For many families, 42 square metres is the whole home, not a holiday place. That is why it's worth seeing how ERA Studio redesigned exactly that kind of flat, meant for holidays, so that it feels bigger than it is - no miracles, no expensive tricks, just light, order and continuity. Five decisions carry the whole project, and not one of them needs more floor space.

The eye has to travel far

The old layout was classic: a hallway, then a closed kitchen, then a living room, each in its own box. The new one links them into one continuous space. "Long sightlines create spaciousness and calm," the studio says, and they also let natural light reach deep inside. In a small flat, that is the difference between "cramped" and "small but cosy."

Open it up - but only when it really helps

The designers don't sell open-plan living as a religion. Knock down a wall and you also lose space for cupboards. Here the maths came out positive: merging the kitchen, dining area and living room brightened the dark zones. In another flat, the same decision could be a mistake.

Don't fill it with furniture

Behind the sofa, the wall is covered in jute wallpaper, with a made-to-measure storage chest below. "Investing in made-to-measure furniture is especially important when square metres are scarce," says ERA Studio. The priorities: wardrobes, the kitchen and fitted walls. The armchair we'll "put somewhere" is exactly what a small flat can't afford.

Less stimulation, more air

The palette is deliberately restrained: light wood, warm neutrals and natural fibres. The only splash of colour is the green sofa. "Ideally, you would choose one or two focal points," the designers advise - anything more tires the eye and shrinks the room.

A boundary without a wall

There is no wall between the kitchen and the dining area, just a made-to-measure divider of wooden slats. It marks the transition between the two zones without blocking the light. The studio looks for "solutions that let light reach the inner zones without losing privacy."

A small kitchen, fully equipped

The kitchen is split into two working fronts. One holds the sink, dishwasher and hob. The other - the fridge, oven, microwave and washing machine. The units are by Santos Bilbao, in wood and stone-look porcelain tiles. The designers' point: in a small kitchen, a precise layout matters more than square footage.

The same materials "add" square metres

The main bedroom continues the warm tones, the wood and the textiles. Two wallpapers, beige and khaki green, form a headboard that wraps around the bed. "When the same thread of materials is used, the space feels like a single whole," the studio explains. When every room speaks its own language, the flat breaks up into even smaller pieces.

A wall-to-wall wardrobe

In the bedroom, the wardrobe takes up an entire wall and gathers almost all the storage in one place. According to the designers, wardrobes should go unnoticed, blended into the walls - and there's another storage chest under the bed.

Furniture for awkward corners

In the second bedroom, a desk with built-in storage sits under the window, and the bed once again has a chest. The idea is to find "square metres where there seem to be none" - under beds, beside pillars, in corners that usually stay empty.

The bathroom: continuity and few elements

The same applies in the small bathroom: a light palette, a large mirror and unbroken surfaces. The studio suggests carrying the materials from the other rooms into the bathroom too, so the visual thread isn't cut.

What actually works

Put all the solutions together and five rules remain: maximum natural light and long sightlines; opening up only when the layout genuinely improves, without losing storage; made-to-measure furniture for wardrobes, kitchen and walls; less visual noise, with storage gathered in one place and only one or two accents; and the same thread of colours and materials through the whole flat. How many of us would pay for an extra room - when the real problem might be the armchair nobody is willing to give up?