Once again, minimalism and tiny living is oh-so-fashionable when it's a deliberate choice—not so much when it's necessitated by poverty and the city's obscene cost of living!
4
Stunning! What a great use of space and anyone who has lived in an apartment this size gets it.
This couple has everything they need and they come home to an organized and serene home.
People always think you can't entertain in spaces like this. True friends and those who are not complete jerks are happy to be there and see YOU, chat in a comfortable setting, drink nice wine and eat nice food. No one who cares that it isn't 3000 sqft. If they do they shouldn't come over.
3
I don't much fancy having a ktchen sink at the end of a counter. You are unable to establish a a proper flow of work, whether it's scrubbing the vegetables or doing the dishes. Much better: sink in the middle with counters left and right.
1
Where is the TV?
A felt pad for a seat?
2
The TV is an IPad. The felt pad is so your guest will not linger.
A floor plan would be a helpful addition to stories like this one. The photos are great but do not provide an objective, holistic view of the space.
7
Love the space is beautiful, I don’t know why people are judging so harshly.
5
I like it, and I'm glad they do too. We lived with our family of three in about 700 sq ft until just recently, and there are things that are nice about a smaller, cozy space (less rooms to clean, intimate with a lot of togetherness, makes you stay on top of cleaning, kind of nest-like, prevents over-accumulation of stuff). These attributes also have their negative flip sides of course. I personally don't understand begrudging someone for living small when they could choose to do otherwise. It's a choice, and it's ultimately a more sustainable one in many ways. Yes, they have a house upstate. Would it be preferable if they had a house upstate and also a large apartment? Would I like to be able to afford to own my own place right now, or to own *two* places? Sure, yeah. Maybe the fact that I haven't given up on that dream yet is why I don't begrudge others for it.
3
My wife and I are current clients of LevenBetts, so unlike 99.99% of the commenters here, we’ve actually met them. And they are great! This apartment design is super cool and exactly why we hired them. Their house upstate is equally cool and similarly makes maximum use of quite small space. Highly recommended!
10
Gosh, what a lot of snark from the commenters. It's not cold and sterile. It's filled with books, colour, and art. It's functional, and pared down, and more to the point, it's what these people like. You don't need to like it too, and if it's not to your taste, that's okay. Different people like different things. But it seems many of the commenters are displaying a jealousy or envy of their country house or their jobs or their good fortune. They are likely hard-working and well paid for their work. I guess everyone should do with their money what *they* want to do. Thanks for the article. I liked it.
5
Re-painting the white floor every six months. I'd never have time for that.
5
It's "shrank", not "shrunk". Shrink, shrank, shrunk. Sink, sank, sunk, etc.
I know I'm being a Grammar Troll, but come on, people (looking at you today, NYT), this is simple past tense.
That said, it is often difficult for two people to live in one room. I know much of the world does it, but they usually use hall or outdoor space.
8
I noticed the same word, and sighed. Glad you had the courage to mention it!
3
It's easy to "live small" when you have a big country house, and a car to get away to it! Kinda phony, actually.
As they correct note, this is just a "pied a terre" in the city, like a hotel room.
That being said, it is cold and sterile, and lacks all charm or warmth.
11
I'd be somewhat impressed if this was their sole residence. I'm sure there are hundreds if not thousands of NY couples and families who live in a 500 sq ft apartment. Those couples/families did not choose 500 sq ft to make a statement but out of necessity.
With stories like this its no surprise that populism and anti-elitism is on the rise.
14
My sewing room alone is nearly twice the size of this place.
To be fair, though, that must be a massive sewing room.
1
Wait a minute, show me that last slide again. Do you have to climb over the bed to get to the closet?
10
No, they leap. Or is that vault. Or lunge. Help me, akamai.
The lamp in the bedroom looks like it was dragged out of a trash bin. The black box is hardly original—Jade Jagger designed the same feature for a Manhattan boutique condo project years ago. However, she had the sense to customize the cabinet’s color to harmonize with the living spaces in each unit.
3
Real estate hunters, take a careful look at photos four and five to see how cleverly a place can be photographed. The oven and another storage unit are a mere ten jars wide!
8
Anyone who saves old National Geographics is not serious about living minimally.
12
They never heard of washing a floor?
7
Good show!
I would be impressed if this was their primary and only residence. It's really a place to sleep after work.
12
@paulie - That's exactly what I thought.
1
Sounds like they only sleep there in which case the size is ok.
3
Why don’t they simply have a “no shoes “rule in their apt & then they wouldn’t have to paint the floors?
13
What you want in a house is beauty and a feeling of freedom. Given the external work spaces, this does both.
What's the freedom? Having everything where you need it. Not having to fill extra space just to fill it.
6
Thec secret of arrange comfortably a compact living space is separate areas for each activity differently decorated, My living space has a differently decorated small sitting room, small dining room and small office. My east in kitchen has a differently decorated small dinette, track lit work counter and coffee bar. My small bedroom has a silk upholstered light blocking screen separating at the far end a nautical designed bedroom and an Asian designed media room I also use for getting dressed and for applying daily medications. I do not need 13,000 interior square feet to have these rooms simply taking the space I have and dividing it into visually separate and totally different use variety of zones.
