In this surprisingly small space, one young architect adapts by designing and building his own custom transformer furniture.
We’ve seen many ingenious ideas being put into small and efficient spaces in order to make them work. But this 78-square-foot living space may be one of the smallest we’ve seen (aside from tiny “tiny houses”). Located in the midtown Manhattan neighbourhood of Hell’s Kitchen, it’s the home and office of architect Luke Clark Tyler, and one has to see this Fair Companies video it to believe it.
Tyler, a graduate of Cornell University (full disclosure: we went to the same school, but I didn’t know him personally, and am thoroughly impressed to see him undertake this), actually lived in a 96-square-foot space previously and decided to downsize even further by moving to this apartment.
To make it livable, Tyler designed and hand-built his own transformer furniture out of plywood and 2×4’s to make the most out of what might have been a tight space.
It’s barely wider than a hallway, but thanks to the high ceilings and thoughtful design and conscious lifestyle changes, Tyler is able to gain in savings: he pays US $800 a month in rent — cheaper than the shared housing in the same area. In addition, rather than purchasing a set of expensive furniture, his customized build-out only cost him $170 at Home Depot.
It’s a balance of compromises: he does share a bathroom with 3 other tenants on the same floor, and he has a small refrigerator, and without a full kitchen, he has to keep his diet simple, vegetarian and restricted to what can be made with a microwave.
Though it seems small, Tyler good-naturedly tells Fair Companies it’s a matter of perspective:
Having lived in both the largest shelter in the Southeast as well as the largest slum in East Africa, I don’t think living small is a challenge. So we can call it anything; a room, a hallway, a live-in-closet, but to me it’s just home.
More over at Luke Clark Tyler’s website.
Original Post from Treehugger.
Manhattan Architect Lives & Works in 78 Sq. Ft Apartment (Video)
