Location: West Los Angles Size: 483 sq ft Architects: Architecture8
This studio is high on style and function in a beautiful period building; has preserved period details, separate updated kitchen and breakfast nook, a walk-in closet/dressing area, a renovated bathroom with a claw foot bathtub and updated systems. Other notable details include high ceilings, functional Murphy bed, hardwood flooring, mahogany doors and woodwork, ample cabinet and storage space, an abundance of natural light. See video and pics below.
Where: Barcelona Architects: Barbara Appolloni Owner: Christian Schallert Size: 260 sq ft / 24 sq meters
Designed by Spanish architect Barbara Appolloni and located in Barcelona’s hip Born district, this tiny apartment is a former pigeon loft remodeled into a great bachelor pad.
Located in Barcelona's hip Born district, the tiny apartment is a remodeled pigeon loft. Christian says its design was inspired by the space-saving furniture aboard boats, as well as the clean lines of a small Japanese home.
When Christian Schallert isn't cooking, dressing, sleeping or eating, his 24 square meter (258 square feet) apartment looks like an empty cube. To use a piece of furniture, he has to build it.
Check out the video below!
Shower, sink, and toilet
Apartment entrance
Before shot
Before shot
Christian's hosted up to 40 people in his apartment.
The bed is ingeniously designed to pull from underneath the outside terrace.
The bed can be made to become a couch by partially pulling it out.
The dining table seats up to five people, is pulled from the wall revealing a window.
The terrace off the apartment expands the living space, giving the appearance of an apartment that seems larger than it is.
There's an additional spatious roof terrace up above the apartment which includes a generous lounge platform on one side and a japanese soaking tub on the opposite side.
This is another excellent example of the use of a 'cube' as a solution for maximizing space, utility, functionality, and design.
Following Tel-Aviv’s soaring housing prices over the last 3 years, many people were forced to renovate their existing apartments instead of selling and buying bigger ones.
This owner decided to transform her studio apartment into a 1 bedroom, including storage units, a large separate kitchen and a full size queen bedroom.
As a design solution, we chose to condense all the programmatic functions and storage units into a cube which was centered in the middle of the space, thus dividing the apartments into 4 zones, while maintaining a 360 degree circulation around it, which makes the space seem endless and bigger than it actually is.
By adding sliding doors that disappear into the cube, the space can be altered according to the time of day and the various needs of the owner, contributing further more to the sense of a multi-functional and multi-layered space.
This is another excellent example of the use of a 'cube' as a solution for maximizing space, utility, functionality, and design.
Following Tel-Aviv’s soaring housing prices over the last 3 years, many people were forced to renovate their existing apartments instead of selling and buying bigger ones.
This owner decided to transform her studio apartment into a 1 bedroom, including storage units, a large separate kitchen and a full size queen bedroom.
As a design solution, we chose to condense all the programmatic functions and storage units into a cube which was centered in the middle of the space, thus dividing the apartments into 4 zones, while maintaining a 360 degree circulation around it, which makes the space seem endless and bigger than it actually is.
By adding sliding doors that disappear into the cube, the space can be altered according to the time of day and the various needs of the owner, contributing further more to the sense of a multi-functional and multi-layered space.
Where: Bordeaux, France Size: 441 sq ft Owner: Jérémie Buchholtz Architect: Fabre/deMarien
Location, scarcity, affordability, and necessity drove Jérémie Buchholtz to look for a less obvious and unconventional home.
Jérémie Buchholtz , a freelance photographer, converted a dilapidated garage in Bordeaux into a studio apartment at a cost of 140,000 euros ($187,362). The new double-glazed glass portion of the facade is hidden behind a honey-colored pine door which slides shut to cover the facade and keep out prying eyes.
When the outside pine door slides open, the interior patio — with its teak decking, open-air roof and white garden furniture from the French furniture outlet Fly — is revealed along with double-glazed glass sliding doors that lead into the living area.
