A Tiny Home by Choice in New York City

A couple of pointers from a lover of tiny spaces: First of all I must confess I grew up in a large home in a very desirable part of The San Francisco Bay Area, and perhaps from witnessing how unhappy people can be under the best (or at least largest of circumstances) I decided at an early age, eighteen for me when I turned down the opportunity to attend Stanford, for the opportunity to live by myself in a nice quiet railroad flat Victorion in what was called Lower Nob Hill, my second floor walk up was resplendent with a Murphy Bed that magically appeared when you opened two French Doors, I never actually had any furniture, just a very large canvas that I felt had a Titian aura about it( fifty dollars at an antique store, which in 1961 was a princely sum considering my rent was eighty five dollars a month and that included the two wonderful French Women who owned the building who polished the outside brass railings daily and dispensed advice about everything(if only I had listened) about six feet by six feet it took up the entire wall of my new home. With the advice of my neighbor Fred I painted the walls a Tony Hail yellow,the trim white, the hardwood floors remained dark and bare, it was a wonderful home for a few months until Fred was run over by his own Jaguar when his parking brake failed( we were on a hill) and the loss of friend and expecting a baby prompted my move to suburbia. I digress, the pointer I wanted to mention was life is for living, follow your dream.

Ever since I moved here in 1982 from suburban Detroit, visiting family (and some friends who didn't get the NY thing) have been aghast at how we live, like rats in their eyes and they pity us. When your elderly aunt finally makes it up the five flights to say your place is "cozy" you know what she really means. I'd be lost and uncomfortable in those sprawling suburban homes now and would never go back.

These homes are amazing! About a year ago, I moved from a 4 bedroom home to a studio in Seattle (smaller than some of the ones in this article), and the experience has changed me. I realized that we accumulate a lot of junk we don't need just because we have room for it. Now I have only kept what I really need and I spend my time and money in meaningful experiences, not stuff.

I could never live in such a small space and buying it???? You gotta be crazy... my next purchase always room for guests.... sleep over or dinner.... crazy outta your mind to spend that kind of money for nothing... happy or not... it is ridiculous pricing for NYC...to take advantage of people...

If the murphy bed is "one eye catching detail," why no photo?

I want to like these stories, and I don't mean to judge anyone's happiness. But this stuff is just heart breaking. How is it charming to spend nearly a million dollars A MILLION DOLLARS on a 350 square foot "cottage". It's not charming. It's terrible. That means that there are people who can…what? Afford to rent a place like that for $4000 a month?? People are now commuting into the city for over an hour each way or even from neighboring states just to work as a coffee barista or a dry cleaner assistant so that you can enjoy the "charms" of this "quirky" neighborhood. People are literally dropping dead from the exhaustion of working 2-3 jobs to make ends meet in the city of their birth and we're all just sitting around being gaga about the charms of living in a space so small that you "get to" experience city living by having to purchase every meal out.

Also found a great Manhattan apartment, with a great rental price, and I am loathe to let it go despite its tiny size. But I feel cozy in here, protected and warm. So I totally understand where these people are coming from. I still need to ditch and pare down some more since I have stuff moldering in a storage space. But that's a long-term project that will get done.

In addition to its small size, it has all the amenities I want--washer, dryer, dishwasher, marble-clad bathroom--and the location is marvelous, minutes from the hearts of the Lower East Side, Soho, Little Italy, Tribeca and Dumbo. The incredibly low rent for the location may be because it's in Chinatown. Unlike the vast majority of Manhattanites, I actually enjoy living in Chinatown--it allows me to practice my Chinese language skills every which way I go, and it feels like a real New York City neighborhood, with the rough edges and all. I also like how exotic everything feels--I already have my favorite pho and dumpling restaurants, fresh-fruit grocers (durian anyone?) and a candy shop that imports rare Japanese and Chinese sweets. I've become addicted to mochi as a result.

I live in LA and feel the same way. We live in a 2-bedroom townhouse but it's not that big, I love it but my partner wants more space. We went to look at a bigger rental in the San Fernando Valley and the "neighborhood" consisted of a rundown dollar store and packed auto mechanic shops. I told him he could move there...by himself. I'll keep our cozy place in our safe and wonderful neighborhood.

