Design a small apartment from scratch.
May 18, 2012 5:47 AM Subscribe
What could be a reference design for a comfortable, well-equipped, small (150 to 300 sqf) highrise apartment for up to two people?
Not quite the 2009 FPP More than meets the eye.
If starting from scratch, what would a small living space with minimal compromises look like? What apartments/condos/hotel rooms have you seen and liked (within the size range)? What would sensible public housing look like in a space constrained environment?
Existing literature and work in this area is also of interest.
Comfortable is defined as having enough open space to not have furniture configuration rituals for work, dining, and sleeping.
Well-equipped is defined as having at least a washing machine, dryer or in-home drying facilities, cooking facilities beyond a microwave, bathtub, air purifier, and dehumidifier.
Please note that the space has not been defined (i.e., rooms have not been drawn; the reverse of Apartment Therapy).
Not quite the 2009 FPP More than meets the eye.
If starting from scratch, what would a small living space with minimal compromises look like? What apartments/condos/hotel rooms have you seen and liked (within the size range)? What would sensible public housing look like in a space constrained environment?
Existing literature and work in this area is also of interest.
Comfortable is defined as having enough open space to not have furniture configuration rituals for work, dining, and sleeping.
Well-equipped is defined as having at least a washing machine, dryer or in-home drying facilities, cooking facilities beyond a microwave, bathtub, air purifier, and dehumidifier.
Please note that the space has not been defined (i.e., rooms have not been drawn; the reverse of Apartment Therapy).
Best answer: You may want to look at the work of Sarah Susanka. She focuses mostly on houses, not apartments, but as an architect/designer who is focused on creating very comfortable small spaces, I think she might have some inspiration for you.
posted by Rock Steady at 5:57 AM on May 18, 2012
posted by Rock Steady at 5:57 AM on May 18, 2012
Best answer: Yeah, at that size you probably need a sleeping loft if you don't want furniture arrangement rituals. The New York Times just printed an interesting story on the new apartment "laboratory" of the founder of TreeHugger, but it's 420 square feet and has convertible furniture.
posted by stopgap at 6:02 AM on May 18, 2012
posted by stopgap at 6:02 AM on May 18, 2012
Best answer: Have a look at Life Edited, although you may have to give up the "no configuration rituals" aspect, since much of their stuff is tucked away in various manners. Nevertheless, it's a very highly thought-out design.
posted by aramaic at 6:04 AM on May 18, 2012
posted by aramaic at 6:04 AM on May 18, 2012
And, on non-preview, stopgap & I are discussing the same thing. So, read the article, then check the site I linked.
posted by aramaic at 6:05 AM on May 18, 2012
posted by aramaic at 6:05 AM on May 18, 2012
Best answer: For small space design, I'd look to sailboats. One of the most comfortable places I've lived was aboard a 37' Tayana.
Also have a look at this book on Japanese houses: Small Spaces by Azby Brown
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:29 AM on May 18, 2012
Also have a look at this book on Japanese houses: Small Spaces by Azby Brown
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:29 AM on May 18, 2012
Best answer: This is not an unsolved problem, though it may not be solved in the exact way you prefer. All four apartments I lived in met this criteria and even today the 2-bed house I live in with my husband is 500 sq ft. In my experience, this is less about convertible furniture and more about smart storage.
posted by DarlingBri at 6:29 AM on May 18, 2012
posted by DarlingBri at 6:29 AM on May 18, 2012
Best answer: I think the Aloft hotel room is an excellent use of space.
The room divider acts as a closet and storage unit. The bathroom is large, but the room is comfortable, compact and very utilitarian.
You might also want to look a cruiseship cabin design.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 7:04 AM on May 18, 2012
The room divider acts as a closet and storage unit. The bathroom is large, but the room is comfortable, compact and very utilitarian.
You might also want to look a cruiseship cabin design.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 7:04 AM on May 18, 2012
Response by poster: Good answers; please do keep posting.
For more context, examples of unusable designs led to this question.
posted by UrbietOrbi at 7:50 AM on May 18, 2012
For more context, examples of unusable designs led to this question.
posted by UrbietOrbi at 7:50 AM on May 18, 2012
Best answer: Hubby and I lived in a 350 sq ft 1-bedroom apartment when we first moved to Boston. It was so intelligently designed that we could even have visitors for a week at a time or longer and not feel cramped. Features: living room in the front, bedroom in the back (nice and quiet), hallway in between. Bedroom opens into eat-in kitchen where we had our office desk as well. The hallway connected the kitchen to the living room. Bathroom was off the hallway. Living room could be closed off.
We spent most of our time in the eat-in kitchen. I think it's the best invention ever.
posted by Dragonness at 9:08 AM on May 18, 2012
We spent most of our time in the eat-in kitchen. I think it's the best invention ever.
posted by Dragonness at 9:08 AM on May 18, 2012
Best answer: Along with sailboats, look at RV designs. We live in 250-300 s.f. and everything is amazingly convenient (albeit 80's tacky, but that will change...). The whole goal of interior motor home design is functional living in a small space, and they have been designing for years. Airstreams will have the better visual aesthetics>
posted by Vaike at 11:28 AM on May 18, 2012
posted by Vaike at 11:28 AM on May 18, 2012
Best answer: http://www.dacasa.hk/upload/file/merton_towertwo_flatb.jpg
They are not, IMHO, unuseable. I could live very happily in this apartment, though if I was living there with 2 people, I'd gut the bathroom and consider very carefully the best use of the 2nd bedroom/boxroom. In addition to smart storage, I think that correctly scaled furniture is key to a spacious aesthetic. Look at hotels, which seem to specialise in sort of 7/8ths scale furniture. Our couch is 70", which is bigger than a 65" loveseat and smaller than an 86" three seater. our armchairs are a very small footprint, our dining room chairs stack, our console table has leaves and can extend our dining table if needed, etc.
posted by DarlingBri at 4:19 PM on May 20, 2012
They are not, IMHO, unuseable. I could live very happily in this apartment, though if I was living there with 2 people, I'd gut the bathroom and consider very carefully the best use of the 2nd bedroom/boxroom. In addition to smart storage, I think that correctly scaled furniture is key to a spacious aesthetic. Look at hotels, which seem to specialise in sort of 7/8ths scale furniture. Our couch is 70", which is bigger than a 65" loveseat and smaller than an 86" three seater. our armchairs are a very small footprint, our dining room chairs stack, our console table has leaves and can extend our dining table if needed, etc.
posted by DarlingBri at 4:19 PM on May 20, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mareli at 5:51 AM on May 18, 2012