Fortress Metro Tower

On a flat this size, every move counts, so the brief was to cover the couple's daily needs while making the place feel as open and as workable as possible, with the right balance between the shared and the private. We took our cue from the Japanese decluttering idea of refuse, throw away, separate, and let that quiet discipline shape the small-unit design from the start.

We refused the unnecessary. Partitions that would only have boxed the flat in were left out, opening up a clear line of sight that makes the home feel larger. The kitchen is open, with the appliances and cabinets built in so it stays practical without eating space, and the bathroom was reworked to free up room for a laundry zone and a shoe cabinet, walled in glass so the view stays unbroken. By throwing away the fussy detailing and the ornament, we kept one consistent, minimal style throughout.

Then we separated, but not with the usual walls. The materials carry their own meaning: glass for transparency and a modern feel, timber for warmth and nature, cast stone in the kitchen for texture and grain, all working together to keep the home modest and honest. The zones are marked instead by colour, by finish, and by structure, cool blacks, greys, and whites across the rooms, glass and timber framing the bathroom, bedroom, and study, with a dropped ceiling, the beams, and electric blinds drawing the lines between one space and the next.