In college I had a studio apartment that was one room plus a tiny bath. When the hide-a-bed sofa was open, there was only about a foot of space on two sides and maybe five feet on the third side that made the floor of the galley kitchen and the traffic space to the bathroom. The apartment was originally the living room (or parlor) of a bigger house, and almost all of one wall was a plate glass window on the front porch -- security was questionable! So was temperature control. (I didn't even try to "decorate", just finish my degree and get out of Dodge!)

My current studio apartment (in downtown Toronto) -- it's approximately 380 sq ft. I only just moved in a week ago, leaving behind my ~700 sq ft one-bedroom, but already I am accustomed to the small space; it feels completely natural to me. Great layout and great natural light really help!

I loved my 280 sf studio in a circa 1910 building. It was the smallest place I've ever lived, but it never felt cramped. The entry area was wide enough to attach a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf to the wall and it had a killer walk-in closet (with a window!). The kitchen had a built-in eating area and vintage cabinets that went up to the ceiling (perfect for storing camping gear and out-of-season clothes). Plus hardwood floors, exposed brick, and windows on three sides ... it was hard to leave.

I just moved out of my smallest place: 560 sq. ft for myself, my preschooler, two cats, and a dog. NOT IDEAL. For me, it would have been perfect...but adding a small child and the animals was overwhelming.

Doubtless, one of my dorm rooms (I lived in seven different ones, three singles, three doubles, and a triple) would count as the smallest, but I had a lot of reasons to not be "home" during undergrad and grad school. My smallest apartment was 900 square feet for four of us. I keep trying to live smaller, but I don't have the discipline to cull my clothes or books, and I can't ethically get rid of my dvd or cd collections.

It doesn't really count, but my college dorm room (basically a garret) was around 45 sq ft, not all of it usable due to sloped ceilings. The building was built at a time when women brought their maids with them to school and (you guessed it) I got the maid's room. Since then I've had bigger closets.

I live in a +/-295 SF apartment in downtown Charleston, SC. The apartment is on the rear of an old Charleston Single (think one room width house with double decker porches on the side). I've been here for a year, and I've really grown to love it. It's a one bedroom with a separate living space, tiny kitchen, and tiny bathroom. They landlord has even managed to fit in a washer and dryer. Living in a tiny space has made me a much cleaner person, as I'm constantly folding laundry and putting things away. The only thing I really miss is a dish washer.

Our apartment is 960ish square feet - it feels huge for two people to me! I like having a den because we both have big desks and quite a bit of hobby stuff, but I feel like you could cut 200 square feet out of the apartment and it would still be comfortable.

Does sleeping on a couch until I found a place of my own count? Okay, no.

Before I purchased my condo, I lived in a cottage that was a wee bit over 900 sq. ft. and I never thought of it as small. My condo is 1032 sq. ft and it feels too big for me at times but I have a much prettier view and better neighborhood but I miss being so close to San Francisco.

Home? Depends. As far as homes go, I've never lived in one that was less than 1,000 square feet. As far as spaces I've occupied for long periods of time, my dorm room was by far the tiniest thing I have ever lived in...three people with three beds, two desks, and two dressers. Not much room!

I had a studio that was about 400 sq. ft. once. The saving grace of that place was that the kitchen and bathroom were down a small hallway off the main room. Not having the kitchen right there in the living space made it seem a lot bigger and a lot less as if everything was crammed into one room.

Not that the kitchen was huge--it had a tiny stove and refrigerator on one wall and on the opposite wall there were three wall cabinets and an old sink with an attached drainboard. No counter whatsoever, no lower cabinets. I had a collection of wood crates below the sink for storage. But it did have a big window!

And the bathroom had a clawfoot tub. And a previous tenant had put shelves everywhere, even up near the ceiling in the tiny hallway, so there was a lot more storage than the 2.5 ft. wide closet.

The old woman who lived on the first floor acted as a sort of neighborhood watch, and she also signed for packages and made muffins for the building. I could walk to work, to the library, to the supermarket and to the subway station. The laundramat was one block away. The sun streamed in the two big windows in the morning.

