A gentle palette of natural tones represents a soothing antidote to the cityscape surrounding this contemporary apartment in south-east London. Getting the best out of your space, large or small, is one of the challenges we enjoy most in interior design. That this compact one-bedroom apartment can comfortably host a dinner party for ten is a triumph and down to an ingenious extending table that folds away neatly for when our client is dining on his own. The television also disappears behind the banquette – a big bonus for those who don’t like looking at a blank screen in their sitting room. Creating a small ‘office’ out of an unused corner of corridor was another way of making the most of the square footage. These and other little touches and tricks all add up to function and form in happy coexistence.