View Full Version : Small apartment videos
I’ve been down the rabbit hole of watching small apartment videos on YT. Found this one today. I love it! Could totally see living in it.
https://youtu.be/DrB6LHskljI
iris lilies
7-18-23, 10:13pm
I look at Tiny apartments, usually in New York City, too. Love them there’s one young person who redecorate tiny apartments for people her age. I’ll see if I can find one of those.
edited to add:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TDtqTomwQ28&pp=ygUfVXBkYXRlIGRlY29yIHRpbnkgbnljIGFwYXJ0bWVudA% 3D%3D
Alexandra is a decorator who works on apartments that are 500 ft.² or less.
I also went down the rabbit hole of tiny New York City apartments and they are wonderful. Not necessarily her Videos, but anything that came up under my search “tiny NYC apartments. “
There are some Japanese ones that are REALLY dinky.
catherine
7-18-23, 11:00pm
I always like looking at small spaces for inspiration. I like her apartment! It is really functional and airy.
One thing I've noticed in living in a relatively small space is that people are always telling me that I "need" something. I constantly have to tell them that I don't "need" what they think I do, nor do I want it. I consciously decide what to have in my house, and everything has to earn its keep. It's challenging and satisfying at the same time.
Teacher Terry
7-19-23, 11:02am
It’s cute and I considered buying a studio downtown that was high up and had a full glass wall with wonderful views. But once my son had me measure off the square footage I realized how small it really was. Some people in our building with studios have enclosed their tiny balconies and then use that as their dining space.
I like to entertain weekly having as many as 5 people over and one friend sleeps over every Friday night. When my son from Vietnam comes home he stays with me and I have other friends that visit from other parts of the country. I wouldn’t be able to do this in a studio.
833 sq ft is as small as I have lived and I wouldn’t want to go smaller. I am enclosing my balcony so that will add 55 sq ft that I can use year round. I am really glad that I didn’t move downtown because they don’t have a noise ordinance so the bars party outside all night and noise travels up. Where I live is very quiet.
I don’t entertain at home. I’ll meet friends for coffee or an occasional meal out. I definitely didn’t like the books on the open shelves in the video I posted as dusting would be an issue, as the condo owner mentioned herself in the video. Since I don’t have a TV, I would probably put work desk in LR, as I use two monitors and the space she has for her work is too small for that.
Portuguese John Here
7-20-23, 4:17pm
https://youtu.be/Pil1jt03PZU
iris lilies
7-20-23, 5:04pm
https://youtu.be/Pil1jt03PZU
A charming place but it’s not very small.
ApatheticNoMore
7-20-23, 5:17pm
And very luxe, how luxe is that "apartment", like none I've ever seen (the not small one). These people (first video but maybe both) seem oddly comfortable installing a lot of shelving on a rental.
happystuff
7-20-23, 8:31pm
Enjoyed both videos, but does the second actually qualify as "tiny" at a little over 925 square feet? I love all the plants and wish I could do more with plants in my current home.
Enjoyed both videos, but does the second actually qualify as "tiny" at a little over 925 square feet? I love all the plants and wish I could do more with plants in my current home.
Yeah, I wouldn’t consider 925 sqft small.
The two videos have very different points-of-view. The second one is actually half the size of the average American home, so I do think many people would consider 925sq.ft modest if not small.
The first one was focusing on efficiency, and the second was focusing on lifestyle. I liked them both. The second one was very calming to watch and listen to.
Teacher Terry
7-22-23, 10:44am
It depends on how many people are sharing the space. If you have a family of 4 in it then it’s small because kids have toys, like to have friends over. I remember when we lived in a space that small with 5 of us. It was awful.
Then we bought a big old house and we’re thrilled with the space. It had 3 floors plus an unfinished basement. The previous owners turned the attic into living space. The house was probably between 1600-2k sq ft. The levels were great because if the kids were on the top floor you couldn’t hear them. I hate open shelves. They are dust collectors and hard to keep neat looking.
Ah, that first one is so cool! Sometimes I really miss my experience of living "tiny" behind the gallery but a few years out from that I realize that working and living in the same space was starting to get on my nerves a little. The fact that the public part of the gallery was barely closed off from my private space was a little weird. But I had full access to the kitchen and bedroom during the work day. I used to go lay down on my bed in the late afternoon when it was slow and trained myself to listen for the bell on the door that signaled people were coming in. I miss being able to catch that little cat nap because now I am still trapped on the horrible wooden chair at my current job and have no place to stretch out and relax when it is slow. I do have a series of chair pads and a lumbar roll for my back that I keep in the closet at work and attach to the chair when I am there - it is better than it was but still not ideal.
ApatheticNoMore
7-22-23, 2:41pm
yes it depends entirely on how many people. While 925 may be small for the average home it is HUGE for the average apartment. But it depends on how many people.