Despite the fact that the garage was priced at 80,000 euros ($107,000) — less than half the price of a similarly sized home in Bordeaux — it was still a rundown storage space, full of junk behind huge metal doors. Mr. Buchholtz, though, saw potential. The nondescript place, now a designer bachelor’s pad, is tucked away on a lane lined by converted 18th-century stables that house a burgeoning community of artists and young families.
This area includes a white Formica and chrome Ikea kitchen and a dining area with a glass-topped table.
Mr. de Marien designed a “house within a house,” a gleaming cube-shaped construction of Douglas pine that dominates the far end of the living area. “By combining all the factors of living in this self-contained cube — such as sleeping, washing, working and storing — we kept all of the necessities of Jérémie’s life in one place,” the architect said. “By building upwards towards the roof and internally into the heart of the cube, we had no need to spread these aspects throughout the living area.”
The Douglas pine cube, built at a cost of 9,389.50 euros ($12,565), contains and conceals the sleeping area, bathroom, laundry, dressing room, and storage space. Mr. Buchholtz works at a small office space on one side of the cube. The wheat-colored sofa bed in natural organic cotton, as with everything in the cube, was made to Mr. Buchholtz’s specifications.
Size: 400 sq. ft. Location: East Village, New York City Architect: Jordan Parnass Digital Architecture
Storage, restraint, and efficiency were key in carving this bachelor’s studio in the East Village into a live-work sculpture for a grown-up.
Living and working in just under 500 square feet, Michael Pozner, Head of Retail Development for American Apparel (which is based in LA), had been pushing the limits of what his apartment, in its current configuration, would accommodate. He’d purchased the studio back in 1999, before the boom of the last decade, and wasn’t anxious to move. But between his office needs and his many toys and quirky art pieces, the apartment was jam-packed and nothing had a place.
The solution was ultimately about exploiting every opportunity for storage, and then combining those spaces and the kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping loft into an intricately sculpted wood-paneled central service core. The space outside of the core area would remain as flexible as possible, and all surfaces and cabinetry would be finished in a high-gloss white to emphasize their adaptability.
The before shot.
Michael is always working on several projects at once. To accommodate his reliance on “visual filing” methods which had overtaken his floor, JPDA designed a desk with multiple desktops- sliding trays on which documents can remain spread out, but slide out of the way when switching between projects, or when it’s time to entertain.
The apartment was previously a plain sheetrock box with objects added into it, the new built-in millwork reads as a wall which has been subtracted from, in order to create space for the TV, desk and credenza.
White Oak planks wrap the service core of the apartment, including the kitchen, bathroom, closets, and sleeping loft. The resulting sculptural volume appears to have been dropped into an otherwise clean white box, creating a focal object and organizing the space into public and private areas.
Building the bed platform as part of the loft structure allowed for a full-height walk-in closet below.
A roller shade lowers to separate the sleeping loft from the living space.
Every opportunity for storage was exploited, including drawers built into the stair risers, cabinets that go to the ceiling, and a new walk-in closet under the sleeping loft.
The kitchen cabinet doors continue the wood plank walls around the corner to give the sense that the space is carved from a heavy wooden mass.
The standard toilet was replaced with a compact wall mounted unit to create more floor area. Matte black powder coated lav and shower fixtures, were special ordered as the finish was not yet available in the US.
The walls are tiled in a narrow Italian porcelain brick mosaic that reads like a natural stone.
Storage areas became the driver for the design, influencing the forms within the space.
All of the private functions of the apartment - cooking, cleaning, dressing, sleeping - are contained within the sculptural wooden volume.
Design can change Haiti with dignity and prosperity!
This is a perfect time to bring back the topic of emergency housing and community re-building in light of the Haiti earthquake (and the sunami and katrina disasters before that). Governments and organizations have spent countless days, hours, and money trying to address the logistics of bringing food, water, shelter, safety and health to disaster ridden communities...often times mired in red tape, politics, corruption and lack of imagination, while those who need it most suffer. Meanwhile, the world community awaits to see how the hundreds and millions of dollars will be spent with measurability and with foreseeable long term outcomes like sustainable community building, housig, schools, hospitals, economy, etc.
