apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

That's over $1000 per square foot.

Too expensive, even for SF. I have lived in smaller space in Japan, but you worry about aesthetics a lot less and have a lot of multi-use stuff. A whole wall was shelving for example. It can totally be done, and you can live in relative comfort, assuming you change your lifestyle and don't get too connected to stuff.

I'm assuming you'd have to have a pull-out bed or futon to sleep on? And probably a flat panel tv to hang over the dining area? Forget about about people who don't have "too much stuff". It looks like you can't have ANY stuff to live there.

It's pretty easy to declutter your life down to a few possessions and survive. The condo seems pretty good, though pricey. The true value would be in how soundproof it is. No matter where I live, I do not want to hear my neighbors.

At the last place I lived in Boston, there was a metal fan to the left, techno girls to the right and a horrid sax player/new age fan below me. I have no problems with the music (except the goose strangling noises of the sax player) but hearing them all at once was a bit too much to handle.

VERY pricey - nice layout for one. Guess it depends on "needs"

I have a 1100 sqft condo in S.FL.... Wish I had a garage for bikes, fitness stuff and crafts and a yard to compost and garden. And a gas stove.... Mmmmm a gas stove... drool..

Off to the Kitchn! ;)

IKEA has models of 230 sq. ft. apartments, and several under 500. I don't see why it couldn't be done. You just need to be creative.

Maybe because I live in NYC, but 400 sq. ft. doesn't seem too small.

Where would they put books?
I guess as a young couple, you are not supposed to bother with reading

Bikes?
Again, probably just rent the car from the garage below. Or tie it to the pole outside, so it can get stolen.

Clothes?
That armoire will barely hold couple of changes of underwear.

It's a joke of an apartment.

Personally, I would get tired of being in the same room all the time -- I'd rather share a slightly larger space with another person than live in a tiny box by myself. But could this work? Absolutely.

There were super-small entries in the Small Cool contest that made their space more interesting, using furniture and decor to break up a studio into different defined spaces. (They also had much more storage.) This apartment is so, well, cubic that it's hard to see that working. The furniture and current layout aren't helping either -- too minimal, too flat.

Where's the bed? I was expecting a Murphy sort of set-up. A sofa-bed doesn't seem realistic or desirable for the long term. There's also a lack of built-in innovative storage solutions. The amount of space is not the issue, it's the lack of creative design.

The Eames rocker in the sketch is a nice touch though!

yeah, where *do* you sleep?

When we were moving cross country we lived in a 20 ft trailer that was about 6 feet wide. and it had a full size queen bed in that space! Did i mention I lived there with a hubby and 2 kids? So 20x6 for 4 people for a year. We are in a slightly larger place now and we kinda miss our little place. We still have it for camping but we miss living in it. :)

organic mom

That layout looks almost exactly like my teeny apartment in New Orleans. Besides my double bed, all I could invest in was a small table with two chairs and a couch. And amazingly, something that small not only works, but I love it. You learn to be creative with space. Luckily, the tall ceilings provided tall closets with lots of space.

And the whole place fits me, my boyfriend, and my chubby cat. I'd venture to say it's barely 400 sq. feet.

I've lived in 260 sq feet quite happily. The smallest apartments for students are around 170 sq feet, including a small bath and a kitchenette! (and room for a bed).

A "normal" sized place for one person in Finland would be around 400 sq ft.

Now in my 800 sq ft US apartment I feel overwhelmed with all the space! Nice to have company :)

Looks perfectly sized. I could see myself living in that size if well defined.

Well, the photograph looks better than the floorplan (some kind of closet there and more windows), but this apartment is not the best use of space.

1. I'd trade the bathtub for a shower stall to make room for a stacked washer/dryer unit.

2. I'd get rid of the balcony. It's wasted square footage that I would rather have in the room.

3. I'd put the kitchen where the generic living space is and just get rid of the 'living room' altogether.

4. I'd put a loft-type bed in the entryway for sleeping.

my 400 sq ft studio seems huge now after living in an under 300 sq ft apartment in san francisco. i think that condo seems like a great price in that area, provided the HOA fees aren't too expensive.

regarding books, there is the public library. bike storage is usually communal in a place such as this. who the hell needs a t.v.?