It was tiny, but it was the perfect place to live at the time.

My senior year of college my room was about 200 or so square feet. Loved it. I prefer smaller spaces, so I could see how it would annoy some folks.

The smallest place that my wife and I lived in was approximately 190 square feet. It was originally listed as 300, but when we moved out, we measured it just to find the true size. It was a studio apartment in Hawaii, so we couldn't complain about the size too much, we were always outside! It certainly helped us to realize that we didn't need a lot of space. We are about to close on a 1500 square foot house for us and our new baby. We feel that this might even be a little too big, but it is Washington, so it isn't the best weather and will need to stay inside a little more often!

just under 500 with myself, my boyfriend, our dog, and cat. It was tight, but not crazy. We just brought our first home, which is small by most standards, coming in at 750 square feet.

Good layout is everything. I lived in a 350 sq ft studio that felt pretty comfortable, then moved to a 700 sq ft "executive 1 br" (studio plus) with my sweetie that felt much much smaller because of a terrible layout. Much of the square footage was devoted to an unusable entryway, a large bathroom, and a poorly laid out kitchen. I think if we could have gutted it and redesigned, the square footage would have been fine for us. Instead we moved to a 1400 sq ft house, which feels absolutely huge for the two of us, but allows more room for our family to grow.

An 800 sq. ft. 1940's home for myself, my husband and our 3 school aged boys. When we moved into a 2000 sq. ft. house, I found it so quiet in the kitchen and main living space that I bought budgies to have some background noise! I'm happy for more space, but I miss the closeness our family had when we all had to squish around the dining table to eat. :)

My place is 400 sq ft, but thankfully I dont have to share it!! In university I did have half of a room that was probably 150 sq ft MAX. But it did have a walk in closet!

I lived in a converted porch, 8 feet by 8 feet for nearly a year.. with an extension cord for power. In the room was a single bed with two drawers underneath, a desk with my two computers, a small refrigerator, a toaster, a television, a torch lamp, and a rolling garment rack. I shared a bathroom and a microwave with other tenants.

We lived in 483 sq. ft. and it is still our favorite place we've lived. It has a wraparound porch and a garden below. Man, do I miss that little house!

I think it must have been 500 sq ft., which would be our first apartment in Morro Bay, and then another apartment in Santa Barbara. The small apartment in SB was in an older style complex which was probably built in the 1920's. We had access to walking downtown, close to the Arlington Theater. It was on the first floor and had two entry doors, one to the parking spaces and the other to a shared front courtyard. It had one bedroom and one bath with a walk-in closet, small living/dining room area with an adjacent galley kitchen with two windows and an old stove. The kitchen tiles were blue and yellow. Visitors would say that it felt like a small home. I loved living in SB, but it was hard to get ahead in a tight, exploitative job market and an inflated real estate market to boot. I dreamed of owning my own home, and realized that wasn't going to happen in the state where I grew up. It was difficult moving, but also an adventure. I do love where I live now, but often miss the ocean and my small, older home is the largest space that I've probably lived in.

In terms of a self-contained space, it would be my current apartment I share with my boyfriend which clocks in at around 650 sq. ft. + a small balcony. It is a one bedroom plus den. We have a big bedroom, but our galley kitchen would test even the patience of Job. Our den is a multi-purpose room, office/dining room/man cave. I wish we had maybe one additional room, but I wouldn't want too much bigger. When we move to a house, I'm already wondering what the heck we are going to do with more space!

300 square feet in San Francisco. I was 25, it was 1 main room, with a tiny bath, a 4x5 walk in closet and a galley kitchen. I loved it, and it was perfect for just me....but I could not do it now with a husband and 2 dogs! I like my 1600 sq. ft ranch house. My sister lives a very nomadic lifestyle in Colorado- she rents a single room during the winter, but camps all summer long. If it doesn't fit in her pick-up truck- she doesn't need it.

