IKEA square metre challenge [Archive]

Tybee

7-2-17, 8:12am

It looks jammed and unpleasant to me-- we had a bedroom that size once and we had a bed with underbed drawers, since we had no closet. I think we had a couple of tiny little side table and that was is. I could not deal with those clothes hanging there.

You could barely get out of the bed on each side, it was so small. It was our beloved bungalow, and they sure did not put space in into those bedrooms.

I put an IKEA wardrobe with my clothes out in the dining room.

ApatheticNoMore

7-2-17, 11:00am

It's cramped but less stuff may not be remotely realistic (of course I guess I kind of assumed this was a studio type apartment arrangement and so there wasn't other rooms available for storage pretty much - a small bedroom in a larger dwelling and studio apartment are likely two very different things). Except for the sliding cabinet and a few things it's fairly realistic, as in your not constantly moving things just to live, but it is cramped. Their obsession on not drilling holes for a rental was a bit weird, yea if you rent don't remodel the whole place without permission, ha, but a few holes for art or whatever is totally expected.

early morning

7-2-17, 11:09am

While I really don't want to ever live in a tiny space, I love to walk through IKEA's small apartment displays and imagine the possibilities. I spent enough time in a camper in my youth, though, to understand my own consistent personal space needs. I can deal with STUFF as long as I have space around me. I've never thought of myself as terribly claustrophobic, but that room with DH and myself in it - yikes! Just me, and a twin bed, I could probably do that.

SteveinMN

7-2-17, 1:19pm

Yeah, I really like the displays in the IKEA stores ("Live well in 468 square feet!"). It does encourage me to think I can live quite nicely in, say, 800 square feet (which I kind of am, here, though the displays conveniently ignore things like where to store the Christmas tree and ornaments and 12-packs of TP, for which we have storage "below decks").

There is a lot going on in this display, but I think that's a function of how much stuff most people have. I'd rather hide everything, personally -- I like long clean lines and the layered busy look gives me the hives. But, having lived in an efficiency apartment, I get that that may not be much of an option. The display here does skate past some real-life logistics, as Tybee noted; It struck me that the cords for the video projector will have to be pretty darn long to survive moving those shelves out without incident. I also noted that they made a big deal out of not making holes in the walls (though they likely did for the hooks on the door wall) as if double-stick tape and such don't leave marks on drywall when they come down.

But it's a good illustration of what's possible with a little -- umm -- out-of-the-box thinking. Me, I'd rather do without a lot of the stuff that needs storage.

catherine

7-2-17, 1:39pm

Likes:
--the multifuntionality of the storage bed
--the stick-on mirrors
--the window

Don't Likes:
--The clothes racks--I'd feel like I was living at the cleaners. If it were me, I'd get rid of anything that couldn't fit in the under-bed storage, folded a la Marie Condo. I would, however, have some pegs, like the Amish have, placed around the room to hang things from
--The movable shelves--I get the idea that being able to shuffle stuff is good, but too much stuff in the open is going to make the room look cluttered. And it would be a pain to have to pull the whole thing out to gain access to something on a bottom shelf. I think I saw something really clever once--it was like a canopy hanging from the ceiling, and you could lower it and stuff would be hidden on top.

I'm going to think about that challenge a little. It is interesting to think about what's possible in small-space living.

Teacher Terry

7-2-17, 3:01pm

Way too cluttered and small for me. It would not feel restful to go to bed.

Tradd

7-2-17, 3:16pm

The bed is too high for my tastes.

While I like the overall concept, the room is also too cluttered for my tastes. Needs less stuff in it.

Ultralight

7-3-17, 6:14am

I like the idea of living in a tiny space, but I agree with what some others have mentioned. Too many things in there -- it looks cluttered!

iris lilies

7-3-17, 7:59am

What was the deal about the empty room on the oher side of the window, and somethng about a bench to sit on and put on sheoes? So, they had a room next to the bedroom?

I do love Ikea's tiny houses, but I didnt like this one all that much, there was nothing attractive about it, nothing dominated the decor for your eyes to rest on, there was no void to contrast with the stuff. A room with lots of stuff CAN be arranged attractively, but that wasnt it.

We have a small house (unoccupied, needs gut rehab) that has 4 rooms total, two up and two down. The staircase is on the exterior. Then, there is an exterior staircase up to a sizable 3rd floor attic.

If this property was in a better neighborhood I would finish it as a rental for young professionals, possibly for weekenders. The two rooms would be living space, the attic woild store their "stuff" that isnt needed every day, and the behind-fence parking pad would provide a good place for their car. It would rent fast.

herbgeek

7-3-17, 8:51am

What was the deal about the empty room on the oher side of the window, and somethng about a bench to sit on and put on sheoes? So, they had a room next to the bedroom?

My understanding was that the bench was next to the clothes rack against the perpendicular wall.

Tybee

7-3-17, 9:17am

IL I wish you would post a picture of your little house. It sounds so intriguing, a great project. Is neighborhood really too dangerous to rent it out?

Williamsmith

7-3-17, 9:35am

Are young people really moving to the cities and accepting challenging spaces like this? I find it hard to believe. IKEA furniture never impressed me much especially the dresser that they recalled because it was prone to tipping and killing toddlers.

