Folding Manhattan Studio Apartment
Monday, November 14, 2011, by Sarah Firshein | Source: Watch a Modest 450-Sq-Ft Studio Unfold Into Four Rooms
Sustainable-design site Fair Companies—they who brought you the 16-year-old who built a 130-square-foot house and the 78-square-foot apartment—is at it again, this time with a 450-square-foot Manhattan studio that was worked up by Normal Projects architects Michael Chen and Kari Andersen, who turned a basic white box into an unfolding, origami-like creation. The duo constructed a blue multi-purpose closet that seemingly eats space but instead affords it, serving as a bedrooms, office, closet, entertaining area, and more. “I spent my first year out of college teaching in Japan, so I think Japanese sensibilities influenced my sense of space a little bit,” explains Eric Schneider, the third-grade teacher who lives here. “This kind of works, this compact way—this is very comfortable for me.” In total, Schneider spent $70K on renovating the apartment (including an overhaul of the bathroom and kitchen). “How do you get more out of something smaller without having to make big sacrifices?” he muses. “You’d hope that something like this enhances someone’s life—that it doesn’t just make things less better.” Watch the full video tour below.
The Video:
· Tiny origami apartment in Manhattan unfolds into 4 rooms [Fair Companies]