Like most other posters, I lived in an approx. 390 sq ft studio. It was mostly by myself, but my then-fiance would come and stay over for stretches at a time. We didn't have a pet at that time, so for us it was pretty comfortable. Now he works from home and we have a cat. We have actually sat down and worked out that, based on our current needs, we would do best in a well laid-out 500 sq ft. one bedroom + enclosed study plan, with at least an 80 sq ft enclosed private outdoor space. Anything less would be too uncomfortable.

+/- 250 sq. ft.
It had a tiny kitchenette that included an all-in-one sink, two burners, and a fridge beneath. Thankfully, there as lots of cupboard space and a nook that I piled milk crates, a microwave, and a toaster oven into and hung a curtain to hide. To enter the aparment, I had to pass through the kitchen space in a tight zig-zag, which made bringing in furniture mostly unlikey, unless it was small or squishy, like a matress. If I stretched out my arms in the bathroom, I could have almost touched the walls. The best thing about it was the walk in closet, it hid everything away so nicely. My clothes, library, overflow pantry, a folding spare bed for guests, there was no limit to what could be put in there.That was home for two years, up until four years ago, and I still miss that space, I had it arranged to my own tastes, but it was too small for two people working almost opposite shifts, so I had to move.

About 300 sq. ft. It was on the top floor of a small "Carriage House" built in 1895. It had a main room with a tiny hallway that had a tiny bathroom on one side and an alcove that opened up about chest high with a closet rod to hang clothes. The end of the hallway opened up to a little kitchen. The kitchen ceilings slanted down on each side so that I (a short person) could just stand with my head touching the ceiling when standing at the kitchen counter. I miss it so much!

I had a 500 sq ft studio for a year. I adored it. It wasn't nearly as tiny as some of these places, so I was never crowded. It was also the guest house of a larger "front house," but no one from the front house ever used the backyard, so I had this entire lot to myself. It was walled in, with a small patio, so I put a patio table/chairs out there, and had an enormous, beautiful, private living room. The interior was packed with character, from an arched doorway to brick walls, to a wood burning stove. Putting a lot of thought into my space made me more aware of design, and probably started my current semi-obsession.

My fiance and I currently share a 398 square foot apartment in one of the most beautiful cities in the world - Cape Town. It's actually small by general South African standards, but is the first property I've owned and I treasure each moment spent here. I've enjoyed decorating and maximising each millimetre. I might not have a mansion, and more space would always be welcomed - but this tiny home has made me count my blessings!

I lived in a 280 sf studio in Los Angeles. As tiny as it was, the kitchen was completely separate from the main room and the bathroom was large - far, far larger than my tiny bathroom in my 650 sf place now! The main living area was 14 x 14 and I managed to fit a full bed, desk, loveseat, coffee table and TV. My "coffee table" was two Ikea Lack table next to each other which worked perfect when I needed to move one or both to make more floor space (for crafts or yoga or an aerobed). I loved that place . . . it was my first place all to myself. I have learned over the years that I don't need, or even like a lot of extra space. It just fills up with things I don't need and who wants to stumble in the dark through several rooms for a glass of water in the middle of the night?

I've shared several tiny dorm rooms, but the smallest 'home' I've ever lived in was a 400 sq ft. 1 bedroom apartment I shared with my former husband. When a friend needed a place to stay we added a twin bed and a clothes rack in the kitchen. While I like a small space, that apartment was a bit too snug.

As a Peace Corps volunteer in Bulgaria I lived in a 12 by 12 foot studio apartment. It included a bathroom with an open shower (i.e. nozzle on the wall next to the toilet, drain on the floor) and a closet. I had a bed, a desk, a shelf, a mini fridge and an electric stove/oven unit on a table next to the fridge. Outside my window was a clothesline unit to dry my clothes on. I painted the walls blue the first week I moved in. Although it was small, there was something very peaceful and cozy about it. I definitely learned how to keep a small place clean (hint - cut down on clutter!).

I lived in a 250 square foot studio in my 20's and LOVED it. I was able to decorate it just right and everything had its place, plus the layout was ideal. I still regret not having submitted it to Small Cool that first year the contest started. I love living with my fella in a slightly larger space, but I'm always surprised by how much I miss that place in hindsight--I never would have thought so at the time when I so desperately craved a larger place!