It seems like more of a marketing strategy than a true response to a movement. I never considered minimalist ideas until my career was over and it made sense financially and philosophically and at that I called it downsizing. Some of these spaces seem absolutely preposterous. The Tiny House paradigm is in the same vein.

Im also not a big fan of self repentant Facist Nazis who just happen to be billionaire minimalists. But hey, if they can convince everybody to be happy living in a shoebox....they will probably be able to keep the Ponzi scheme going all that longer.

Float On

7-3-17, 10:17am

Disliked the overstuffed feeling and the clothes racks. I would not feel comfortable sleeping there at all. I don't mind the underbed drawers but disliked the shoes hanging there as well. If they'd made the bed a loft with hidden pull out clothes racks and drawers it would of been barely more comfortable to me.

catherine

7-3-17, 10:20am

Are young people really moving to the cities and accepting challenging spaces like this? I find it hard to believe.

Believe it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/realestate/leasing-begins-for-new-yorks-first-micro-apartments.html?mcubz=2&_r=0

The development, previously called My Micro NY, has tapped into a desire common among many singles to live alone. The building includes 14 units designated as affordable, for which some 60,000 people applied, or nearly 4,300 applicants per apartment. The lottery for these units was held earlier this month, and winners will be informed in January. The building is set to open on Feb. 1.

"Affordable" price for under 350 sq. ft="Most of the affordable apartments will rent for $950 a month to tenants who meet income restrictions, less than half of what will be charged for market-rate apartments."

iris lilies

7-3-17, 10:22am

IL I wish you would post a picture of your little house. It sounds so intriguing, a great project. Is neighborhood really too dangerous to rent it out?
I modified my post. The house needs a complete gut rehab. Fir instance, it has no floor. Well, it has no floor safe to walk on. It has no working plumbing, electric. It has never had working HVAC since it was built in the 1880's.

We put new roof, windows on, fixed the crumbing dormer, tuckpointed it from head to toe. Thats all we will do. The neighbors all around are welfare collecting, drug dealing bozos. There are, interspersed, professional young people but I am letting them pull that neighbothood up. I just want to garden there.

Williamsmith

7-3-17, 11:27am

Believe it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/realestate/leasing-begins-for-new-yorks-first-micro-apartments.html?mcubz=2&_r=0

The development, previously called My Micro NY, has tapped into a desire common among many singles to live alone. The building includes 14 units designated as affordable, for which some 60,000 people applied, or nearly 4,300 applicants per apartment. The lottery for these units was held earlier this month, and winners will be informed in January. The building is set to open on Feb. 1.

"Affordable" price for under 350 sq. ft="Most of the affordable apartments will rent for $950 a month to tenants who meet income restrictions, less than half of what will be charged for market-rate apartments."

I scanned the article Catherine......it has more of a "social experiment" theme than a movement. The design was a result of a city contest and it remains to be seen if humans can be happy in these crates without going stark raving mad. It is about affordability and not at all about a wish to have a small footprint. Call me crazy but I think people generally are inspired to dream "big."

catherine

7-3-17, 11:37am

I scanned the article Catherine......it has more of a "social experiment" theme than a movement. The design was a result of a city contest and it remains to be seen if humans can be happy in these crates without going stark raving mad. It is about affordability and not at all about a wish to have a small footprint. Call me crazy but I think people generally are inspired to dream "big."

As urban centers become more and more unaffordable, what are the options? Years ago, before the "tiny house movement" we had a good friend who left Wall Street to go into film, so she wasn't any crunchy granola counterculturist. Her apartment cost $1700 a month in NYC and you had to crawl over furniture to get in it it was so small. Part of this movement may be a rejection of materialism, like Baby Boomers had, and part of it may be, there are no alternatives.

From my vantage point, yes, people want to dream "big" but that depends on the dream. And it depends on the reach. I belong to a couple of growing movements that really believe in a different form of "big" and who don't believe that big always means better--especially when it comes to material possessions.

ETA: One of those movements happen to be The Simple Living Forum. Shoot, aren't I preaching to the choir here??

Tybee

7-3-17, 11:40am

iris lilies

7-3-17, 11:41am

Believe it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/realestate/leasing-begins-for-new-yorks-first-micro-apartments.html?mcubz=2&_r=0

The development, previously called My Micro NY, has tapped into a desire common among many singles to live alone. The building includes 14 units designated as affordable, for which some 60,000 people applied, or nearly 4,300 applicants per apartment. The lottery for these units was held earlier this month, and winners will be informed in January. The building is set to open on Feb. 1.

"Affordable" price for under 350 sq. ft="Most of the affordable apartments will rent for $950 a month to tenants who meet income restrictions, less than half of what will be charged for market-rate apartments."

That apartment looks very inviting. Kitchen cabinents seem twice as much as necessary,

William Smith, thos is NYC where you spend a lot of ti e in bars, resgaurants, parks, galleries. Home is for cocooning and sleeping.

catherine

7-3-17, 11:50am

My friends who moved to NYC after college in 1976 to go into theatre lived in one room apartments with views of airshafts--I remember my friend the soap opera actress paying 700 dollars back then for such a room. I can't imagine what it would cost now.

