This smartly reappointed one-bedroom apartment is nestled in the coveted St John’s Conservation Area in south-east London. Beautifully renovated by its current owners, the apartment revels in contemporary pops of mint green and soft pink against its white-washed walls. A matt black kitchen – a dramatic but balanced counterpoint – leads out to terracotta tiled steps, from which the almost 128 ft-long garden unfurls. Mature jasmine and rosemary bushes have been planted here, along with red and white vines. The spaciousness lends itself to outdoor hosting in the summer months, with plenty of room for a table, chairs and a barbeque.

Using Japanese shoji screens as a jumping off point, Protect and Shaw Architects have created a calming, space-saving apartment close to the restorative greenery of Hampstead Heath. At its front, a voluminous Victorian tripartite bay window fills the space with plenty of light, while clever aluminium polycarbonate panels playfully conceal the staircase up to the sleeping area. Fêted by the press, this compact won a RIBA London Award 2023 and was the Dezeen Small Apartment Winner in the same year.

This characterful two-bedroom conversion has been carefully reshaped into to a dynamic home minutes from Bath’s city centre. An unassuming façade opens up to bright, surprisingly spacious interior spaces, including a generous contemporary kitchen and dining space wrapped in cross-cut timber-clad walls. The adjoining living room rests under a pyramidal central lantern roof light which adds to the voluminous feel. Exposed Bath stone walls nod to the historic bones of the house and root it in the city’s vibrant architectural profile.

Minutes from Liverpool Street Station, this first-floor, one-bedroom apartment in Spitalfields has been recently refurbished in collaboration with Studio Faeger. It sits on the Holland Estate, in a handsome red-brick building with access to well-maintained communal garden and grounds. A confident approach to colour is seen throughout the apartment, with Farrow & Ball favourites such as ‘Green Smoke’ and ‘Oval Room Blue’ on the walls. In the spring, views of cheery cherry blossom fills the south-facing sash windows.

Gray Court lies within the Grade II-listed Parkleys State, the first project undertaken by Span’s co-founders Eric Lyons and Jeff Townsend. This two-bedroom apartment demonstrates Span’s design philosophy and its commitment to living amid nature: glazing bookends the apartment and frames absorbing views across the mature communal grounds. A plethora of design details delight throughout, including a vibrant turquoise ply kitchen worktop, along with a host of original doors and fixtures.

Positioned atop the beloved Grade II-listed art deco Marine Court, this two-bedroom penthouse apartment has truly remarkable views over the sea. Its south-facing orientation diffuses light throughout, while a peerless wraparound balcony seems to float above the horizon. Currently in the midst of a thorough renovation programme, Marine Court is in the process of being restored to its former heyday – a time when its eastern ballroom played host to the likes of Jimi Hendrix and David Bowie.