The luxury of less – 675 square feet might seem awfully small for a family of three — but this couple and their son are making it work, thanks to some clever renovations.
Here are the small-space solutions that make this 675 square foot apartment livable, and these same principles apply to the small condos and homes on the Texas coast as well.
After a four-month renovation, the space has been completely transformed. Minimal detailing and lots of white make for a spacious feel, and plenty of small-space solutions make this small footprint work for four people.
- In the master bedroom, a Murphy bed folds into the wall when not in use. A sliding door between the master bedroom and the living room means that the two spaces can be connected during the day, effectively doubling the size of the living area.
- In the second bedroom, bunkbeds fold into the wall to keep the floor area free for playing — and plenty of built-in storage ensures that there’s room for a crib for a soon-to-be new addition.
LifeEdited, a firm started by TreeHugger founder Graham Hill, consults and works with developers to create small living spaces. Its website proclaims that it’s dedicated to showing you how to “design your life to include more money, health, and happiness with less stuff, space, and energy.” “We practice what we preach,” says Friedlander proudly. People usually try to fit their old furnishings into a new space, but, says Schmidt, “We fit ourselves into the space.” She shows off half-empty drawers in their compact kitchen, which is lined with cabinets from Ikea and filled with Fagor appliances designed for small spaces. But the kitchen feels elegant thanks to a Calacatta Borghini marble countertop and backsplash from Ann Sacks, which is honed, not polished, she stresses, because honed marble wears better. The small bathroom is also given a luxe treatment, with marble tiles and floors and Kohler appliances. Another splurge was the wide-planked European oak floors.
They were able to make these expensive choices partly because the spaces were small and didn’t require a lot of any one material. And, since the apartment cost so much less than the one they had originally planned to buy, they were able to rationalize their spending.
Their home is all about “the luxury of less.”
This is a 500 square foot home on the Texas coast, hurricane resistant and elevated 25ft above sea level
Via dwell.com/house-tours/article/tiny-streamlined-home-fit-family