And now, some links and news...

Oooh, a sneak peek at the Apartment Therapy Big Book of Small Cool Spaces! The blue under-bed kitchen in the photo is gorgeous. And I wonder if the smell of bacon cooking in the kitchen would waft up to the bed area and make you a little more eager to get up in the morning...

This one's been floating around on the Intertubes: New York's "smallest apartment." At only 14.9 feet long by 10 feet wide, this former maid's quarters in Morningside Heights only totals 175 square feet. It's owned by a thirty-something married couple (they paid $150K for it and will pay it off in the next two years) who CLEARLY don't mind a lack of personal space. They even found room for their two kitties. One of the funniest parts of the story is that they strategically stash their work clothes at dry cleaners near their offices, and jog over to pick up a new outfit every morning. And though the space is a little uninspired design-wise, the couple also says that once they pay off their mortgage they'll be able to do a little renovating, like adding a Murphy bed. (Thanks to my dear Rachel C. for the nudge on this one!)

Designer Paul Elkins has taken the concept of the tiny-ass apartment a step further, and is using it to help those in need. In response to a challenge on DesignBoom, he created a mobile shelter for the homeless; definitely an improvement on the typical shopping cart. The shelter has a sleeping area, storage, and even a tiny kitchen and bathroom. It's totally genius: the roof has a rain catcher to collect water for usage in the sink, a teeny propane stove, and a cooler is tucked away for use as a fridge. The pictures are fascinating, with all their pull-out, fold-down solutions. The shelter weighs 225 pounds when empty and seems easy enough to push around with its wheels and handlebar. Right now it's still in its proof-of-concept stage, but it'd be great to see this manufactured and used as intended.

I'd also like to announce the Tiny-Ass Apartment Flickr pool, so you can take a look at some of the homes featured on the TAA main site, as well as share your own! You can post pics of your own place, or of your favorite inspirational spaces. Just be sure to include the source of the pictures (whether they're yours or if you got them somewhere else), 'cause the pics may be used on the TAA main site!
And of course, you can also become a fan of Tiny-Ass Apartment on Facebook, and follow my semi-coherent ramblings on Twitter.
what? CONTEST?! crap! i'm moving in to my apartment this weekend (and week.. ish... unpacking!) so i most definitely now have some motivation to get myself all set up!
ReplyDelete(now if only i had the cash to spare to really make my space rockin..)
I am getting jealous of these really small spaces. My 515sf is starting to feel like a self-indulgent McMansion!
ReplyDeleteCourtney: Yep! Apartment Therapy has an annual contest to find the smallest, coolest places under 1000 square feet. The full rules for last year's contest are here: http://contests.apartmenttherapy.com/2009/small-cool/main/info . It's really kicking my ass to get some projects done that I've been procrastinating on.
ReplyDeleteAnn: I know! The people who can live in that kinda small space are somethin' else.