How can design can help to create socialability, sustainability, safety, and economical systems, one that facilitates the needs of society, community, and individuals, with dignity and cultural sensitivity? Does emergency housing and planning have to equate "temporary", "homogenous", "non-sustainable" and "colorless"? Instead, can it stand for design, dignity, and permanency, while delivering on immediacy, affordability, social sustainability, enviro-sustainability, and efficacy?
I think so, and so does SEED, an emergent housing investment that appreciates locally over time. SEED was initially conceived as a way to utilize some of the estimated 30 million shipping containers that were languishing in ports all over the world by turning them into homes for victims of hurricanes in both the Caribbean Islands and the United States. In addition to SEED, Habitat For Humanity is also embarking on a re-building initiative in Haiti which uses shipping containers to build homes.
Let's consider shipping containers for a moment. Container city projects have been sprung up around the world in: New York, London, Pakistan, Australia, Amsterdam, and most recently Mexico City; every one of them sustainable, affordable, stylish, and contemporary! Now fast forward to Haiti. Not only do Haitian's need immediate attention but it also deserves a thought past the mindset of "temporary shelters", not a tent city, and not a shanty that's made of canvas, card board or other materials that are not made very strong.
Littlediggs and other blogs (inhabitat, treehugger, and materialicious, etc.) have been postulating sustainable housing and communities for some time now but especially container homes. Why? Because shipping containers:
Are available in abundance around the world (enough to circle the equator with an 8 foot wall (twice!)
Are built to a universal standard which can be shipped any where in the world
Already have a floor, wall, and ceiling
Are made of steel frames which are able to withstand 140 mile/hr winds
Are made to stack and can be configured in multiple ways
Have a low environmental foot print
Can operate off the grid (with solar panels for electricity/heat, and accompanying water tanks)
Have multiple uses include homes, commercial, retail, schools, hospitals, and many others
Are sustainable and inexpensive
Below are best case examples of how shipping containers are being used for homes, retail, artist studios, and various institutions.
KEETVONEN COMPLEX AMSTERDAM: Billed as the largest container city in the world, Amsterdam's Keetvonen is a massive complex that houses 1,000 students, many of whom are happy to secure housing in the city's tight real estate market. Designed by Tempo Housing in 2006, Keetwonen is said to be a roaring success, with units that are well insulated, surprisingly quiet and comfortable.
Each resident enjoys a balcony, bathroom, kitchen, separate sleeping and studying rooms and large windows. The complex has central heating and high speed Internet, as well as dedicated bike parking.
TEMPORARY SCHOOL BUILDING, AMSTERDAM: This is actually only a temporary measure for this schools kindergarten while they wait for a real building to be built. It’s the best take on the portable that I’ve ever seen. Usually those trailers are one of the most miserable classrooms around, but these multicolored shipping containers stacked on top of each other are a great alternative to a your typical building.
CONTAINER CITY, LONDON: This is the Container City I project, located at Trinity Buoy Wharf, in the heart of London's Docklands. Completed in 5 months in 2001, Container City I was originally 3 stories high providing 12 work studios across 4,800 sq ft. After high demand, a fourth floor was added providing three additional live / work apartments. As well as being very cost effective Container City I is environmentally friendly with over 80% of the building created from recycled material. Installation took 4 days, and 25 containers for a total of 15 live/work and studio spaces.
FAWOOD CHILDREN'S CENTER, LONDON: Completed in 2004, Fawood Children's Centre provides 3 blocks of space to create a nursery, office space and an adult education centre. Set over three floors the blocks of space are interconnected by external walkways all housed within a colourful meshed shell designed by Alsop Architects. Commissioned by the Stonebridge Housing Association Trust this innovative approach to building was rewarded by being short-listed for the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2005.
UTRECHT-U-CONTAINERS, NETHERLANDS: Utrecht is home to the largest university in the Netherlands (Utrecht University), so it's not surprising that the region would face a housing crunch. Here, modified containers help take up some of the demand.
COLORFUL CONTAINER CITY, MEXICO: This hip, colorfully painted shipping container city recently sprung up just outside of Mexico city. Created by a small community of businesses, the project features restaurants, gallery space, bars, funky stores and even living spaces constructed completely out of recycled shipping containers.
