apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Canadian House & Home rocks my lil world!

http://www.houseandhome.com/video/index.php?Stacy_Begg_Loft&v=112&s=3

Oh and get inspired by Thomas Smythe's super small 180 sqft home. Yah you heard it right.
180 sq ft living space!!! Wow!!

http://www.houseandhome.com/video/index.php?index.php?vid=ts&v=6&s=6

Great post

Still love that Princess and the Pea divan. I wonder what it's like living with it.

I'd like to see more family homes. The space constraints here mean that the biggest family homes we see tend to be for a couple and a baby or maybe two. Once the kids get older, then the privacy thing becomes more important and it is harder to get away with 600 sq ft. I mean the curtain around the bed thing works fine until you want to have sex, and then what? I want to see how someone puts together a reasonable home for a family of four with under 1500 sq ft.

yolio - I lived with my parents and fiance in about a 800 sq foot townhouse...you don't need the extra room. We currently live in a 850 sq ft aparment that I could easily fit two children into.

Now yes I would love to see a family house tour where a couple is trying to make a studio work with two kids or at least one older child.

ChrisGal - it must be said that four adults can share 800 sq ft much more efficiently and effectively than two adults and two school-aged children.

That said, why don't we ask the europeans - most of them have lived in far smaller spaces (and continue to live in smaller spaces)...and they know what it's like. From what i can gather, looking at my relatives, it's got a lot to do with
1. the stuff you keep: I don't see many relatives with a dinner place setting for 16, or even 8, for example
2. the kind of furniture you choose. You don't see much of the 'big American leather' stuff in Euro homes - it just doesn't fit.
3. tiny bathrooms and kitchens...to maximise space in other 'living' rooms...

and they also don't do a lot of home baking, canning, etc...because there's nowhere to put that stuff...

wc_canuck - yes, i think you found the big differences :-) the biggest place i have rented in my adult life was about 1000 sq for two adults, and that was huge, in my book ... (i am german.)

at the moment i am living on my own in 550 sq, and find that is still a lot of room for one person. it would comfortably house two - with children it would get rather cramped.

so yes, it would be cool to see examples how family homes can work in places that small.

Hi All,

Here are some examples of small home living with children from my blog and website that might be of interest.
- Ten Tips for Raising Children in a Small Space
http://thejewelboxhome.blogspot.com/2008/04/ten-tips-for-raising-children-in.html
- Holiday Entertaining with Children
http://thejewelboxhome.blogspot.com/search/label/Entertaining
- The Bathroom Challenge - Jewel Box Living Newsletter Spring 2008
http://www.thejewelboxhome.com/

Warmly,

Genevieve

Ok again, 1800 sq feet doesn't really qualify as a small space - well not unless you have like five children or something. No one I know who has children has a space much bigger than a 1000.

The average house size in 2007 was 2,521 square feet.

Arcgrrl, Realize we are talking about cities here on AT - not suburbs or country houses. I'm living in what's considered a decent sized two bedroom in a small town in Indiana and it is barely 850 sq feet (have to count the closets). At 2500 sq ft, I am fairly sure I could fit in at least an a half dozen people if not more. Looking at sizes of places here on AT, small space seems to mean under a 1000 sq feet. If you got more, not many people here want to hear you whining.

I'm not so sure that "most people" who look at AT live in the city...or, from what I've seen of the posts, live solely in apartments.

I live in Chicago on one floor of 2-flat building in 1000 SF with a husband, a baby and a cat and I grew up in a suburban house of the same area and shared it with my parents and 3 siblings so I know a thing or two about living in small spaces with many people. There are many homes and apartments in the city of Chicago that are 4000 SF .

I really admire those folks who can live in a small space and have it look really great. I live in the southern suburbs in a bi-level home for the last 30 years and I would love to be able to get rid of all my crap and live in a smallish nice apartment in the city.

I'd like to see more "roommates sharing small places," and less focus on "couples sharing small places." Is it just me? There's a totally different dynamic when 3 or more adults are living together.

bittenbyamouse -- It would be nice to see more roommates sharing the spaces. A couple normally can do it - for one, they love each other enough to - LOL. I'd really like to see two or three roommates try to survive in a studio or one bedroom apartment...I'm sure it's possible.