SF is an expensive city, and it's hard to find a place thats in a first time buyers budget, but it is possible. With the way the market is right now I bet you could find something that was bigger for not that much more money. Plus, it's not going to be easy to sell a 250 sq. foot home. I bought my 480 sq. foot place for 400k a couple years ago before the market dropped. A friend of mine got a 1000sq foot loft around that same time in the Mission. There are lots of options if you're willing to wait and do the leg work.

I manage in 274 sq ft, but it is a challenge. I took the tiny place because living in the West Village is worth it. I don't see a time when I will be leaving the place as it is stabilized, short of a LTR or inheritance.

Way too small.

I was the E & M engineer here for an 8 unit apt on a 40 x 100 lot and the units were 250 - 325 SQF. I was feeling cramped while doing my site inspections.

500SQF minimum for human life.

www.m2engineering.com

I live in 300 sq ft and I absolutely love it. Luckily, the kitchen is the biggest room (12'x12') and it's perfectly comfortable. I built a peninsula to serve as food prep area and dining space. I made it from an old bowling alley lane and it works well (8'x4'). So well that I have space to store both my bicycle and my kayak in the kitchen, too. And it looks pretty damn good, pinkie swear. I just worry that when I actually buy a place, I won't be able to find something small enough.

My boyfriend and I live in 280 square feet in NYC. We love it! It's plenty of space to live we want plus we save tons of money. He put custom-shelving up the high ceilings for our built-in desk-library area, everything is on the wall in the kitchen (yes, we cook regularly) and we even have a tiny fold out couch from ikea for guests (yes, 4 people have stayed in the apartment at once). We have his and her's ikea wardrobes (yes, I have a TON of clothes so I've taken over some of his) plus one other teeny built-in closet for misc stuff. Every single ounce of space we have is utilized, including storing most of our bathroom items in the shower curtain (pocketed from BB&B). ha! My parents live in Indiana in a gigantic house with rooms they don't even use. What a waste! The challenge of small-space living thrills me. If I bought, thinking of the long term, 400-500sq foot would be ideal. Custom-building with a lot of creativity and fit anything you'd need in that amount of space.

And the 400-500sq feet would includ a family! haha

Ah, California.
Land of crazy morons who pay $1M for a 1,000sqft home.
Not enough earthquakes or fires.

I think the price is a bit ridiculous but I suppose the exact location could be part of it. I went from a 1050 sqft apartment to a 700 sqft apartment and actually found it kind of liberating. It really put into perspective what I "need." It would definitely be easier if you started in that apartment instead of going from something much larger and trying to downsize.

I lived for a couple of years in an 8'x20' travel trailer- 160 square feet. With a bit of forethought, this kind of living is so very easy. My rule was, anything I brought into my home must earn its keep; nothing purely ornametal allowed.
Instead of buying books, I visited the library weekly. My couch was a fold-out bed. I had only a few clothes, a few dishes, one set of sheets, and two or three towels. I never felt deprived from not being surrounded by mounds of stuff. In fact, since I spent almost nothing, I always had more money for things like food and travel than my apartment and house dwelling friends did.
Ahhh, those were the days. I'd most likely still be in that trailer, or something of similar size, but I took in a relative who needed long-term housing, and it just wasn't workable for the two of us. I've since married a man who owns a 2,200 sq ft house on 10 acres, and he won't believe me when I tell him that 500 sq ft would be more than enough for the two of us.

cool but reminds me of my old dorm too much. but i love living in oakland so i get the benefit of more square footage for less!

(and as for "who needs a t.v." - after a serious sick day with no one else around this weekend, i know i needed mine! i couldn't have read, crafted, or anything else...but a project runway marathon took my mind off being lonely and feeling like c-r-a-p!!)

I'm with laila, the size could work with more innovation. A closet, built-in storage, or murphy bed would go a long way here. The layout in the photo is much better than the floorplan - it looks like there's at least someplace you can sit without staring at whoever else is there.

250 square feet but they made room for a dishwasher? If I lived in a space that small I doubt I'd keep enough dishes to make using a dishwasher worthwhile.

I lived in 350sf in NYC in my twenties and it was a blast. This is a bit smaller, but the ceilings are high and there's light and it's new. The key is location, location, location. This building is right downtown. It's not made for people who stay home and cook 10 course dinners, it's made for younguns who stay up all night and drag themselves downstairs for a whole foods prepared meal afterwards. There's not many places available for that price in the city, at least this offers someone who is younger a rental alternative.