Soon after college I had a studio apartment with eleven foot ceilings, lots of six foot windows and pretty views on both sides. The bathroom had a claw foot tub. I really loved it.

Years later I visited and was shocked at how small it was. Back then it seemed very spacious. But then I had practically no possessions.

235, current, 2 people, love it.

I've had two really small apartments: a 297 square foot studio in Montreal in my third year of university 2006-2007 (for $440, utilities included!) and my first 'grown-up' apartment after grad school, a 450 square foot one-bedroom (for a less stunning $835). I loved both, but the studio was just too small, realistically, because it wasn't laid out well (wasn't room for any kind of couch, which for me is a deal breaker). I would have stayed in the one bedroom longer, but instead got to house sit for my folks for a year in a convenient downtown neighbourhood in a MUCH bigger place...who could pass that up?

I loved my 190-sq-foot NYC studio and still miss it sometimes (now I cohabitate in a 1 BR). It was a corner unit with high ceilings, so even though it was tiny it got lots of light and a great cross-breeze when the windows were open. I painted it pale blue with sheer curtains, and it always felt very open and airy. It was also super quick to clean--ideal for a messy person like me! The location was perfect, too: on a beautiful block near Riverside Park.

I'm in a roughly 700 sq apartment right now, and it's the biggest place I've lived in on my own, partly because one bedroom is used, so the entire place is usable, as opposed to roommate situations where I basically just had a bedroom. One room was maybe 90 sq. Lots of ceiling-high stacking going on in that place.

And of course there's my shared college dorm rooms, but at least I liked my roommates.

I lived in a shared 490 sq ft apartment. There were 4 of us (my husband and I, and my bestfriend and his love interest). It was rough at time, but it was made bearable by the fact that their were 2 seperate bedrooms (even though they were tiny), and it was in the center of our small town, so we could always find a place within walking distance to get away to if the other roomies were driving us nuts.

Also, I should add that I'm a compulsive cleaner, and a minimalist- so it made things much more livable.

Our first purchased home was under 800 square feet, 2 bedroom, one bath. It also had a very small yard - only 30 feet wide and 50 feet long. We planted 15 tomato plants in the back yard and they filled it up completely. Oh, and it was in the "ghetto" where we did encounter some gunfire, etc. It was all ours and we painted every inch. We sold it 18 months later and cleared enough to put a down payment on a more typical home in the burbs but we have very fond memories of our first little house.

We bought our 440 sq. ft. apartment eight years ago. We lived here for a few years then moved into a much space but we came back and we love it. And we're in our fifties so this isn't a 'starter home', it's exactly where we want to be :)

My husband and I not only live here but we work here full time too. Sometimes the two of us are here 24 hours a day for days on end - if not weeks - apart from the occasional grocery shopping trip.

It makes me chuckle when I see Small Cool people say that storage is their main challenge - we have empty cupboards! We can seat five people at our dining table which doubles up as our desk. Our lounge furniture seats five too and we can make two single beds in the lounge for guests. We have a full size stove and an (almost) full size fridge and we cook every day - we don't eat out or have (many) takeouts.

My disclaimer is that we are in Florida so we don't have loads of bulky coats, sweaters and boots. Also, unlike a lot of NYers, we have a car and the trunk is a storage area! Our challenge is that it's a mid century apartment with old wiring and plumbing - and a pretty nasty bathroom that we will restore one day. Other than that, we are in paradise :)

I shared about a 250 sq.ft. apartment in NYC with a roommate when I had newly graduated. We were trying to find a 4 bedroom with two other girls but were out of luck. We found two apartments on top of each other. The apartment was a 1.25 bedroom, but my awesome roomie (and AT writer!!) sacrificially took the smaller "bedroom". She fit a twin mattress and had about a foot of room around her bed on two sides, I shared with all of our clothes (two girls!) and the washer dryer (seriously, I wasn't even aware of how awesome this was!). We were there for about 10 months, and it was TEENY. We had about a square foot of counter space that was shared with the mini sink (the counter was in front of the sink) and four miniature burners. My roommate slept listening to a screaming baby and I slept listening to an emphysematic homeless man. It was... awesome.

