It’s no news that in New York City, small living space is a big issue. It’s one of the reasons storage companies are so successful, capitalizing on our dream of “bigger” and “more” some day and our inability to accept the space in which we currently live.
Graham Hill is an entrepreneur and a founder of TreeHugger and LifeEdited who decided to look beyond the pipe dream of “bigger” and “more” by, instead, going “better.” His SoHo studio apartment is 420 square feet (60 square feet less than mine). He designed (and continues to tweak) a brilliant solution that transforms the studio into a space that can accommodate two or three overnight guests and a large dinner party. Essentially, his apartment is eight spaces in one. On an environmental level, it’s no wonder that this founder of TreeHugger designed a solution for effective living that makes a very small footprint.
In a culture that is obsessed with bigger and more, Mr. Hill has nailed on the head the whole purpose of this site – a purpose defined in three words by the brilliant design icon Dieter Rams: less but better. The result is nothing short of amazing.
Watch:
For a slideshow and a full set of photos on the apartment: Full Set of Official LifeEdited Apartment Photos.
For an astounding look at the evolution of the apartment: See the Evolution of the LifeEdited Apartment from Demo to Completion.
UPDATE: Read Graham Hill’s enlightening editorial in The New York Times on Saturday March 9, 2013: Living With Less. A Lot Less.
Big thanks to Lenny Goh (@lennygoh) for tipping me off about this.
4 Comments
In a culture that has done nothing but jack up desire for bigger spaces, scale of possessions and desire for more more more, this is a brilliant demonstration of how “need” can and should be redefined for 21st century urban denizens!
Very cool, but that’s GOT to be easily $150K in custom millwork and specialty appliances, no?
Ohmygod, yes. One would think. But if there were a building with units already built-out like this, I’d move into it in a heartbeat.
Thanks for the hat tip George! Knew it would be right up your alley.