Interiors: Room for manoeuvre

Renovated warehouses, reclaimed lofts, converted churches - one- space living has come a long way since the dark days of bedsit Britain. A new book suggests creative, inspiring ways to open up your options

Forget about just moving the furniture around; for more and more people the solution to the challenge of contemporary living is to create a single-space home - as the rocketing prices for residential warehouse space in areas like London's Hoxton show.

As well as the benefits of light and openness, a one-space environment means everything is up for review - whether you want to sleep on a platform bed above the kitchen, or keep your clothes in storage cubes that double as seats in your living area.

Non-domestic buildings offer the maximum creative freedom, but stripping a domestic interior to an empty shell and beginning again can be equally challenging. Even an existing open-plan arrangement in your home can be transformed. Choose your style - raw and industrial, or sleek, precision design with high-specification finishes. "Zoning" is the one-space-living buzzword - each zone incorporates different activities, and flexible dividers provide a degree of separation between public and private areas.

On these pages is a selection of different examples of this style of home. These include radical conversions of industrial buildings, but also simpler, low-level reworkings of typical domestic spaces. Beware though, costs - like options - can be limitless.

`One Space Living' by Cynthia Inions is published by Ryland Peters & Small (pounds 18.99)

Captions: New aesthetics

With ex-industrial buildings, a raw, hard-edged aesthetic is in keeping with the original architecture, as well as any remaining structural details or industrial elements in the space. Obliterating any sense of a building's heritage or original purpose by overlaying every surface with a glossy new finish is reckless and insensitive. But stylistic contrasts between the architecture of a space and its contents can add a sense of excitement to a scheme, and animate a space by introducing a degree of friction. Transporting the side of a container truck into a former commercial space in New York introduces a powerful industrial aesthetic, and effectively divides the space into public and private areas.

Behind closed doors

When planning and designing a kitchen area, think about its frequency of use, ease of access and position in your overall space. Be realistic in your evaluation. In a city apartment used for weekend breaks, this compact, utilitarian kitchen-in-a-cupboard is exactly the right size - and it can be hidden away behind folding and retractable doors.

Private life

Architectural devices will offset any clinical, hard edges with sculptural forms. A curving wall screens a small bathing zone. Access to the shower is by the window; at the opposite end of the wall is the door to a separate lavatory.

Comfort zone

There is no set formula for organising zones within a space - everyone has different requirements and every space will suggest a different solution. If you enjoy social activities such as cooking, eating and sitting around the table talking with friends and family, this suggests one way to organise your space. In a light, open workshop conversion, a high-level storage panel in the kitchen area separates front-of-house and back-of-house activities.

People in glass houses

The main challenge of integration is maintaining an intrinsic quality of openness while making adequate provision for privacy, especially if you are part of a busy family unit. A former workshop in Paris provides a quirky open-plan interior. Lowering the kitchen floor made enough space for a sleeping area above. Using glass panels instead of solid walls optimises light and space.