I envy the amount of storage, the garden in the 2nd, the more modern appliances (appliances here are old). I like the coffee table in the 1st that is also storage.
I wouldn’t consider 925 small. But I grew up in a family of 4 in a 1000 sq foot house that seemed plenty big. Admittedly that sq footage didn’t include the unfinished basement used for storage, laundry, had the furnace, etc. but I also lived in a 250 sq foot apartment in NYC for 12 years quite happily. My apartment was pretty full by the time I moved out. My upstairs neighbor for the last seven years there had more than enough room. He literally only had a pull out couch, dresser with a tv on top, tiny table in the east in kitchen and one living room chair. He spent his free time watching tv or reading library books so he didn’t have hobbies that had a lot of stuff. Unlike me who had two computers, two large bookcases, supplies for brewing beer including 150 or so beer bottles, etc.
happystuff
7-26-23, 6:06pm
That is going to be my problem when I move into a smaller place - my hobbies. I do love my jigsaw puzzles! LOL
That is going to be my problem when I move into a smaller place - my hobbies. I do love my jigsaw puzzles! LOL
Lol. At least the beer brewing stuff could all fit on a set of shelves. Puzzles take a large table…
Teacher Terry
7-27-23, 12:17am
JP, I grew up with 5 people in 1200 sq ft. All the bedrooms were small and my sister was 8 years older than me and had to share a room with me. I was glad I was able to raise my kids in a bigger house.
I love the Never Too Small channel on YT. This apartment in Manila is great.
https://youtu.be/vnsHGvvg_EI
happystuff
8-19-23, 7:56am
Thanks for posting, tradd. That apartment has a really nice layout!
I agree! Some of these small places have the oddest layouts or some sort of a lofted bed. There’s a former mall in Rhode Island, I think, that added a bunch of apartments, inside facing. I’ll have to find the link. I am fascinated by the idea and the places are really nice. Quite small, no stove, but for someone who doesn’t need (or want) a lot, perfect. The ones I saw on the video were even furnished. Built in seating in the LR area.
https://youtu.be/HmL2l-bcuUQ
225sqft units. Mall was built in 1828. It’s a three level mall around a center court with a skylight. Top two levels are these small apartments. There are takeout places in the bottom level and there is an onsite coin laundry. Also on a transit line, so cars not needed. I’m in love. I could totally deal with one of these places, aside from dive gear, of course. LOL
happystuff
8-19-23, 12:16pm
I think I could live in an apartment like that! Nice set-ups and I like the built-ins.
rosarugosa
8-19-23, 6:42pm
That mall and the micro apartments are so cool! What a great solution for the two problems of dying malls and lack of affordable housing.
Portuguese John Here
8-21-23, 5:56am
I was watching a small documentary, about an old man, 80-years-old in Appalachia, living "off-the-grid" for more than half his life.
He has a piece of land, that he uses for various buildings, but primarily, to build a garden with plants that can be used as remedies, or to prevent illnesses, knowledge of the ancient china, that he acquired throughout his years, through books... many books he had. The documentalist asked two essential questions.
"What is your advice to the younger generation?" asked the documentalist.
"Buy a small piece of land, and start from there." replied the old man
The documentalist argued right back, "But, what do you say to the argument that doing such a thing is not viable, there's too many people."
The old man, avoided the question by saying, "Forty years ago that could be done... universally".
The old man said at least twice, "It's known that we are destroying the planet." underlining that his lifestyle would change that.
The actuality is: small apartment boxes, mass-produced food, or small community gardens, leaving the woods where they are, building city parks so people can be closer to nature, causes less damage than one person with one house.
The actuality is: small apartment boxes, mass-produced food, or small community gardens, leaving the woods where they are, building city parks so people can be closer to nature, causes less damage than one person with one house.
I do think you are correct in that communities of people living small and working together is more sustainable than everyone fending for themselves and acquiring goods and services from far away. However, a city life doesn't necessarily mean "leaving the woods where they" because by definition, cities are extractive to the areas outside the city. You are still going to have to go outside the footprints of the city for wood, steel, concrete, materials for roads and infrastructure.
But I also agree that while overpopulation is a big problem, our high-consuming lifestyles are a bigger one.
Portuguese John Here
8-21-23, 9:36am
There seems to be, like always, different opinions concerning overpopulation:
Some say overpopulation is needed, because there's a downshift happening: more old people dying and fewer people being born;
While the other's agree, there's too many people and is causing our planet to collapse, it can't produce resources for all of us.
There is a great book concerning the second point called Ishmael by Daniel Quinn that argued the same thing this old Appalachian man argued: since the implementation of agriculture started the downfall, we produced more than we needed; the first law of biology is: an organism that has favorable conditions, reproduces. He argued that you couldn't, and shouldn't feed the starving people in Africa, because, they are reproducing, although they don't have food, imagine if they had. To be honest, I don't know.
