The latest solution for small-space NYC living comes from Graham Hill of TreeHugger, and it works like this: purchase two apartments of 350 and 420 square feet in a Sullivan Street tenement (for $280,000 and $287,000). Live (in the most minimalist sense of the word) in the smaller one and a hold a design competition for the larger one, seeking a layout that could accommodate houseguests and dinner for 12. The winning entry was designed by Hungarian architecture student Catalin Sandu; the video above, from the website of Hill's company, LifeEdited, shows how the apartment folds and unfolds. The Times has another video and slideshow of the place.
The renovation cost about $365,000. Hill's take on why that's worth it: "He added up the square footage of the 'rooms' created by the apartment?kitchen, bathroom, living room, dining room, office, master bedroom and guest bedroom?to 1,100 square feet. 'Looked at this way,' he wrote in an e-mail, 'you’re getting the functionality of an apartment almost triple the size. Granted, you can only use one space at a time and this requires a transformation but still ?'
It's an idea that's been tried before, but can Hill's company make it take off as a trend?
· The Founder of TreeHugger and His Apartment of the Future [NYT]
· See the LifeEdited Apartment Move Through its Many Functions [LifeEdited]
· The Incredible, Foldable Upper West Side Apartment! [Curbed]
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