Tiny maids' cupboard turned into studio flat

A maids' store cupboard that a clever architect couple have transformed into a habitable studio flat has gone on the market in London for £225,000.

The property measures just 14ft long and 13ft wide but it boasts a bathroom, kitchen and lounge/bedroom area.

See also: Ex-council house on Cornwall coast sells for £1.4m

See also: World's most expensive house on sale for £311m

It was transformed by architects Ian Hogarth and Claire Farrow who purchased it for £120,000 in 2007.

After converting it they rented it out for £875 a month but it is now up for sale for £225,000 - or £1,991 per square foot.

The front door of the property opens into the kitchenette which has built-in units, a fridge, a sink, a hotplate and a microwave combination oven.

Opposite this, separated by a sliding glass door, is a small wet room-style bathroom complete with toilet, sink and shower.

The rest of the room is a multifunctional 9ft 2in by 7ft 3in living space which acts as living room and bedroom.

Along one wall is a sofa with a double bed that pulls down from the wall above.

Mrs Farrow, 49, said: "When we bought it the walls were sticky and covered in grease. But these tiny, tight spaces really excite me because I know Ian can work wonders with them.

"Housing is desperately needed in London, but just because it is small doesn't mean it can't be luxurious."

Mr Hogarth, 62, said: "It's less than a third of the size of the national minimum new-build space standards but at some point someone had started living in it so when we bought it, its right to be used as a residence had already been established.

"But we had to make it user-friendly and employ ways of making it seem far more spacious than it really is.

"Whatever we are designing, especially in London, we are always up against the problem of space.

"This is the smallest space I have ever had to work in but it's the same principle I apply to larger projects - maximise every last inch.

"My most important rule is make everything work at least twice. It's a waste to give a space just one function no matter how big your house is."