FUTURE SHACK: Designed by architect Sean Godsell, Future Shack is the prototype for mass-produced, relocatable emergency and relief
housing. The house has applications for a variety of needs – post flood, fire,
earthquake, typhoon, or similar natural disasters; temporary housing; third world
housing; remote housing. The main volume of the building is a recycled 20-foot
shipping container, a universal module that is mass-produced and inexpensive, robust
and durable. As a basic unit the container can be stockpiled for use as required by
aid-coordination agencies, or in locations prone to disaster. It is designed to be
shipped, and is easily transported by road and rail. All infrastructure for handing the
module is available throughout the world.
RED EMERGENCY HOUSING, ZSECHUAN: Though the Red Emergency Housing project is not container based, I'm including it as design worthy and because its thoughtfulness to social-sustainable and enviro-sustainable, and clever furniture components. Red Emergency Housingis designed by obra architects to commemorate the first-year anniversary of the sichuan earthquake for emergency architecture,on emergency housing exhibition at the NAMOC. The design has been developed as an in-progress embodiment of the following 10 points of architecture on the edge of survival, they are: universal application, effective performance, economical, transportable, ease of assembly, renewable materials, digitally pre-fabricated, open work, urban/rural, and flexibility of use. Red Emergency Housing proposes an approach that tries to incorporate both the advantages of fast-response solutions, such as the deployment of military tents, with those of slower and more considered responses such as neighborhood reconstruction efforts involving local traditions and user construction.
Universal application: this prototype aspires to universal applicability. its development contemplates a series of simple modifications that would make it a useful solution anywhere in the world: add insulation and a stove for cold climates; remove doors and windows for tropical climates; replace materials according with local availabilities, etc. Eransportable : all parts are collapsible to flats and can therefore be easily packed and transported.
Ease of assembly: all connections are a simple friction bond of male/female parts which are then secured with a minimum of fasteners.
Renewable materials: in china the project is proposed almost entirely in bamboo plywood, one of the most renewable of materials. the cover fabric can also be considered as woven out of waterproof bamboo fibers. Digitally pre-fabricated: digital pre-fabrication makes the project economical in its speed of production and also easy to assemble due to the precision of its fabrication.
Open work: the cruciform house, while iconic, retains in its biaxial symmetry a certain ‘indifference’ that allows its easy recombination with other locally and diversely made structures. Urban/rural:the geometry of the crosses, when deployed together in groups, defines in-between spaces of infinite flexibility that can suggest an ‘urban’ context for a field of houses. likewise, if a house is erected by itself, the exterior of the cross creates spaces that mediate between interior and exterior providing a context for people to spend time outside.
flexibility of use: the geometry of the cross allows the inhabitation of the house as either 1, 2, 3, or 4 different units of housing.
Belgian architectural firm dmvA designed 'blob VB3', a mobile unit for the office of xfactoragencies as an extension to the 'house'. the space - egg house consists of a bathroom,kitchen, lighting, a bed and several niches for storage. the nose can be opened automatically and functions as a kind of porch. It's easily transportable and can also be used as an office, guest room or garden house. Polyester was the primarily material used in construction of the 'blob VB3'.
+ From Designboom + Photos by Mick Couwenbergh/Rini Van Beek & Vercruysse Frederick
A former maid's room has been restructured around a block of contiguous, which are embedded kitchen, bathroom, staircase and mezzanine.
View of living room, where the structure étonnate fit in a single block of medium, a cabin with water, a micro kitchen, a staircase and a mezzanine. A straight staircase lit by a skylight leads to the loft-room. In the kitchen, the high table-shaped bean is used to both bar, dining and work plan. Below, we housed a storage locker.
A fireplace and nineteenth floors are original features. At left is the high table block kitchen housed in the mezzanine. Behind the staircase, the first step serves as a small bench, is an ingenious piece of furniture in medium with each step contains a drawer or storage box.
