apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I grew up in an old Victorian with beautiful hardwood floors, crown moulding, a big porch and a clawfoot bathtub (albeit no air conditioner...or washer and dryer until I was in Jr. High School). I now live in a condo in a development. I wish I had known enough to appreciate it then.

My parents own and still reside in the house I grew up in. I heart it.

Many of the New York apartments that might be considered "cruel" are grandfathered under the city zoning code, and so are not illegal.

I would also throw out there that most American homes are poorly designed and make a terrible use of space, hence there must be more of it (space) to compensate for its lack of functionality.

Frankly, I think it is because hiring an architect is an expense that developers refuse to pay for...

I've lived in large homes as a child and smallish apartments as an adult. For the last 4 years my son and I downsized to a 1 bedroom apartment so that I can save to buy a house. We just moved into a "just-right" sized townhouse.

While he was a little younger, the small apartment worked for us and I just had to get over all the toys and such in my "space". Now that he's older - he's starting to need privacy and fortunately the move was right on time.

I say - there's no harm in working with what you have. A great family is a great family, no matter the size of their living space.

Four bedroom, 2 and 1/2 bath, two story home on an acre with a creek in the front lawn...in suburban Nashville, TN. I can only imagine what that sucker would sell for these days. Of course, the only reason we had an acre was that nasty high power lines ran through the backyard, so no buildings could be built underneath. I probably won't be too happy about my seemingly idyllic childhood home when I sprout a third arm or develop cancer-of-the-everything.

House had THE MOST AWESOME entry way with whorehouse silver foil wallpaper with a red velvet paisley design on top. And a harvest gold kitchen straight out of 1970's hell. Good times!

I am often amused, when in the US, how often real estates advertise houses with more bathrooms than bedrooms. And how real estate shows say "you MUST have a bathroom on every floor" at least. To me it seems a waste of space!

I live in a reasonably biggish space, and I don't like it at all. I would much rather live small and dream/design in my head cute little matchbox places like the Marais apartment.

As for kids - well, they are resilient, and are far better adapting than adults.

I would rather live in that Paris apartment than in a McMansion in the burbs where you need an intercom to find each other.

Go outside. Take the dog for walks. Talk to your family.

The first 6 years I lived in apartments with my mom and then little sis, then she married (and had my youngest sis) we moved to the house my mom still owns which is about 1200 sq. feet and a good size yard. It's an ok amount of space, but by no means huge. One of us was always sharing a bedroom, which is fun as a kid, but annoying as a teenager. And with one small bathroom to get ready in the morning there were a lot of fights. Kids won't notice a lack of space, but teenagers will. We always dreamed of a big house with our own bed & bath, walk in closets and a big game room.

enmnm, I would agree that a lot of the new homes in developments are poorly laid out. And many have wasted space that would be better used elsewhere, like formal living & dining rooms instead of bigger bedrooms, closets & bathrooms. I've been helping my mom look for new houses and I'm seeing a lot of this.

as a family of 4 we lived in an 800 square foot ranch with a semi-finished basement. When the 3rd girl was born we moved to 1800 sq foot craftsman bungalow that was my mom's dream home. Lived there for 14 years until my family moved to a rural area. There we lived a family of 5 (3 girls 14-20 plus parents) in a 2 bedroom 600 sq ft "apartment" that we built in a pole barn shell.

My sister was married almost 9 yrs ago and lives in a 3-bedroom house that is under 1000 sq ft with 4 children and another on the way! They are very well-developed, engaging children and the small space hasn't seemed to bother them. They are looking for a larger house, though... maybe 1200-1500 sq ft :-)

I love living in small spaces. It seems to foster a closer knit family when you can't run away from each other.

2000 square feet. Big backyard. It felt small because every room was parceled out to be really tiny (that sucked)

If it was more open concept it would have felt huge but it wasn't.

I am now happier in an 800 square foot, open concept apartment.

I grew up in Texas where you can get a 2500sf. house for under $200k (unless it's in the heart of one of the major cities), so the idea of families living in less than 1000sf. was a rather foreign concept for me.

I grew up in a huge 1500 sf house - 800 sf on the ground floor all totally open, 2 bedrooms and "the big room" (office-ish)upstairs. (Bathroom outside - damn hippies...) There was plenty of room for all 4 or 5 of us, and the dog, and my dad's business. How I long for the days of open big open space! Someday I will find a nice warehouse to settle down in...