Concerning high-consuming lifestyles
Moderation, in everything, is one of the greater attributes one can have. Unfortunately, the market adjusts to demands, and will always do so. The problem here, is the market creating the demands, through adverting, and general influence. I don't live in a small box, I live on too much land, some that ain't having any use. If I used that land to plant vegetables that would be sold to people living in cities, that would be probably the right thing to do, but there ain't incentives, because there's people with more land than me, planting more vegetables, and selling more quantities, at a lower price, directly to supermarkets, feeding the cities.
I think people that embark on this "off-the-grid" lifestyle saying it's good for the planet, they are trying to convince themselves, and are trying to resolve a deeper question: satisfaction. I don't think you need to plant your own vegetables to be able to be grateful, although, you'd probably extract more gratification and satisfaction from harvesting something you planted.
John, you seem to forgot about the existence of suburbs.
I like the smaller living space movement, but a lot of them are impractical. The lack of same floor sleeping areas, as the loft doesn’t work for many older people. Plus, many areas in the US have zoning laws that prohibit living structures under a certain sqft.
catherine
8-21-23, 10:43am
There seems to be, like always, different opinions concerning overpopulation:
Some say overpopulation is needed, because there's a downshift happening: more old people dying and fewer people being born;
While the other's agree, there's too many people and is causing our planet to collapse, it can't produce resources for all of us.
There is a great book concerning the second point called Ishmael by Daniel Quinn that argued the same thing this old Appalachian man argued: since the implementation of agriculture started the downfall, we produced more than we needed; the first law of biology is: an organism that has favorable conditions, reproduces. He argued that you couldn't, and shouldn't feed the starving people in Africa, because, they are reproducing, although they don't have food, imagine if they had. To be honest, I don't know.
Concerning high-consuming lifestyles
Moderation, in everything, is one of the greater attributes one can have. Unfortunately, the market adjusts to demands, and will always do so. The problem here, is the market creating the demands, through adverting, and general influence. I don't live in a small box, I live on too much land, some that ain't having any use. If I used that land to plant vegetables that would be sold to people living in cities, that would be probably the right thing to do, but there ain't incentives, because there's people with more land than me, planting more vegetables, and selling more quantities, at a lower price, directly to supermarkets, feeding the cities.
I think people that embark on this "off-the-grid" lifestyle saying it's good for the planet, they are trying to convince themselves, and are trying to resolve a deeper question: satisfaction. I don't think you need to plant your own vegetables to be able to be grateful, although, you'd probably extract more gratification and satisfaction from harvesting something you planted.
You make some very good points...
Ishmael is one of my favorite books... he does have a Maltusian philosophy but I think the bigger take-away is the concept of "Leavers" and "Takers."
Being a marketer myself, I agree completely about the role of marketing in upshifting demand. Marketing and public relations have created markets for everything from women smokers to drugs for overactive bladder. People who say they aren't influenced by adverstising are already under its spell.
While I think that the consumer lifestyle is the biggest problem, I recognize that population is a also an issue--while birth rate used to be a big problem, TBH, extended lifespan due to technology is going to offset some of that trend line.
As far as off-the-grid goes, I'm all for it and I'm a big believer in permaculture as the solution to an overall sustainable model. To me, permaculture is more than a farming sensibility--it's a lifestyle one that includes the values of thrift, community, and appropriate use of tools and technology.
I don't think the planet is being destroyed--I think it will get along without us just fine.
The population is shrinking and we have plenty of land--at least on this continent--so if we would just practice a little restraint, we could maintain it indefinitely.
catherine
8-21-23, 12:54pm
I don't think the planet is being destroyed--I think it will get along without us just fine.
The population is shrinking and we have plenty of land--at least on this continent--so if we would just practice a little rstraint, we could maintain it indefinitely.
Well, the planet is being destroyed. At the very least extremely disrespected, abused, and exploited to the point that regenerative practices are going to be the only things that will save it from further destruction--even if that means that humans are destroyed in the process. It's a moral/ethical question--is it right and just to destroy the life-sustaining systems that we live by? I think it's abominable that we are so cavalier about polluted air and water, topsoil desecration, species extinction, and habitat destruction. It's just not right. It's thumbing our noses at a miracle of abundance and shoving it all up the a$$ of the creator, whoever or whatever you consider the creator to be.
As for the population, the paradox is the rising standard of living is what is helping to stabilize the population. As you said, restraint is what will keep everything in check, but how do we count on restraint? It's in very short supply now.
