This week’s standout listing is proof that a home needn’t be grand in size to make a big impression. Situated on Oakley Road in the delightful north London area of De Beauvoir, just a short walk from Regent’s Canal, is this one-bedroom apartment within a Victorian townhouse. Yes, the exterior is every bit as pretty as what you’d expect from this part of town – its white-painted pillasters, London stock brick and sash windows have us pining after the facade. But we’re more impressed with how the current owner has used clever design tricks to maximise space and create an interior that’s in a league of its own.

The charming entrance to this raised ground-floor apartment sets the tone for what lies beyond the front door. Although modest, the neat gated front garden is well looked after and lined with potted plants. Inside the communal hallway – additional space to leave one’s bike, perhaps – has lovely chequerboard floor tiling. We’re already a fan.

Let’s start with the living area. The beautiful and bright south-facing space – the large sash windows capitalising on natural light – is the first room you’ll see. The bones of the building itself have plenty of character thanks to the oak-framed windows, soaring ceilings (over three metres tall, in fact), reconditioned oak floorboards and the elegant fireplace.

The muted colour palette only adds to the airy and light feel. The room is decorated with ceramics, books and magazines, carefully sourced furniture and soft furnishings – all of which chime together in pleasing tonal hues. We especially love the curation on the space-savvy shelves that frame the fireplace. It would, after all, be far too easy to fill the ledges with belongings, but just a handful of objects are artfully placed on show. The contents of the shelves breathe beautifully, thus giving the illusion of more space.

One of our favourite space-maximising tricks is in the hallway, where a recess is home to the study area. There’s a fitted shelf thoughtfully lined with beautiful objects, including a framed painting and handy stationery holders, while the nook itself is just the right size for a desk. The current owner, who has quite the knack for curation, has selected the perfect amount of pieces to place on the desk. We subscribe to the theory that you should surround yourself with mood-lifting objects imbued with memories – and this is how it’s done correctly.

The large windows transform the compact kitchen into a light-filled space, providing views of the lush neighbouring gardens and an extended viewpoint past the walls. Although it’s a contained room, the materials and colours chime seamlessly with the rest of the interiors throughout the apartment, creating an enviable sense of flow.

Now for the bedroom. The wall-hung mirror bounces the natural light from the window around the room, appearing to increase its cosy size. As bookworms will know, novels can require a lot of space. Look to this bedroom for space-saving inspiration, where recessed shelves by the bed not only equal extra storage, but reading material is within easy reach before lights out.