I was one of a family of four living in a one bedroom house! I never had my own room...or even a real room. I went from my parents room, to a nook under the stairs, to the hallway closet (yes I literally lived in the closet) to the attic crawl space! The funny thing is, I never minded it...God knows I would now. I have become very comfortable having a door I can close.

TruTex...I am an urban planner and former commercial lender. This is such a pet peeve of mine!

In a $300 million real estate portfolio there was only ONE architect designed building. The owner was a trained architect. The others...the owner would scratch a vague design on a napkin and hire an engineer to draw up the official plans of record. And none of these owners had an art or architecture background.

Visiting Europe you see space used in such better ways. It was such an eye opener.

We lived in a succession of houses, often military base housing, until my parents bought their first home in 1977.

Those were pretty small houses by today's standards: 2 or 3 bedrooms (before/after my sister's birth) and 1, 1&1/2 or 1&3/4 bathrooms - around 1000-1200 square feet - never a full 2 bathroom house until they moved back to the US when I was in college, never a formal dining room, and only a separate living/family room arrangement when they bought their first house which was under 1500sq/ft.

Americans don't realize how different our mode of life here is from that of Europe. People there spend more time out and less time at home. A bedroom is often just used for sleeping and not playtime or homework.

I spent a lot of time in Germany with friends-- a family of 5 who lived in an incredibly small space, but they didn't spend much time at home. Mostly, they went outside and had picnics in parks and rode their bikes in the countryside for fun. Children at age 10 have freedom to go places without their parents-- from age 6 many ride their bikes to school alone. So it's not like people spend all day sitting/playing/exercising/eating in their apartments like we do in the US. The children would not be 'cooped up.' Europeans use public spaces much more freely and wisely-- and plan their city centers to be dense so that the countryside is never too far from home.

I spent my childhood in a positively dinky duplex, maybe 600sf? With two younger brothers. My room was my parents' closit. (But! It had a window.) I was good at making space for myself. The real problem was that my parents would inevitably turn me out, or make me let the brats in.

We moved into a slightly larger place where I had a real bedroom, but I shared it with the boys. Every time I tell someone this they say one of two things: "Your parents were okay with that?" or "Your brothers need their privacy." Not to be a prima donna but WTF? Do I get any sympathy at all? Anyway. Although the move gave us slightly more square footage than the last house, we were not in a great city so it was worse because we weren't allowed to go anywhere.

So, kids do need some space of their own, but public space counts, and design definitely counts. The partition in the kids' room in the apartment that started this kerfuffle was more than I ever got.

When I was born until I was about 5 or 6 my parents and I lived in a studio house behind another house. I think it's totally classist to say that living in a small space is cruel to children. Not everyone is loaded with money; that doesn't necessarily make them unfit parents.

It was a 1247 sq ft 1 1/2 storey house with 3 bedrooms (my sister and I shared the largest one) and 1 bathroom in suburbia. Just like the sitcoms of the 50's and 60's.

3 bedroom suburban ranch house, one bath, small kitchen and adjacent dining room, living room... There was a full basement (unfinished) where we could play in bad weatehr, but there was a decent sized back yard, too.

The living room was wrapped on two sides with the hallway, and had doorways in diagonal corners, making a loop. When I was small and watched Peter Pan on TV, I dreamed I flew around and around the loop. I woke early, tipped a lounge chair over for a launching platform, and dove into the air! Sadly, that's when I learned it had been a dream! (Ker-plop!) I quietly put the chair back and slunk off to bed, hoping nobody would ever know!

Huge victorian that's on the national historic register which I totally didn't appreciate. Such fun & full of secret stairways & cherry floors & butler's pantry...

I grew up in both extremes and my opinion is that surely it's not the size of the space but the affection fostered within. American's are plagued with the bigger is better syndrome, to an unhealthy degree.

I was very lucky to grow up in an arts and crafts house, over 2000sqft (I suspect). My parents bought it when I was born (I am the third) for 20k, every bit of wood was covered by white paint and carpeting, and my entire childhood was spent refinishing the place. It is the most beautiful house and I would love to one day move back.

We are expecting our baby now, and live in a 1200sqft rental. If we could afford to buy it would be much smaller, really we have more space than we need right now. I will finally use the second bedroom when the baby arrives.