Well, the planet is being destroyed. At the very least extremely disrespected, abused, and exploited to the point that regenerative practices are going to be the only things that will save it from further destruction--even if that means that humans are destroyed in the process. It's a moral/ethical question--is it right and just to destroy the life-sustaining systems that we live by? I think it's abominable that we are so cavalier about polluted air and water, topsoil desecration, species extinction, and habitat destruction. It's just not right. It's thumbing our noses at a miracle of abundance and shoving it all up the a$$ of the creator, whoever or whatever you consider the creator to be.
As for the population, the paradox is the rising standard of living is what is helping to stabilize the population. As you said, restraint is what will keep everything in check, but how do we count on restraint? It's in very short supply now.
Regenerative farming, preservation of habitat, and clean air and water should be fundamental; if they are considered optional, we're probably going down with the ship.
Portuguese John Here
8-21-23, 5:39pm
Ishmael is one of my favorite books... he does have a Maltusian philosophy but I think the bigger take-away is the concept of "Leavers" and "Takers."
I remember seeing the film Instinct with Anthony Hopkins for the first time, I was so intrigued by that character... that lead me to read the actual book, which is something that doesn't happen very often. His theory was valid to me, back in the day, I hadn't thought of it that way.
Being a marketer myself, I agree completely about the role of marketing in upshifting demand. Marketing and public relations have created markets for everything from women smokers to drugs for overactive bladder. People who say they aren't influenced by adverstising are already under its spell.
I don't think people, in general, think about why they think the way they think. They don't inquire into what influenced the way they think. Marketing is very clever, I haven't searched a lot about it, my view is from observation. I went, a month ago, to an industrial convention, the largest in the Iberian Peninsula, I went there because I work buying automation stuff, there I can see the latest. There were people there, only giving away bags, just bags, with a company name on it. They didn't say what company it was, their name, what they were trying to sell, nothing. Everyone, either they were there to buy anything, or just to pass the time, took that bag. Why? Because in Portugal, you have to pay, since 2015, 10 cents for each plastic bag you use in the supermarket. This led people to buy sturdier bags, and re-use them. They were given away this sturdier bags, because they knew people would actually use them, and their company name would be in it, and having your name knew, is the first step into anything. How many brands do we know?
While I think that the consumer lifestyle is the biggest problem, I recognize that population is a also an issue--while birth rate used to be a big problem, TBH, extended lifespan due to technology is going to offset some of that trend line.
I also agree it's a bigger problem, although, and there are certain movements to take a break from it, this means people see a problem, minimalism is one of those movements. Although, the majority of the population (in developed countries) won't follow that route, it's human nature to want more and more, and never be fulfilled... it's sad, but it is, what it is.
As far as off-the-grid goes, I'm all for it and I'm a big believer in permaculture as the solution to an overall sustainable model. To me, permaculture is more than a farming sensibility--it's a lifestyle one that includes the values of thrift, community, and appropriate use of tools and technology.
There ain't many sources not sugar-coating their off-the-grid lifestyle, it's human nature to show what will present them positively, they live off revenue from YouTube monetization providing people comforting videos, all edited, like a movie. It's booming right now, the new, fresh, latest thing, until it isn't. I think you have to have a role in a community, mine is buying stuff that is used to build autonomous factories. Maybe yours is making the shoes I use. But, if someone's wants to go away, be self-reliant, be self-sufficient, please be so, just don't put yourself on the pedestal. I see a lot of labels, but those who really are, you don't know much about them, they don't advertise anywhere.
catherine
8-22-23, 10:10am
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There ain't many sources not sugar-coating their off-the-grid lifestyle, it's human nature to show what will present them positively, they live off revenue from YouTube monetization providing people comforting videos, all edited, like a movie. It's booming right now, the new, fresh, latest thing, until it isn't. I think you have to have a role in a community, mine is buying stuff that is used to build autonomous factories. Maybe yours is making the shoes I use. But, if someone's wants to go away, be self-reliant, be self-sufficient, please be so, just don't put yourself on the pedestal. I see a lot of labels, but those who really are, you don't know much about them, they don't advertise anywhere.
I do agree to a certain extent. I have a sweatshirt that says "Live Simply" on the front (purchased from Patagonia, which charges a ton of money for their clothing), and I liked wearing it when I lived in New Jersey, but I rarely wear it in Vermont, because doing so is an affront to the people--my neighbors--who live simply but do so extremely unself-consciously. It's just what they do and who they are. They are not out to "save the planet"--they are just doing what makes sense for them to do, which is saving money and growing their own food when possible and bartering with neighbors for services and using all kinds of wonderful homegrown, common sense solutions to a myriad of problems that people in NJ just throw money at while they're out preaching about the environment.
I think that relates to what you said: "I see a lot of labels, but those who really are, you don't know much about them. They don't advertise anywhere." That describes many of the Vermonters I know.
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