We live in a small cottage by Cape Cod Bay. Pared down from all the earlier trappings. Everything I have in the house made the cut, passed the test. When I look around, everything I see, I love, and is filled with meaning.

Small, but cozy. Not a bad choice for a single guy like me.

In 1985, I rented a 10 by 5 room (with a shared bath) at Eighth and Fifteenth in for $392.50 per month. I never imagined anything would ever come close to topping that delusion masquerading as the dream come true of living in Manhattan.

Gosh…….. why did I only get during 2011OCT…350,000 for my 650 sq ft large studio with alcove in New York City drm,UES,62nd st,???????……and my realtor told me it was the Kiss of Death second floor…was this a bad realtor or are these stories perhaps upping the value of remaining apts in NYC…………….something rotten in denmark!…….

After the kids were gone we downsized from a 6-bedroom house in Scarsdale (except for the square footage, not as impressive as it sounds -- it was a rambling wreck we could never afford to renovate) to an 800-square-foot apartment in Turtle Bay, Manhattan. Bottom line, we had to throw out or give away 3/4 of our stuff. (An African-American church in White Plains helped us out greatly when the minister's son and his friends showed up in a cargo van and hauled away various pieces of furniture for their family transitional housing program.) Our Westchester friends thought we were nuts, but we love our apartment with its (barely) eat-in kitchen and its (so-called) second bedroom. The forced paring down and simplification was ultimately very rewarding. By the way, we're acutely aware that this city is full of families squeezed into much smaller apartments than ours.

I love Ms. Behm's artwork! The joy she finds in life is evident in her pieces.

Not tiny for Bloomberg, he would hire his wealthy real state friends to turn it into four apartments.

I have always fantasized about living in a tiny apartment in the Village. All these folks seem happy--and if you think their places are expensive, try the San Francisco Bay Area. The houses in my neighborhood are eye-wateringly expensive, and the place isn't as much fun as New York. I'm worried about Mr. Demos, though--I recommend he learn to cook. End of lecture.

We're currently on a wait list for a small coop in an urban area and can't wait to move. We're active retirees who are tired of maintaining and cleaning our 1900 sf townhouse (we thought that was downsizing), and entertaining overnight guests gets old really fast!
Love the thought of getting rid of all the "stuff" we won't need (including our car) and simplifying. As the saying goes, be satisfied with needs instead of wants.

250 people lined up around the block to try and buy a 350 sq. ft., one bedroom apt. for $825,000??? To say that real estate in New York city is another world is an understatement.

Fascinating stories though, and the people are happy!

I think the micro housing trend is terrific - but I want micro pricing along with it.

It's an open secret that many people with three story houses--packed with multiple bathrooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, and big closets--only use their basement and one bedroom 99% of the time. Why? People gain an inflated sense of self-worth by counting the number of rooms they own, not knowing the difference between "lived space" and "owned space" as they relate to the quality of human experience. For those who have chosen to " downsize," they may have made the quantum leap from having to being.

I really like Ms. Behm's watercolor series on the wall - very nice!

I can relate to the people featured in this article. You really do not need much space if you live alone and do most of your socializing outside of your home. I love condo living and am just not interested in moving far from DC to have a sprawling home. What's the point when where you live is incredibly boring and isolated.

My dilemma is I am now married and have an infant. So, I'd love to see an article on how families are making small spaces work.

I had a friend with a very small apt. She had a chain hanging from a hook in the ceiling in the corner of a room. she used it to hang clothes on, regular hangars, too. It works great! Think of it as a "closet". Cheap easy to "make" and, you can take you're closet with you when you move!
Trunks for coffee tables, and plastic milk crates for shelves, and moving "boxes". An army surplus ammo belt for knifes and forks and spoons. all easy to get, and pack for moving or clearing out for a simple clean up.

Double the "size" by having an entire wall a mirror. Quadruple it by having the opposite wall a mirror, too.