apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

157 square feet!!! Wow. What I like about this place (besides the fact that it's so small) is that it seems eclectic, which is something you don't see much these days. You would never see something like this on a mag cover or in a design store (and that's a good thing)

I love the pic of Patty Hearst by the way.

Love the shelves. The browns are soothing... but my favorite thing about this entry is what the man said!

"You don't need as much stuff as you think you do"

Bingo! Also, the comment about public spaces speaks volumes to me. I love city life.

Like walking into a library full of treasures and treats, your house invites one to explore. The Sue Johnson print brings everything together, and I love the typewriter and the library card catalogue.
Wonderful touches, Just Lovely......

It's so warm and cuddly. Love it. Definately the best you can do with 157 square feet.

I think this is the first place I've seen in the contest that doesn't look "done up." It just kind of looks like someone lives here and happens to enjoy it. Great job

Great use of space and great use of IKEA Lack shelving! One suggestion: unhinge your closet door and stand it behind the Art Deco cabinet, place it behind/under your futon or lay it behind the tv cabinet and desk. It seems odd being pinned behind the Art Deco cabinet. Then you could drape a curtain across the doorway. I also love how you placed the microwave and fridges inside of something more attractive. Great job.

Wow, I thought only New Yorkers lived in spaces that small! Great use of space, great art on the cheap. Very nice.

brings to mind the old college days when i lived in a dorm room that was (almost) that small. somehow i thought it was nice, but after seeing this entry, i realize the ol' room/pot den looked like shit. think tapestries and dali prints.

somehow you've made a tiny space seem comfortably full but not cluttered. and you've done it by using your own creativity instead of copying it out of some stupid coffee table book.

I like this entry a lot- especially because I like in about the same amount of square footage (but no bathroom)! This entry looks very comfortable and creative without trying too hard to look like a picture in met. home. I believe the less space you have the harder it is to pull a place together and the more critical each purchase and decision is. It is cool to see what someone else did with about the same amount of space- especially the kitchen unit. I put my stuff in open metro type shelving.

Walt

It all seems to fit together nicely - I guess that's the bonus you get from getting rid of stuff regularly. I'm kindof surprised he was even able to get that much stuff into 157.5 square feet without the claustrophobia setting in.

Wow. At 157 sq. ft., Jason should steal a page from Ivar's playbook and get rid of some stuff. I see some small-space "mistakes": for example, the card catalog doesn't do double duty as storage space, and the shelves in the corner are at different levels, blocking full use of the corners. However, with some rearranging, this could become a cool ship's galley kind of space. I'd also recommend that Jason get rid of the paper that seems to be spilling out of everything (anathema to a writer, I know).

Chris, why are you sure the card catalog *isn't* doing double duty as storage? Those drawers are exactly the right size for socks, photos, various small items ranging from flatware to sewing notions to office supplies... or even for notecards, if anyone still uses those for taking notes.

Thanks for the great comments. I'm already working on unhinging that closet door. Also, the card catalog is LOADED with stuff. it's the perfect device for pens, batteries, rubberbands... all that stuff you need but don't know where to put.

Nice! I love the idea of "using the community" as living space - isn't that what it's all about?

Great job. It looks nice, I'd almost want to live here!

Great job with the kitchen! Really warm, and you can tell that an interesting person lives here.

I had a place about that size some years back, with a pocket balcony and a huge tree right outside (reminded my aunt of the Swiss Family Robinson). Once you get things figured out, it's a cozy way to live.

All right! I am also a Santa Monica resident sporting a teeny tiny apartment. Your place looks very cozy, I think you've done a swell job. We may have small apartments, but we live by the beach! :)

Umm. . .where is the kitchen? Is there a kitchen?

Also love your comment about using community space. That said, how about putting your public library to more use too? That way you can streamline your book collection, get a more decluttered look, and let the library store your books for you.

Even reference materials you need as a writer can be trimmed by doing most of your research on the Net.

Another suggestion: put those three piles of t-shirts on shelves in matching wicker baskets. You can pull basket down like a drawer to get your shirts, but when baskets are lined up on shelf, matching look would give that shelf a more pleasing, streamlined look.

This place looks real. You know that all of the really designy places don't look on an everyday basis the way we see them presented. This place is cozy and friendly. Like someone might actually dare to sit on that futon and watch a movie. They may even put their feet up! I am all for sleek design, but this is real life! A perfect beach bungalow!

Cool place...I'm amazed. I especially love the shelves by the futon and the library card catalog--one question about that...did you line the bottom of the drawers? I found a card catalog drawer once that intrigued me, but I realized there was that "bar" with a hole in the bottom of the drawers. Random question, but I'm curious! Good job!

The card catalog does have those annoying bars that run the length inside(where the original 'cards' were but most of the stiff I store in there is little bric-a-brac things that fit just fine. You really couldn't remove the bars because they are continuous with the handle. You could put a layer of plywood over them but then you'd loose an inch or so of space underneath. It's actually sort of amazing how much you can jam into those things.

Also, the 'kitchen' is in that cabinet next to the front door.

Wow! This is truly tiny, but really inviting and special. The English would call it bijoux, and I shall as well.

I'm inspired by what can be done in a tiny space with a limited budget, particularly the little details. Scouring an educational science store for small decorative pieces & framing found art shows that Jason is able to be creative and original within the limitations of budget and space.

To reply to Chris's & gekko's comments about getting rid of materials...I'm also a writer and can't imagine paring down all my working manuscripts, clilps, reference materials, and books to the amount that Jason has. All the writers I know have at least three times as much stuff, so I commend Jason for trimming down his materials to what's absolutely essential. Besides, you can't read novels on the Internet--good ones anyway. And if you could, who would choose a screen at a desk over a book on a comfy couch?

Jason appears to have maximized creativity and comfort in an insidiously small area. Very impressive!

It's amazingly comfortable considering how small it is. Congratulations.

You're the west coast winner in my book! The fabrics, the rich wood shelves, the kitchen and dressing area - amazing. I love the typewriter, the library card catalog and the books. As a writer, this must be the perfect space for you. And using public spaces as additional rooms probably gives you plenty to write about! After you mentioned that you were removing the door in the dressing area I pictured an old mirror over the dresser. Great artwork too!

Inspiring. I can't imagine living in a space this small, and having it look that good. I like this better than the exclusively mid C modern mania apartments that alot of entrants seem to have. Nice job!

love your space. especially the way the drapes hang open over the window. it's the perfect place for a writer and for promoting/inspiring the pedestrian lifestyle. i hope you win!

Finally! After looking through all the entries it's so nice to find a real person with real resources and style. Great job on a lovely place done up without the luxury of cash or decorators.

I propose a 300sf max next year - that's when you really get creative! Anyone with me?

great place. one question though: how in the world did you get the shelves to hold that much? my lack shelves barely hold a vase and a small canvas.

Excellent idea for a web site! Good work.

David

I like your inspiration. Amen, brother.

I'm a sucker for the card catalog. I also like how priorities such as walkability and community informed the decision to make a smaller space work.

I live in a tiny studio in Paris, it's 19M square, but I love my quartier, also 19eme, have two great cinemas and a body of water, basin de la Villette, a few minutes away and because my place is a little oven in summer I have to get out and hang around the freezer in Monoprix or sit by the canal to cool down. This apartment is an inspiration for me, I liked the intro remark, about being inspired by not having any money; this apart just shows what you can do with a little. Felicitations
jane