Sliding, stacking, transforming and compacting: the key to making a small space comfortable and functional is versatility, and this micro apartment design by Amsterdam studio Concrete is a great example of how to do it right. Designed for a hotel called Zoku, the space is no larger than an average hotel room, yet accommodates so much more than you’d expect.

The setup manages to fit a kitchen, bathroom, tons of storage, a comfortable sitting area, desk, dining area, lofted bedroom and a staircase that slides completely out of the way when not in use into this tiny space.

Slatted wood screens hide the bedroom from view without cutting off daylight or air circulation. The stairs disappear into the wall, and the entire area under the loft is used for drawers, cabinets and a neat little niche containing a hidden desk and stool.

All that functionality, and yet the room still feels clean, spacious and airy, with no clutter to be seen and plenty of space to move around.

Zoku is a new brand of hotels named for the Japanese word for ‘family’ or ‘clan,’ aiming to be a home-office hybrid for people who visit the city on business, and a comfortable option for longer stays in the city. The first location will open in Amsterdam this fall.

“Zoku; defining a new hotel category and signifying the end of the hotel room as we know it concrete designed Zoku Amsterdam, which is now open for business in the heart of Amsterdam. The new work­meets­play hotel concept has been created for the global nomad. Zoku creates a new category – a home­office hybrid, also suitable for long stays, with the services of a hotel and the social buzz of a thriving neighbourhood. Facilitating global living and working for the travelling professional, Zoku, Japanese for family, tribe or clan, disrupts the hotel industry. Zoku is a relaxed place to live, work and socialise with like­minded people while getting wired into the city.”