25 square meters (269 sq ft) was the smallest apartment I had. It came with a kitchen nook, bathroom (with a washer!) and room for a bed, desk, bookcase and a dining table. My boyfriend at the time often stayed there too.

My friend was living in an "efficiency studio" that was 16 square meters, which is about 172 sq ft. It had a shower in the middle of the main room. In the bath, you couldn't get in and close the door without climbing over the toilet.

945 square feet - For me, my husband, my 5 year old, two year old and newborn baby. If it was a house (with a door to the outside) I would say we could stay for a while longer, but being an apartment with an enclosed patio, I am ready for a bit more space!

I lived in a 96 sq ft furnished "chambre de bonne" in Paris for about a year at the beginning of this century, with shared toilet on the landing, 8th floor without an elevator. There was absolutely nothing positive to say about it except it was centrally located so I could walk everywhere, and that there were no roaches despite the very busy brasserie on the ground floor (noisy from 5AM to 2 AM every day). And I guess the view was OK. What made me most miserable was the impossibility of cooking, I only had a hot plate.

By contrast, the 182 sq ft apartment I lived in for 2 years in the early 1990s in a Parisian suburb was palatial. The separate bathroom and the galley kitchen were very efficiently designed and there were 1/4 walls/room dividers to separate the sleeping area from the desk/table in the kitchen area and there even was a closet and a recess in the small entryway where I could put a bookshelf.

The upside of both those places was that they were easy and cheap to heat. In both I only had a single mattress/bed that doubled as a couch. With years and years of living in small apartments under my belt, I never owned such a beast as a TV (too cumbersome) nor do I own any large piece of furniture.

Now I've been living for the past 7 years in a 500 sq ft apartment in a 1924 Spanish duplex in Southern California that's more than enough for me and my cat, my 1,000 + books, several artworks and a couple hundred vinyl records.

Of all the places I've lived in, including a 1,500 sq ft shared craftsman house, this is my favorite. It helps that I have the most awesome landlords on the planet who let me share the backyard and harvest our fruit trees.
If I had more space I suppose I'd like a separate office that could double as a guest bedroom, but so far I'm very happy with what I currently have, can't complain.

My smallest space was an 81 square foot room. It was one room in an apartment, but the apartment had no shared space other than a galley kitchen. So I spent a lot of time in that room. What saved me was GOING VERTICAL. Adding shelves in the higher part of the closet, and bunking my bed above my desk, and bringing in a tall skinny bookcase that doubled as a bedside table. I hit my head a lot, but it meant I had at least a little bit of open space to make the room feel bigger.

Semester abroad in Helsinki - 350 sf apartment (living room, bathroom, closet, and kitchen). It was me, my boyfriend, and our best friend. Of course, boyfriend and I broke up early in the semester, making the place seem way, way smaller.

my first apartment was a bachelor suite in a 1908 renovated school house. it measured 275 sq.ft. thankfully, the 12 ft. ceilings and huge casement windows did a lot to make it feel much bigger.

My smallest apartment was literally a broom closet--220 square feet. The pros: on New York's Upper West Side, lovely pre-war building, great doormen, right on Broadway and very near transportation--and only $350 a month! The cons: the apartment was the former broom closet in the lobby of the building, the world's smallest bathroom, one tiny window looking on to the air shaft, and massive water bugs constantly came in through the drains. Did I mention it was $350 a month?

My less-than 300 sf apt in Portland, Or was brilliant. It had a closet the size of a full sized bed. Why? Because the bed rolled under the closet. There were two steps up and the closet ceiling was low but it made that small space amazingly comfortable. When the bed was put away I had an actual living room. All spaces should be designed so well!