10
The MDF doors are made to sound hip but in reality MDF is layers of wood glued together with formaldehyde-containing adhesives which can significantly add to the toxicity of indoor air.
28
If I lived in NYC I would expect to live in a small apartment. The city would be my living room, the parks my back yard. This place is a little stark for me, though.
13
What kind of architects design a "living space" to not be lived in?
They might as well bunk in their office and leave this space for someone with a bit of imagination.
Cold and sterile.
31
White and black, and a small green square called a painting, hopefully not too depressing.
10
As someone who lived in small Manhattan apartments for over 40 years, all I can say is......never again. So happy I moved across the river to Jersey and live in an apartment with over 2 1/2 times more space than that tiny place. Having literally zero space at the foot of your bed requiring crawling over the bed to get clothes from the one closet or to get outta bed and get to the rest of the apt.? White floor in NYC that needs painting every 6 months? Ahh, no thanks.
Maybe tolerable as a pied-a-terre for people with enough bucks to have a large house in the country where they can stretch out, have more than one midget guest over, and room to cook without bumping into their dining table.
13
500 square feet is a nice pied a terre which is how these people seem to be using it with a country home to use
13
ok yeah but that 'black box' mucks up the whole space. either a primary or pastel color or more white. or full-on mirrored: floor to ceiling, aged or veined! as it is, it looms too huge and demands too much of the small space.
8
They shrank..not they"shrunk."
3
Either is correct; look up the conjugation of "shrink"
Squid ink pasta is a kitchen staple?
20
What is the undercounter fridge in the kitchen? I am looking for the same thing for my galley style kitchen.
4
Fabulous. Only thing I couldn't cope with would be the floor repainting every 6 months.
13
Right. Why not just take off your shoes when you come in? Or, like, NOT HAVE A WHITE FLOOR.
7
Tolerable when you have alternative living arrangements.
21
A pied-à-terre, oui? But tiny loft living?
"Indeed, they are only occasionally at home [at a] 500-square-foot apartment in Chelsea [purchased] for $575,000 at the end of 2013."
Plus an office, the Firm, nearby and a country house, too. All very nice, tiny house-buzz and congratulations for the placement in the NYT. Merry Christmas but please post a picture of your tiny tree!
11
I'll admit the apartment is gorgeous. I would live there given a chance (and several fewer children).
The jars of "staples" made me laugh, though.
17
From the photos, it looks like it would be necessary to climb over the bed to reach the closet--not the most practical arrangement--and not at all like Jefferson's alcove bed.
5
I don't think "the bank of white cabinets" meets the black closet wall. If that's right, you'd be able to reach to each side of the bed from the hall -- and reach the closet from the hall as well.
1
Ceiling height like this creates great atmosphere in small apartments. For 2 people, 500 sf is small. Windows in every room also help. I think their having an office of their own down the street and a house in the country also allows them to escape if they ever feel cramped. But I usually have a problem with a kitchen lining the dining/living area, my kitchen is always in some state of messiness and I don't like to see it when I am watching tv or lounging in the living area. The same for my floor, white floors show off dirt, I rather have a wood or dark floor. I also would not like to go through the trouble of painting the floor every 9 months.
8
The key is if they can spend all day in the apartment without going crazy. I have 800sf and that seems more than enough for me. When I had 350, it was not enough, I would find any excuse to take a break outside.
3
Although this space is visually beautiful, this apartment is about the farthest thing from a "haven in a heartless" world that I can imagine.
25
"...a stainless-steel shelf lined with matching glass jars containing oats, pistachios, pine nuts, black bean noodles and squid ink pasta. Put on display, these kitchen staples become decorative items."
I don't think I've ever considered squid ink pasta to be a kitchen staple.
39
If they like small and odd rooms try decorating a long narrow room which is only 8 feet wide at its narrowest point, across from the fireplace and doesn't have a single wall without a door or window. Too designers have looked at it and thrown up their hands.
8
I've lived in several 500 sq' apartments and cottages and wouldn't call them tiny. They were quite comfortable in fact. Keep in mind, though, that photography always makes spaces look bigger.
And it's always nice to have a country house to go to when you do start to feel a bit cramped.
39
The snark in me thinks this is quite a bit easier to live in during the work week if you have a country house and a car and ... .
But the place is really beautiful in a calming way; everything except the black cube is understated. A gut reno for $60,000 of any sized living space is super impressive. I can see a few plumbing and electrical compromises but they are either unobtrusive or great features. I'd be willing to bet that the design process started from the recognition that the bathroom and kitchen had to stay where they were.
Would have loved to see what they did with the bathroom interior.
41
I could live tiny and would love to. Our 1200 sf rowhouse feels huge now that the kids are gone. I'm trying to convince my husband.
12