Natural light can make or break a living space, especially when you’ve got a limited amount of square footage to work with. The generous ceiling height and top-floor location of this Gothenburg, Sweden apartment more than make up for its small size, enabling the creation of a lofted workspace on top of the bedroom and a skylight that illuminates both levels of the residence.

A minimalist spiraling staircase takes you above the bedroom to a glass-floored mezzanine level beneath the oversized 64-square-foot skylight. Keep going up the stairs, spring the hatch and you’ll emerge onto the building’s roof. During the day, as the sun travels overhead, this upper level is flooded with natural light, making it ideal for use as a studio.

The glass floor brings the light all the way down into the bedroom. The adjacent living room, equipped with a wood-burning stove, opens to a bright and cheerful kitchen and an additional bedroom with a library ladder offering access to a lofted storage area. Bright white walls throughout the apartment are anchored by black flooring and timber beams.