I feel claustrophobic just looking at the floor plan. Can't imagine my family of four stuffed into a space that size with no privacy.

this seems like torture.

this place looks fine to me...practically enormous compared to the camper we are living in now! :) but the price gave me a heart attack! I guess that's why I'm living in northeast pennsylvania instead.

Possible, but I would lay out the room differently. I can't tell if there is a sink over the toilet, but that would save space in the bathroom (I like tubs though so I would keep the tub). Nix the dishwasher and add a real stove in. washer/dryer combo to maybe, and make it a real sink.

Also- can't tell- is that closet space behind the people in the picture? If so, not that bad a space, with the dresser and a built in murphy bed or some such.

About the only people who would be able to REALLY live in one of these things are those people you know who are NEVER home. They don't cook, they don't clean, they own some clothes and 99% of their time is spent @ work and at bars or whatever. Homebodies would never be able to live in a place like this because, well, what would there possibly be to do at home? You wouldn't be able to have a hobby, for example!

No way. I'd laugh at anyone who purchased one of these condos. Why would you want to own one of these? What can you do with it when you outgrow it? Nothing, by then the fad will be over. I'm planning on moving to another place when I'm ready to buy a home. It's just not that worth it to live here anymore. There are many other great cities in this huge country that offer a lot of the same qualities as San Francisco and people can still afford to own property there.

Half my books won't fit in there...

I used a tensioned room divider wall system from www.idividewalls.com in my alcove studio apartment in NYC and it worked out great. It really created the feel of a separate bedroom and acts as a entertainment unit with shelves to hold my TV. It's a great product for dividing a small space.

Would you have to eat standing up?

"Ah, California.
Land of crazy morons who pay $1M for a 1,000sqft home.
Not enough earthquakes or fires"... bramasoleiowa, what a mean spirited comment to make about something are serious as fires and earthquakes..especially from someone apparently so salt of the earth as yourself. I totally agree, true, the prices are outrageous.. so is the quality of life and nature in the area..as well as the cultural events. I suppose it is really about what people want. many people like to sit in their 3,000 square ft homes and never interact with the rest of the world as well.
collecting things to fill large spaces isn't everyone's priority in life.. live and let live.

Ha ha.

Website is down, they went Rent-to-own in early 2009, and the HOA dues were advertised at $300 a month!

I bet the place is 3/4 empty and the builder is filing for bankruptcy.

In a world of limited resources I am on Trishka09's side. Properties like this in large cities enable people to live and work without the hassle of a four hour commute each day. Alternatively it enables people to stay for short periods of time in often what is considered to be the most desirable (and safest) areas. They are set at that price due to supply and demand.

I live in a 31' RV with about 195 square feet of living space, not counting the bunk over the cab where I sleep, the cab, and the exterior storage compartments (no slides). I have never before had such a spacious and well-appointed home, not even when I had 750 or 1,000 square feet! It has four rooms with proper doors including a full-sized bathroom with separate space for the toilet, a home office/guest room, and an open area with three clearly defined spaces (kitchen with huge fridge and stove, dining, lounge). Everyone who walks into the RV marvels at how huge it feels inside compared to its exterior appearance. I live alone, but the previous owners were a young family with two tween boys who lived in here full-time for a year. Quantity of square footage isn't as important as quality. The best advice I can offer is forgo the bedroom, it's just a place to sleep. I sleep in the bunk of the cab (queen-size mattress). Therefore, my four rooms can be used for living and I can retire to a separate place to sleep. The most luxurious space is my dressing room, with the huge shower, house-sized sink and vanity, mirrored wardrobe, and enough floor space to twirl around. In a few months, I'm going to renovate the large front room to make the kitchen more usable for full-timing by adding more counter space and a slim dishwasher as well as take apart the dinette to give me space for a cozy rocking chair and a couple of bookcases. I never want to live in a bigger place again, this is so livable, easy to maintain, and cheap to redecorate.

I was in a 400sq. feet. and I felt like I was in a storage locker and I did not have the key to get out. .......Maj

I could do it! And love it! I have lived in a 400 sq ft studio, 800 sq ft one bedroom, and 2500 sq ft three bedroom with my husband, large dog, and fat cat...and I have to say the 400 sq ft was my favorite. Everything else felt like such a waste. And we are complete homebodies!!

As far as the negative comments...I understand it wouldn't be ideal for everyone, but no need to trash the idea of small space living or the people that live this way. You are more than welcome to keep your space, no one is saying otherwise!!