I lived with my parents and sister in a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan till I started school. From there on out it was ranch houses in NY and Florida. The biggest house I've ever lived in was probably 2500 sf. My current house is the smallest--under 1200--and I wouldn't trade it for anything. It is totally "right sized" for me, my two teens, and our two huge dogs. We are more connected as a family than we were with much more space. And when my kids leave for college, it won't be an obscene amount of space for me. I'll have a guest room and an office, or maybe the dogs can have their own bedrooms.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE: We need a contest for families with children who make small spaces work. Or maybe just a special "family" category within "Smallest Coolest".

We love seeing House Tours showing how families make the most of their small homes. We have two kids and make do with less than 650 square feet. We'd love to see more ideas and inspiration.

I grew up in a small farmhouse of under 500 sf but on more than 500 acres of land. The outdoor space is as important as the indoor space. Fresh air and safe(ish) places to explore make all the difference.

I grew up in an apartment that was just over 600 sq ft. My very first apartment was less than 450 sq ft.

Now I live with my husband and our family in a 1 1/2 story home that is 950 square feet. It is, by far, my most favorite home I have ever lived in. I have lived in large homes before and there is no way I would ever go back. Large homes just don't measure up.

I agree that there definitely needs to be a contest for Small Cool Family Living. Family living is diverse and many families do it well, and stylishly, in small spaces.

The first house I remember was probably about 800 sq ft, and we were a family of four then. When my younger brother came along, we upgraded our family of five to about 1100 sq ft, and then my youngest brother joined us. Our family of six lived there for several years longer before upgrading again to roughly 1200 sq ft, in the farmhouse my grandfather built. Next to it was the old farmhouse, built when my grandparents were newlyweds--roughly 800 sq ft, with no plumbing, in which they raised three children.

We are all healthy, productive members of society.

grew up in a two story old farmhouse with one bathroom and six kids

Half in a large (5 bdrm.) Victorian, half in a somewhat smaller 20's farmhouse... much preferred the farmhouse.

As to the other issue, I find it much more cruel to children to teach them that they can't be happy without filling a 3000 sf house with garbage.

I recently bought the house I grew up in and it's way too big for just me. Over 2,000 sqf.

I bought it for the yard and for the safety of knowing everything potentially wrong in the house, as it being my first house. I will be downsizing in the future.

My childhood home was 8 bed/8 full bath/2 powder rooms with two parents, 3 kids, 1 live in maid, plus 45 minutes out of town was a 12 bedroom farmhouse on 500 acres where we spent summers/weekends. Both were just awesome places but now I live in 920 sq.ft., 1 bed/1 bath rowhouse downtown.

My parents were renting a 1150 sq foot townhouse - my parents took the smallest room, my sister and I had the biggest, and my brothers had to share the one in the middle. It was more space than we needed but I don't think anyone complained because with all the extra space, we could have alone time.

Funny that I found the floorplan of it for anyone who is curious: http://www.manchestervillagecoop.com/pages/3br_th.html

i grew up in a trailer, so it was probably less than 500 sq ft. my parents added on to it to make it a house when i was about 5 or so. i shared a bedroom with my sister. wouldn't have changed a thing! it amazes me how much room people think they need.

I grew up in a 2 bedroom apartment in Oak Park, IL with my Mom, Dad, and sister. My sister and I shared a room until I was 16. This was not the norm in Oak Park. All of my friends lived in huge houses, with front and backyards! My family was comfortable in our apartment and it is the setting for many of my most exciting dreams.

I grew up in a massive colonial in rural northeast Connecticut. We had about four acres of land. Honestly the house was silly big and I found it annoying. We had to clean that whole thing, and you had to holler to get anyone to hear you if they were on the other side of it.

But having all that land was pretty sweet. No matter how much space you have, I think it's important to give kids the room and the freedom to roam, whether on public property or your own.

I grew up in a large suburban home. After college, I spent a year living with a friend's mom and sister in their Manhattan apartment. The first time I visited, I really couldn't believe that a family of four plus a dog had lived in such a small (but not small by NYC standards) space. After living there for a year, it seemed plenty big. I remember my friend talking about how her whole family used to spend the evenings together in the living room. In my big suburban house, my family was never togehter in the same room if it wasn't dinner time.

