New York City's 14 Most Famous Micro Apartments

When micro spaces find their way into design magazines and architecture blogs, they reach a weird level of internet fame. Whether it's because an interior transforms into a mindboggling seven rooms or because a lofted bed feels kind of like a coffin, people just can't stop staring at miniature apartments. Here's a look back at 14 New York City microdwellings that made the media rounds, from the immaculately designed to the horrifyingly small and expensive, ranging from a roomy 450 square feet to an unbelievable 78 square feet.

↑ At 450-square-feet, this studio on West 73rd Street isn't all that micro, but thanks to its innovative, bright blue, origami-like system that hides the furniture, it garnered quite a bit of attention. Architects Michael Chen and Kari Anderson of Normal Projects created the folding contraption, which holds the bed, table, closet, and storage. The owner listed it for $469,000 in May 2014, and it sold a few months later for $1,000 more than the asking price.

↑ When Huxley Somerville bought his 425-square-foot Upper West Side apartment for just $95,000 in 1994, it was in horrible shape. But a complete gut renovation opened up the duplex and made it impressively spacious, with stairs that double as storage, a coffee table that rises to full height, and a lofted sleeping space.

↑ Graham Hill, founder of TreeHugger and LifeEdited, hosted a design competition to outfit his 420-square-foot studio, and the result is this multi-tasking space that can accommodate a 12-person dinner party, two overnight guests, a home theater, an office, and more. He listed the Soho apartment for $995,000 in March 2014, and it sold in November for $790,000.

↑ Open House New York brought dozens of people through this 375-square-foot former dentist's office designed by Reddymade Design. Everything can be put away and out of sight; even the dining table, which can be lifted up to the ceiling.

↑ It's one thing for a couple to share a tiny apartment, but this 300-square-foot space is shared by roommates, making this a very miniature two-bedroom. The common space fits just a table and chairs, but the tenants also have access to a rooftop deck

↑ By far one of the most uniquely designed microdwellings, this wood-filled studio on Thompson Street listed for an ambitious $1.3 million. The listing claimed the space was 400 square feet, but sans bathroom and small hallway, it only measures 233 square feet, so somewhere around 300 square feet is probably more accurate. It's filled with weird stuff, and still up for grabs.

↑ The design story of this 295-square-foot Upper East Side studio birthed a blog from its occupant. No fancy transforming furniture is used, but minimal decor leaves the space feeling cozy, but not claustrophobic. If it ever does get too cramped, there's a private patio.

Max Touhey for Curbed

↑ This perfectly-put-together 242-square-foot studio in the West Village makes use of double-duty furniture: a Murphy bed from Resource Furniture, a pocket table that folds up, and a foldable rolling island. Perhaps what's most impressive is that the apartment has a full kitchen with quality appliances, and the owners often have guests over for dinner.

↑ Here's another space that a designer completely transformed. Tim Seggerman drew inspiration from the ideals of furniture maker George Nakashima to build a "crafted jewel box" for this plain 240-square-foot space, creating a sleek kitchen, lofted bed, stairs with storage, and a crawl-in library, all in one connected piece.

↑ The Post featured this 240-square-foot pad not long after the city's micro apartment challenge was announced, and people were amazed that a couple could happily live in this Brooklyn Heights studio. They paid $1,500 per month, which seems way too expensive for a place where the bed is lofted above the stove. Last year, the couple moved out because they were having a baby.

↑ This 175-square-foot West Village studio hit the market for $349,000 last November. Listing photos showed a jam-packed apartment that could definitely benefit from some small space hacks, so hopefully a design-minded individual saw its potential and snapped it up. It's not longer on the market.

↑ Coming in at just 100 square feet and asking an absurd $1,275/month, this Harlem studio is easily the saddest apartment in the city. It's located in a former SRO at 14 Convent Avenue and measures just eight feet wide. None of the eight apartments—all studios, some asking $1,750!—are still on the market, so there's a chance that people actually took claimed these pricey jail cells.

↑ Gawker caught wind of this 90-square-foot Upper West Side apartment after Fair Companies featured it in 2011, making it probably the most well-known micro apartment in the city. It cost just $700 and had a private bathroom, but the fame didn't work out so well for the tenant; it had been an illegal sublet, so she got kicked out, and now lives in much larger digs.

↑ And finally, the tiniest apartment we've ever come across: a 78-square-foot space in Hell's Kitchen. Also featured by Fair Companies in 2011, the closet-sized studio is in Hell's Kitchen and costs $775 per month. Considering the tenant, an architect, has to share a hallway bathroom with three other people, it doesn't seem like that great of a deal.