with Claire Burke of Muse Built

When Claire Burke of Muse Built set out to redesign her small coastal holiday apartment, her vision was to create a warm and relaxed space that made the most of its compact footprint.

Through considered joinery, a restrained palette of natural materials and textures, and carefully selected furniture, Claire has embraced simplicity rather than trying to fit too much into the space. The result is a comfortable and highly functional apartment designed around the way her family and guests use it, and the coastal lifestyle just beyond its doors.

We spoke with Claire about the thinking behind the design, the choices that helped maximise the available space, and her advice for making the most of smaller interiors.

Less, But Better

Rather than trying to fill the apartment, Claire embraced simplicity and considered proportions, choosing furniture with clean silhouettes and allowing enough negative space for the rooms to breathe.

“Because the apartment is compact, I didn’t want to fill it simply for the sake of filling it. Every element needed to have a purpose, while clear pathways and considered furniture placement help the apartment feel comfortably furnished rather than crowded. For me, the best small spaces are the ones that feel intentional rather than restricted, where every element has a reason to be there, but the overall feeling remains effortless.”

Warmth Through Texture

A restrained colour palette runs throughout the apartment, with natural materials, texture and subtle tonal variation bringing warmth without adding visual clutter.

“The intention was to show that a neutral palette doesn’t have to feel cold or flat. We played on texture, layering and subtle tonal variation to provide warmth and personality without too much visual clutter. Natural timber, linen, woven textures and soft upholstery help the spaces feel relaxed and inviting.”

Make Every Element Work Harder

In the compact kitchen and dining area, integrated joinery allows individual elements to serve more than one purpose, while decisions about what the apartment actually needs free up valuable space.

“The bench was really about making every part of the space work hard without adding visual weight. It reads as part of the kitchen rather than another piece of furniture, while a lift-up lid provides deep storage for bulky beach items. Believe it or not, there is an integrated mini fridge in this kitchen too. With a supermarket literally next door, there isn’t a need for a big fridge full of groceries, so a smaller fridge could be selected without being impractical.”

A Considered Material Palette

In both the kitchen and bathroom, Claire kept the number of finishes deliberately limited, using natural variation and texture to bring interest while creating a greater sense of continuity and space.

“Rather than using lots of different finishes to create interest, we chose a small number of beautiful materials and allowed their natural variation and texture to do the work. Keeping the material palette consistent also helps visually expand the rooms and makes the different elements feel less fragmented.”

Designed For The Life Beyond The Space

With the beach directly across the road and cafés, restaurants and shops close by, Claire approached the apartment as a comfortable base for holidays rather than expecting its small footprint to accommodate everything. It’s an approach that can apply equally well to small homes in locations where much of life happens beyond the front door.

“Don’t design a small holiday apartment as though it needs to do everything. Think about its location and the lifestyle around it. The apartment doesn’t need to contain everything; it just needs to be a beautiful, comfortable and functional place to come back to.”

Photography: @elanstudio_byteresa