We had a pretty big apt as for the standards - it was (or rather is - my Mom still lives there) 72m2, which is about 700 square feet I guess. We were really lucky - I had my own room (tiny, it was I think 2.5mX3.5 or similar), same my brother and parents... We almost felt guilty to have such "huge" apt, as my neighbors were living 2 2 in one bedroom... people do make that comfortable, they learn how to live in what they have. Both of the neighboring children grew up to be well adjusted, loved and cherished women... no abuse whatsoever.

Eastern Europe? Under Communist rule? Let's not drag that into this, because I'm willing to bet many people who grew up in Soviet Bloc nations would rather have lived in a refrigerator carton in the US than in even the most palatial worker's paradise cinderblock high rise.

And many post-war US houses were well designed, and not huge. But those are the Levittowns that were so despised during the 60s and 70s.

well, I am one of from the eastern block... and to contradict what you are saying - my family never thought about moving to States, legally or illegally. People take their lives as their are, and just live, day by day. I am so furious when I meet with that kind of attitude! I've had wonderful childhood, even though we had sometimes empty shelves in stores, and had to spend hours in lines to get stuff. I wouldn't change it, it was what it was. It taught quite a lot of appreciation for what I have, living on small, and simply not focusing on materialism only. America is not heaven on earth, sorry to disappoint you.

seriously, a bit of humbleness would be nice. and respect for other people's lives, choices and culture.

I grew up in a small house in the 'hood, built in the 30's with great architectural detail. It's probably about 900sf. with 3 small bedrooms, and 1 bath (just a tub, no shower). There were two parents, my brother, me, and my little sister. Plus, the occasional house guest. It was tight, but when that's all you know, it's fine.
I once went to a party at some friend's new house. When I walked in, I was astonished (and completely horrified) at the size of their kitchen. It was so ridiculously large. The worst part is that it was such a waste of space. You can tell they only used a small part of it. I hate it when builders do crazy crap like that.

I grew up in a 4,000 sqft farmhouse with two enormous barns and 88 acres of land. I was spoiled.

Oh, the house was also in my family for about a 100 years. So it was filled with all those generations worth of memories and antique furniture.

I grew up in big houses on farm land and in subdivisions 1 hour from the city at 100k down a highway. I was spoiled with access to green space, horses to ride and forests to play in. Then I spent 25 years in the city, loving the public markets and night scene. Now I live in a rented 500sqft trailer on the ocean, 35 minutes out of the city and I feel like I'm one of the luckiest people on the planet.

My next move will be into a sort of wee house within the next year or two. Because I'd rather be outdoors I don't want to be separated from the sounds and the smells of where I live. My deck will be larger than my living room; I think that's luxury. To be sitting on the deck, and watching the rain or smelling the salt air and listening to the frogs, the eagles and the screech owls.

A two bedroom, 1 bath 20s California bungalow on 8th Avenue in Oakland. There was an unfinished addition which added another bedroom upstairs (which from age 12 or so on became mine). Had a formal dining room with built-in hutch, a living room with fireplace and book cases, a small entrance hall, a breakfast nook, a small kitchen with a cooler, a wedgewood stove. I drive past it once every few years. The neighborhood is not that different, but change has happened.

Oddly, and I only recently discovered this, the house was only about 7 blocks from the house where Gertrude Stein grew up, the house that was demolished, the "there" that is no longer there.

The Oakland of imagination and dreams. The beautiful, sad city of my birth and burial.

nickety, I can relate (sort of). I come from a family of 7 who grew up in a house probably around 1700 sq ft, with 3 large dogs and an embarrassing amount of cats. While it sometimes felt we were on top of each other, it didn't compare to my mom, 3 brothers (5 people), and 2 large dogs moving into my 900 sq ft apartment after my parents divorce. While, we learned a hard lesson is downsizing, like some others have said, if that's what you grew up in, it's sort of all you know.

And I'd like to point out, it's not just a European thing to live in a small home. I'm assuming most countries do that as well. My dad is from Jordan and I've been in the tiny (500 sq ft) home that him and his 8 siblings grew up in.

And as far as living in small spaces cruel to children? Was it cruel to our grandparents and other ancestors? Really, that question/statement is beyond silly.

I think that the poll about size is kind of meaningless without info about how many people were living there.

After all, even 2000 sq feet can start getting tight if you have a large enough extended family in residence.

Perhaps a more meaningful poll would be about the number of square feet divided by the number of people?

