When Helen Zhou began looking for an apartment to buy in London, she already liked the thought of living small.
“I’m into the idea of minimal living, and a strict follower of Marie Kondo,” said Ms. Zhou, 33, a software engineer. She was also concerned about the environment and knew that living in a small space was one way to reduce her carbon footprint.
As it happened, those desires dovetailed nicely with her budget. “I wanted a flat that was quite central,” she said, with south-facing windows for light. “What I could afford was just a small studio.”
In November 2020, she closed on her new home: a 312-square-foot apartment that she bought for 328,000 British pounds (about $420,000).