Dreaming big is moving to NYC in the first place.

Well said. The other option, if you opt for space over privacy, is do what my daughter did when she moved to New York making $26k annually. She co-habitated with people. She had some really "interesting" living situations--like the apartment we called "The Pirate's Cove" where the bedrooms had 4 ft ceilings because they were arrayed like lofts above the living room and they were total fire traps. But they were all environmentalists, so at least they used greywater to water their rooftop plants.

Then there was the apartment she shared with 4 other people in Bed Stuy, until they had a break-in and everyone's computers were stolen. Then there was the place in Williamsburg where her boyfriend was able to "upgrade" from sleeping in a closet (a literal closet--I'm not exaggerating) when she moved in with him to their own precious 250 sq feet. That place came with chickens in the back.. and the rats to go with them. I was so proud of her because, while she gave me a few grey hairs, she never asked me for money all the time she lived there.

But at least they were affordable. Yeah, living in NY is an adventure in itself.

Williamsmith

7-3-17, 12:51pm

Well said. The other option, if you opt for space over privacy, is do what my daughter did when she moved to New York making $26k annually. She co-habitated with people. She had some really "interesting" living situations--like the apartment we called "The Pirate's Cove" where the bedrooms had 4 ft ceilings because they were arrayed like lofts above the living room and they were total fire traps. But they were all environmentalists, so at least they used greywater to water their rooftop plants.

Then there was the apartment she shared with 4 other people in Bed Stuy, until they had a break-in and everyone's computers were stolen. Then there was the place in Williamsburg where her boyfriend was able to "upgrade" from sleeping in a closet (a literal closet--I'm not exaggerating) when she moved in with him to their own precious 250 sq feet. That place came with chickens in the back.. and the rats to go with them. I was so proud of her because, while she gave me a few grey hairs, she never asked me for money all the time she lived there.

But at least they were affordable. Yeah, living in NY is an adventure in itself.

Well, it is obvious we are talking about a separate species of Homo sapiens which is not only willing to endure housing hardship but actively seeks stressful living conditions out in order to be in the "Big City". Perhaps someday all we will have to rent is an individual sleeping pod. Everything else will be shared. No need for an actual room?

Tybee

7-3-17, 12:56pm

In the case of my friends, William, they did not have a choice if they wanted to pursue theatre careers. It turned out very well for both of them. It's not like you can move to Florida or Oklahoma and launch a career on Broadway.

catherine

7-3-17, 1:07pm

Well, it is obvious we are talking about a separate species of Homo sapiens which is not only willing to endure housing hardship but actively seeks stressful living conditions out in order to be in the "Big City". Perhaps someday all we will have to rent is an individual sleeping pod. Everything else will be shared. No need for an actual room?

Like this?
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/34199278401056076/

1777

SteveinMN

7-3-17, 4:27pm

There are more and more requests here in the Twin Cities for zoning boards to consider these "micro apartments". People living by themselves (especially younger people), at work for half of their waking hours and elsewhere (with friends, social activities, the health club, etc.) for many of the other hours, do not need big kitchens or entertainment spaces, just someplace to sleep and watch TV/read/whatever. They're using those "third places": coffee shops, libraries/bookstores, etc., They understand very well the economics of filling a building with 800-1000 square feet of bog-standard galley kitchens, unused dining spaces, and living rooms no one is home to live in. A smaller apartment costs less per unit and it improves the chances of a vacancy where you want to live.

When I lived in my efficiency apartment I had more than enough room. I had a kitchen with usable appliances, a perfectly functional bathroom, and enough nooks and crannies for my stuff (plus a storage unit in the basement). It was a little tiresome to make the futon each morning so I had a sofa when I got home and to move this to get to that in the big closet. But it worked. It was in a great neighborhood at a price 1/2 to 2/3 of some charmless suburban apartment in a cars-only neighborhood, it took 15 minutes to clean, and I wasn't home all that much anyway. Yeah, parking on the street in the snow got old. But, had I looked longer, I might have found something similar with off-street or garage parking. And in a place as dense as NYC, I wouldn't have wanted a car anyway. Our niece lived in downtown Minneapolis before she got married, just a couple of minutes away from work. Murphy bed, tiny kitchen, hotel-sized bathroom. It was fine. She'd probably still be there if she hadn't gotten married.

There's a market for that kind of place. Now to get the projects approved by Luddite zoning boards....

Williamsmith

7-3-17, 8:42pm

Like this?
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/34199278401056076/

http://www.simplelivingforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1777&stc=1

Sure......or this.....http://www.simplelivingforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1778&stc=1

Ultralight

7-3-17, 8:45pm

Sure......or this.....http://www.simplelivingforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1778&stc=1

Way hyperbolic.

Ultralight

7-3-17, 8:47pm

Like this?
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/34199278401056076/

http://www.simplelivingforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1777&stc=1

I could probably live like this, so long as it was quiet when I wanted to sleep or read.

But realistically, I don't think it is much different than living in a tent or a tepee or a hatchback car. Spend your time outside and it'll be fine.