I moved 6 months ago to my 490ft apartment. Its a lovely studio in a excellent neighborhood. Has a living room with kitchen, a nice bedroom and a lovely balcony for Bradley, my cat to play in. The walls are kind of thin, (fortunately I have a corner apartment) and is adjacent to a school with very loud children! But its mine and its heaven.

Just after Hurricane Katrina, and before I met my husband, it got so expensive to rent in New Orleans that I decided to buy something instead. My 425-sq ft condo is one of the best investments I've ever made. Now a rental, I lived alone there for two years before my now-husband moved in... for another two years. I have the fondest memories of that space and the bonding between us that made it work. I was proposed to over the coffee table, which also functioned as our dining space! Luckily it opened into a beautiful bricked New Orleans courtyard... perfect for those times you needed some extra square footage.

I currently live in a 534 sq ft apartment -- one bedroom, one bath, TINY galley kitchen, small balconey -- with both a dog and a cat. I have adjusted quite well, divested myself of SO much I didn't need. I have a double sofa bed for guests and a good view of trees and the sunset. The kitchen is a bit of a challenge for any major cooking since the stove is very small, and I really wish I had a washer and dryer. I ditched the computer and went to a laptop, but I kept two small hutches for storage and am happy I did. I had to get rid of any large pieces of art, but have smaller pieces all over the place. I have found the key to success in this place is scrupulous organizing, daily decluttering, and keeping the place spotless. Any junk -- even mail and newspapers -- just gobbles up the visual space immediately.

When I was in grad school I lived in a little cottage on the edge of campus. The landlords were an elderly couple who had several duplexes and old apartment near the campus. There were three little cottages behind one of the duplexes and they referred to them as cabins - although there was nothing about them that made me think of a cabin.

I'm not sure of the dimensions but it was one room with a small kitchenette and a bathroom just large enough for a shower, sink and commode, probably a few hundred square feet all told (at best). There was a shortage of housing the quarter I started so I can't say I was enthusiastic about having one room for everything, but by the time I left two years later it was with a heavy heart!

I discovered recently that the property was sold and a large modern apartment building sits on the site now. I hate that I don't have even one photo to remind me of my little cottage, but having since owned and sold a townhouse that my little cottage would have fit in several times over, a small space is my future daydream. More space just equals more stuff and more maintenance - no thanks!

Like many others, I had an efficiency that was under 400 SF. Tiny galley kitchen, bizarrely huge bathroom (closet was in bathroom) and maybe 10' x 20' actual living space. But it was plenty of room for my futon bunk bed (futon sofa below, twin mattress up top), desk, and bookshelves.
Now I own a 622 SF single family house. Should be plenty of room for one person but I just have too much stuff. I dream of purging but so far inertia has won and I wind up stepping over various projects daily. Sigh...

Excluding many-a cramped dorm rooms, my first "apartment" was basically my bed, kitchen and washroom. The stove was literally two feet from my bed. It could have been a nightstand, that's how close it was. Probably not safe... but sleeping in the tub wasn't a option. ;)

Two 1970s caravans both around 6ft x 8ft. One for a bedroom and one living space. Lived there with my four guinea pigs and their cages! For five winters and four summers... Loved being so close to the outdoors - even though my bathroom was 20 yards across a field.

I travelled around Australia in a vintage 1950 bondwood caracan. The interior floor space was 6 feet by 10 feet, but it had been built by a retired cabinetmaker, who had ingeniously used every tiny space. Each cupboard had special fittings for plates, cups, and utensils, Under the couches there was extra storage, and I had a canvas annex which doubled my living space, I had folding table and chairs and TV table to make a lounge room in the annex. It was perfectly sufficient for living, and I only sold it to travel to the Philippines; where I lived 1 year alone on a tropical island.

My goal now is to build a small houseboat to live at the marina where I live. I think tiny spaces are far more homely and compactness makes you use and live in the space more thoughtfully.

12 ft. x 12 ft. room with my husband. When I am alone, it is not that bad. But when hubby is here, it gets cramped fast. I definitely have learned to be more organized and to appreciate what I have. Although, I do enjoy having more space. Once we move into our 600 sq. ft. apartment, it will feel huge I'm sure!