A fireplace and nineteenth floors are original features. At left is the high table block kitchen housed in the mezzanine. Behind the staircase, the first step serves as a small bench, is an ingenious piece of furniture in medium with each step contains a drawer or chest of rangement.Sous the mezzanine, the booth water is separated from the kitchen by a Japanese paper wall. In this micro-part that contains a shower and toilet, it has a built-in stainless steel bowl in a plate of medium as a sink.
In the kitchen of 27 sq ft (2.50 m2), all appliances - fridge, two washers and four from among the smallest in the market - is stowed under the plan. Above the cooking point, a strip in medium hides a hood and a neon. In the upper part, an opening was created to take advantage of natural light that illuminates the stairway.
At 386 sq. ft., this unit is the smallest model from V2 World. It's a sustainable prefab micro home which can be added onto in 4 feet increments @ $200/sq. ft. I like the installment of the efficiency kitchen and bath which leaves more space for the living and sleep areas. I would have planned for more seating capacity at the counter to double as the dining area,remove the round dining table, and it's chairs, to make room for a sectional couch (for sleep overs) a generous coffee table that serves as a work area, gaming, and additional dining if needed.
Today all that nomadic telecommuters need is internet access, a phone, and some strong coffee. Waskman Design Studio’s stunning mobile home, designed for Vodafone, has all of those things (except the caffeine). The solar powered trailer was created for Vodafone to show off its fixed phone and wireless internet service, and is currently occupied by blogger Marcos Morales and his family as they travel through Spain on a family vacation!
The Vodaphone trailer home is constructed from white polyethylene panels and transparent polycarbonate. The two-floor structure measures 6 meters in length, 2.5 meters in width and 3.85 meters high. The home is organized like a loft, with a bedroom on the second floor and office and kitchen space on the bottom floor. Rooftop solar panels power the Morales family’s electronics.
Check out the continuing story of the Morales’ trip at their website.
The trailer packs a punch with smart division of space, functional storage areas, mini bathroom, work and leisure area, and sleep area with two full sized beds that sleeps 4 people (5 people including the couch).
Japan Interior 119 sq ft Full Height 15 ft Seats 3 Sleeps 4
Who says you need to sacrifice comfort and amenities for space? This DIY duo has included everything...and the kitchen sink, full bath with shower/tub/toilet, and a comfortable sleep area. Other features include a lift that transforms into a sleep area, creative storage (could easily be adapted nicely into a micro home or small apt), ample windows, and a small deck.
Architects: Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects Location: Mazama, Washington, USA Lead Architect: Tom Kundig, FAIA Date of Completion: 2008 Size: 440 sf/per hut (200 sf interior space, 240 sf exterior deck) Photographs: Chad Kirkpatrick & /Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects
"Responding to the owner’s need for space to house visiting friends and family, the Rolling Huts are several steps above camping, while remaining low-tech and low-impact in their design. The huts sit lightly on the site, a flood plain meadow in an alpine river valley. The owner purchased the site, formerly a RV campground, with the aim of allowing the landscape return to its natural state. The wheels lift the structures above the meadow, providing an unobstructed view into nature and the prospect of the surrounding mountains." Read more >> Modular furniture allows for multiple seating variations. Though it's not shown here, I can imagine piecing the furniture together, forming another sleeping platform, with foam pad stowed away within the larger cube.
Ok, not quite less than 500 sq. ft. but almost, plus, it's full of useful nooks and crannies. Inspired by Japanese origami art; one wall separates all functions of the apartment. When the designer create the wall the apartment already had a shell of simple concrete walls. While contemporary, the interior still retains some rustic elements.
The presence of the separation wall can be felt from the entrance and throughout the apartment, imbues a feeling of movement and hidden spaces due to its diagonal form. The apartment design with all its elements makes the small space look much bigger than it is.
I've previously blogged about architecture as furniture and its efficiencies. Despite its small footprint, "molding" and "wrapping" allow the furniture and the architecture to do double duty. This apartment, is a “bed & breakfast” located on the third floor in the attic of a private house in The Hague. The client and owner lives in the same building.
