Graham Hill began experimenting with small space living in 2010 when he bought two units in a pre-war coop in New York City’s Soho. He ran a competition to redesign the first rundown flat, and the winners, Romanian architecture students Catalin Sandu and Andrei Butusina, created a moving wall and transformable furniture so the one room could function as three or four.

He sold LifeEdited1, or LE1, a few years ago and began work on his second experiment in living with less, LE2, which he hoped would be more affordable and less of a white box. This time he and his team created sliding couch-cubes that can be pushed from room to room to add seating to a couch/dining room or to configure into a queen-sized bed. There’s also lots of felt to absorb sound (both on walls and as a dividing curtain).

Ditching LE1’s movable wall – it didn’t block sound and was too expensive – the LifeEdited crew settled for an accordion door (it shrinks to one-tenth it’s expanded size and can fit into tiny closet in the wall).

More often found in conference halls or schools, here the expando-wall divides the guest bedroom/office from the rest of the space. “When it’s out it has the acoustic properties of a 2-by-4 insulated stud wall with drywall so it’s very effective at sound insulation.”

• Note: LE2 is for sale.