Microsize Me

Smart House is a 25-storey condo building at Queen and University with units as small as 289 square feet. The firm behind the design, ArchitectsAlliance, made the most of the cramped spaces by adding features like Murphy beds that turn into compartmentalized cabinets.

Small Wonders

Space-saving furniture for tiny living

A three-in-one chair-lounger-bed from Modern Sensibility

Two stylish containers that become coffee tables when covered, from Hollis and Morris

Modern Sensibility nesting ottoman that turns into five chairs, from BLVD Interiors

A coffee table from Italian brand Artigianmobili that expands to comfortably accommodate 14. Available at Skaut Design

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Seven Ways to Hack the Market

Part 1: The Skinny Dippers Three buyers who scored narrow plots of prime real estate and found a way to make it work

Part 2: The Co-owners These couples couldn’t afford much individually, so they pooled their resources and nabbed a gem in the Annex

Part 3: The First-Timers Two young professionals needed a bit of help to buy a condo. Then they found Options for Homes, a non-profit that provides no-interest loans

Part 4: Microsize Me A condo building that offers tiny living without the claustrophobia

Part 5: Young at Heart Empty nesters who need help around the house; cash-strapped college kids who need cheap lodging. The solution: HomeShare

Part 6: The Year of Living Nomadically My relationship had gone to ashes, my apartment to my ex, and I was broke. My salvation? Serial house-sitting

Part 7: All in the Family This Toronto builder is designing homes for multiples generations, each in their own space, all under one roof