"The limited floor space of 30m² has been equipped with the following functions: a sleeping accommodation for 2 people a dining area for up to 4 people a kitchen a toilet a bathroom with shower an installations area various storage facilities. The goal of the design was to create a living environment that would be spacious despite the small volume, providing all the comforts belonging to luxurious contemporary lodging. In addition, Maff Apartment was to have a clear and strong identity to provide a sense of uniqueness for its users." - Via - Dezeen
Location Unknown 388 sq. ft. Architect: Studiomama
London-based Studiomama has designed this small but sweet beach cottage as a cozy home away from home. The 388-sq.-ft. compact waterfront cottage is built on galvanized steel stilts to prevent flooding, but not to worry – you’ll get your fill of water via the house serene seaside views. This beach house has a rustic look both inside and out. Its facade is clad in cedar shingles, giving it a true “cottage” feel which makes its way indoors with the sawn softwood-clad interior. This awesome compact design keeps it simple, featuring the cozy master sleeping quarters above, and the kitchen, bathroom and the kids’ bunk beds below, covering off all the essentials for a fab family vacation by the shore.
Tons of ideas can be gleaned here to maximize space; stackable chairs, open floor concept, bunk beds and use of loft, efficiency sized kitchen and bath elements.
Next Generation House created by Sou Fujimoto Architects is a small housing module for weekend use, located on the edge of a forest overlooking the River Kuma at Kumakura, opposite the temple of Shibatatehime.
The oblique glass windowpanes are held in place with plastic plugs. The mobile sheets are in transparent acrylic. The small pavilion, a 4×4 meters cube, is made by assembling solid Japanese cedar blocks kept in place by their own weight and connecting metal cables running through vertical drill holes.
Hong Kong 344 sq ft Residence/Architect: Gary Chang
Hong Kong architect and technophile Gary Chang has the most amazing apartment. His 344-square-foot space can be shifted into at least 24 different layouts, using a funhouse’s worth of sliding walls and detachable shelving.
using shifting wall units suspended from steel tracks bolted into the ceiling, the apartment becomes all manner of spaces — kitchen, library, laundry room, dressing room, a lounge with a hammock, an enclosed dining area and a wet bar.” (nytimes.com)
Chang has lived in this apartment since he was 14, moving in with his parents and three younger sisters. Back then, he used to sleep in the hallway. Now, he uses a hydraulic Murphy bed that he designed himself, which is usually hidden behind a sofa during the day.
Turning his apartment into what he’s named a “Domestic Transformer” hasn’t been cheap. It only cost $45,000 to buy, but his latest design efforts came with a $218,000 price tag.
Still, his experiment in small living is incredibly cool. Personally, if I had a quarter grand to play with, I’d much rather spend it optimizing something creatively rather than on another boring McMansion. [NYtimes]
Architect: Jonas Wagell Sweden 161 sq. ft. (15 m2)
Friggebods are small swedish cottages; they don't need building permits for less than 150 square feet. This design by Jonas Wagell is available for purchase for 12,200 euros plus freight, with a solar power module for only 1,400 euros. A bath and kitchen module is also available.
Dezeen writes: " When designing the Mini house concept Jonas Wagell put a lot of emphasis on creating a house that is not built as traditional timber houses, since that would create a sort of error in scale. Friggebod-sheds often appear shrinked, like miniature houses, drained in details and odd proportions, since they are constructed with the same components as large houses."
Clayton, Missouri 408 sq. ft. Residence of Anu Suebsawangkul
When Anu Suebsawangkul painted her 408-square-foot apartment all white she had no idea that her quick fix to conceal hideous blue walls would be the start of a design obsession. After that it was all white all the time: painting white furniture, purchasing white accessories, and fabricating white curtains. Soon, however, the monochromatic room wasn’t enough and, says Suebsawangkul, “I decided to give my room some pizzazz. I discovered the Hollywood Regency style and I fell in love with it. Kelly Wearstler and Dorothy Draper are my style icons.” Metropolitan Home home is a winner thanks to Suebsawangkul’s smart black-and-white design decisions: It’s chic, elegant and glamorous. Best of all, it didn’t break the bank.Read full article >
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