Small Living Spaces

With more and more people living in the city, how are you actually meant to find a home that is affordable and nice at the same time? The answer is micro-living. With cities full of people and prices going through the roof, architects are remodelling buildings consequently making homes as small as thirteen square meters. As a result, this leads to filling gaps (spaces between buildings) with narrow houses in the cities. Living in small living spaces does not mean that you will live in a small place that has no space for anything and isn’t appealing. It is actually quite the opposite, as shown below less is more.

Image Ellie Darby Prangnell

This amazing twenty-five square metre apartment in Charcarita, Argentina was firstly built in the 1950s and remodelled to better usage of space. Shelving separates the living and sleeping areas and there is a working space next to the bed. Under the bed, there is plenty of storage and when needed there is a fold-up dining table. Folding doors serve to extend the living room and make the apartment ventilated and with more natural light. The kitchen has an oven, cooktop, fridge, and pantry even though it is small. In the toilet, there is a ladder that leads to the terrace through a small window. With so many hidden spots and storage areas living here must be a fun adventure.

For the Los Angeles design festival, the architects built a micro house on a rooftop. The house has a fifteen square metre base structure and has a free flow between the outdoors and indoors. The house is divided into two parts. So, one with the kitchen and bathroom and the other with the bedroom and living room. The bed can be rolled out to the outside of the house and a panel can be flipped transforming it into an outside dining table. A ladder gives access to the roof garden. However, if the owner does not wish to share the garden with others the ladder can also turn 180 degrees and be a towel rack. In addition, the great design allows you to choose between enjoying your privacy and taking advantage of the outdoors while accommodating guests. 

Boneca apartment (doll’s house in Portuguese) is a twenty-four square metre micro-apartment. Built in the 1960s, this apartment is located in Sidney, Australia. Its design is luxurious and practical. A sliding screen can move to determine the function needed. It can be a sleeping area, however, it could also be a living area. The bed has extra storage space underneath and similarly to a bedside table, there is an open shelf next to the bed. There is a hidden door to access the walk-in wardrobe and the bathroom. Equipped with an oven, fridge, dishwasher, appliance cupboard, a narrow cutlery drawer and pantry is the kitchen. Also, the uniqueness of this amazing apartment is its full-width windows.

Probably the smallest house in the British capital, London is where the 13 Sq Metre House is located by StudioMama. Plywood is the main element of this house. The relaxing area is made up of an upholstered couch in the wardrobe and a footrest that can be placed where it is needed. To accommodate a larger number of guests the dining table and sitting space are expandable. Moreover, if you slide one of the doors you can pull a shelf where it is possible to work standing up. The foldout bed allows more space when needed. The house is very small (size of a caravan) but has various storage areas and if everything is expanded and pulled out things don’t interfere with one another. The smart design is what makes this small house look so visually appealing. On analysis, it can be tiny but comfortable to live in. 

Living in a small place doesn’t seem that bad now does it? Certainly, it sure looks like a fun, enjoyable experience. Even the ideas that come to life in making such a tiny place into a home are surprisingly clever. These small living spaces are definitely a must if we are all going to live in the city because the space is starting to get scarce. Who wouldn’t want to move in right away to experience this? Choose to trim your way of living today.

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