing for a housing market that’s under considerable strain – and at both ends of the market. A clear-cut solution (or solutions) may be some way off, but it’s fun to dream about movable walls and secret cupboards in the meantime, isn’t it?

We can’t promise to be anything near as fancy as these examples, but here at Boxman we can help you feel more space-savvy – and fast. Our drivers will deliver empty storage boxes to your door, leave you to pack them up at your leisure and then return to whisk them away when you’re done. All for just five English Pounds a month. Oh, and you can have them back again, at the touch of a button, whenever you like!