To be honest, places my grandparents and great grandparents put where we lived growing up to shame. Granted they did without indoor plumbing and wood stoves were what they heated with, but there was a bedroom per person. Granted I'm in America and my family originates from Kentucky (while I have only managed to be one state away - LOL), but I always felt children should be able to feel like they have space in the house without having to worry that their parents are going to want to smack them for not picking up every single thing once an hour.

I grew up in big old house (my great-great-grandparents built it) with five bedrooms, as many bathrooms, formal dining and living rooms and space for home offices/studios. My two brothers and I knocked about that house until we were teenagers and our parents moved us to a small, small two bedroom cottage. The shock! The house had five rooms total, counting the bathroom.

I learned to love it. I found that I thrive in small spaces, even with a lot of other people in my small space. I now seek out small apartments when I am moving.

Wow, a lot of really big homes.
I live and grew up in Europe (a city) where generally the homes are much smaller because space is just limited. Our home was about 75m2 (plus a basement room of about 15m2) for 3 people plus a cat. We had a garden so that's space you have in the summer. I never felt it was tight, just the way things are here. I had some friends that lived in huge villas but I was happy.
Now as an adult I do crave a bit more space sometimes, but nothing huge.

We grew up in a gorgeous, mid-century modern single family house in Annandale, 4000 sf. We had five people and six bedrooms, one of which was actually empty. Only as an adult did I appreciate my childhood home's grand space and architectural gifts, the clerestory windows at the top of our cathedral-ceilinged living room; the thirty foot high stone wall with huge fireplace, and its' cantilevered hearth that floated along about seat height. What an incredible gem in a suburban neighgborhood! I'd love to buy it from the current owners and live there again as a design addicted adult. I love to have room to roam. I know it's because of that house.

I didn't answer the survey because we lived in many different places. My first home, which I don't remember, was a small cabin my parents renovated and expanded. At one point my parents and I lived in a room at my grandparent's. They later built a large split-level house where we lived for several years (and my younger brother's first home). When my parents sold that house to build another, we lived in several unconventional places, including a two bedroom apartment where my parents slept in the living room, and a converted carriage house with railroad style bedrooms (which was interesting for my brother and me, both teenagers at the time). The French apartment in ingenious, and while it it is difficult to imagine my family living there (my brother was hyperactive and chatty and I was very sensitive to noise and suffer migraines), I can see how it would work for a lot of people. Every time I see small spaces featured here I realize that complaining about the lack of storage in my 550 sq ft apartment is silly and I am inspired to try to be more creative and minimalist.

To suggest that it is 'cruel' for children to live in a small space (especially in a city with excellent education systems, parks, cultural events and access) is over the top. In the US, we have so much investment in private space and much less in the public space and many social systems are in need of serious overhaul. Considering putting more funds into spaces that everyone can access and not living a wasteful, ecologically unsound life (having huge homes with unused rooms in need of 'filling' with needless items and heating and cooling) is 'cruel' to children.??.ah, disappointing...people CAN leave the home and get outdoor exercise.. maybe if more US children had to vacate the TV and gaming room and exercise there would not be as many childhood health issues.. an alternative perspective to consider....

I grew up in a family of 7. When we were little, we lived in a 2-bedroom apartment with an insulated back porch (the boys' room). We had three other houses later on, two probably between 1200-1600sf. I have wonderful memories of those houses as well as of the largest, built in the 40s, with a full finished basement and lots of great details. It seemed like a palace to me - looking back, I suppose it was around 3000sf.

Now my husband and I are raising our son (and dog) in a 1600sf apartment. It seems like plenty of space. I agree that a good floor plan is key to making a smaller space work for a family. I much prefer that to a large room with wasted space. Most of the homes I've lived in have 1 bathroom - more than that seems like a (wonderful) luxury to me.

I think all of you are jumping on a topic before understanding what a person says. I was only mentioning that children should be allowed to have their own space - as maybe only two children to a bedroom so they have a little personal space. In example, take a family with two boys and two girls (based on a friend's family) - I am only suggesting maybe a three bedroom or at least a two bedroom with a den.

Greer, to be honest, 1600 sq ft is not a smaller space unless the family is much bigger than three.

I grew up in a four level split that must've been around 1200 sq ft, with my parents and my little brother. It had 1 1/2 baths, which did cause some tension, but generally worked out.

Honestly, that house was (and is, since my parents still live there) full of unused space. We would have been fine in a smaller home. We really didn't need the two living rooms and huge, mostly unused baesment.