Good job Masako! I was wondering what brand that chair-bed is?
Thanks!

Wow, what a tiny space! I think you've shown that it is livable and doable on a budget.
I think you might make it even more livable with some bigger furniture, that can hide some visual clutter. Maybe a corner unit/armoire with drawers to stack dvds etc., in.
I also, just recently, bought those cd binder holders (don't know what to call them). I put all my cd's in the holders, in roughly alpha order, and roughly by genre, and recycled all the jewel cases. I love that my cd's are now in a tidy black case!
I also got a chest for storing blankets and linens in.
Anywho, those are just some ideas I had!
Great job!

Sometimes you have to make do with what you can afford. You obviously did well with that small space.

But for having done the same when I was younger, I can assure you that it can not be a long-time solution. There comes a time where you need a place with at least ONE room where the wall is not 5 feet from your face.

I'm impressed with everything you managed to bring into such a small space. It may be small, but it is certainly functional.

Wow, that would be hard to organize all your things in that small space! I bet concealing the things inside the see-through containers would make it look way less cluttered. Maybe wrapping paper inside, with the patterned or colored side facing outside?

But I do think it's well done for the space you have to work with.

It looks like the living space of a real person!

awesome! I've always wanted to try doing this!

I like that compact fridge/freezer. It's very inspiring to see someone living small this way. Sure, it's a little overwhelming visually, but I would never knock it - reminds me that large, spare spaces really are a luxury, not a necessity.

What a challenge! Well done. But ........ where are your clothes???

Hats off to you!! I would be pulling out handfuls of my own hair....

Great job! You have a lot of functionality put into a tiny space. It seems that you have all of the essentials and extras - media area, study/office area, bed/sitting area, and kitchen area! And you have lots of *stuff* rather than choosing to be austere about possessions.

imaginaryline, it looks like the Lycksele from Ikea. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S69839987

Cool! A small space that's really being used for something other than a portfolio piece. It's clearly a work in progress too, which is also nice.

Nice to see these kinds of tiny spaces. I live in 200 sf, it takes creative problem solving! It's nice to see how other folks solve some of those problems.

Wow! Good job organizing all that stuff & keeping it clean! You must really be dedicated to tidiness to keep that kind of space from getting too crowded.

While I'm impressed with your Tokyo apartment sensibilities as far as how you can cram so much into such a small space, my question is why? Why have all that knick-knacky stuff? Makes me want to chew on my fingernails. Like Miles Davis once said... it's not only about the notes you play, it's about the notes you don't play.

wow. I'm curious about why you live here, too, and what the rent is vs. say a one-bedroom apartment in the same area, and how often you go out to eat, if you have a little balcony or deck space, and if you have a job elsewhere -- it seemed like you were saying you work from home and spend a LOT of time in your place. Wow, wow, wow.

While this certainly is a small space, I don't see any ingenious small-space solutions. Except maybe the fridge which is pretty neat. But the piles of stuff on the floor is a sign you don't have enough storage space. One proper, tall bookcase could replace the small army of plastic dressers and cluttered shelves and free up some much needed floor space. There's a lot of space above the toaster oven. A combo-oven would even eliminate the toaster oven. There would be room for a single bed if you prioritised differently and there is plenty of out-of-sight storage space under a bed. A sideboard *and* a laptop stand? Those could be combined. A big TV *and* a computer? Same thing. All those CDs and DVDs could go *in* the computer, and the Ikea catalogue is already online. Footstool holding a fan? And those curtains; you don't have room for them and it shows. Stick to roller blinds. But for what it's worth; I like your style.

i'm torn- this place doesn't look as picture perfect as most of the homes shown on here, so it immediately feels cluttered. but from the perspective that it is a real persons room, i think you did alright.

i guess what stands out to me is that all of your furniture is so different looking- plastic bins, metal tv stand, laminate laptop stand, dark black couch, white wood sideboard, natural wood dresser, and other various shades of wood on the shelves and mirror. i think it would help a lot if you were to make it all the same material or color, like all white,or maybe two like black with some wood mixed in.

i also thought the point of a tv stand was to put your dvd player and cable box underneath the tv? it would look a lot better if you took yours down and stuck them in the tv stand.

my one last suggestion is to move some of your mirrors and art work higher up. it's too much in the middle, and maybe it will make the walls look bigger.

Sorry, but there is no cohesiveness. It is just a bunch of stuff. Like some others, I think that if you had matching storage that hid the clutter, it would look a lot cleaner and bigger. Or even put floor to ceiling shelves on one wall and cover it with curtains to hide everything.

But of course, I don't live there. If you are happy with your space, then who cares what we think!

It looks like a miracle of organised living but I feel stressed just looking at the photos. I would find all this stuff so close to me rather agitating. Still, it's very impressive to be able to live in such a small space.

I think you did great with such a small space.
Glad to see you have bright natural light...

I had to live in a 99 sq foot room for 3 years and that did not include a kitchenette. It is nearly impossible to have style in that small of a space. Now if you could drop a few hundred to a thousand on matching everything / stylish wood bins, it might be different. Then again, if you can do that you wouldn't be living there. It makes me feel a little better about my potential move to a 256 sqft studio.

The knick-knacks are nice to remind you of better times. Living in a sterile tiny space can get depressing. Kind of like the little grey prison cells that use to punish people with.
Living in a bright chaotic space is an inspiration to some.

Sorry if I've overlooked something, but is this a bedroom in someone's house? What is your bathroom situation--shared or private? If private, you might have more storage opportunities there...

Looks like you are content with how you run things, so I will not offer up any more unsolicited decor advice :)

I agree with the others, I think you have way too much stuff. Pallets of bottled water on the floor (can you get a Brita?), more pens and pencils than I could use in a lifetime (and I spotted at least 3 pairs of scissors in that apt!). I agree with some of the comments that it's a good idea to try to get some coordinated furniture to bring some cohesiveness to the space and make sure that your drawers have opaque, not transparent, fronts. Believe it or not, the different mix of furniture (red IKEA lack table, birch coffee table/desk, wire shelving, plastic bins, etc) actually adds to the feeling of clutter.

And I would probably start saving up a little bit of cash for an LCD tv since that CRT tv takes up a lot of space.

If I were you I would spend an entire weekend going carefully through each drawer and shelf and throwing out stuff you doubt you are never going to use. It's almost therapeutic to a degree. Then figure out what large pieces you have that can be consolidated. For instance -- do you need 2 large salt and pepper shakers? Many stores sell 2-in-1 dispensers. Can the 200 or so CDs that you own be burned to itunes instead? (I know some people still like playing CDs, so I'll leave that one alone...) How often do you still use the VCR? etc etc. These are just small examples, but added up, will go a long way.

On the upside, I like how you've efficiently used vertical space. You've definitely managed to cram a lot of stuff in there. Good luck !

Kudos to you for living in such a small place happily-- though I do agree with most about it looking cluttered, and lacking impressive storage solutions. To be honest, I thought it was a college dorm room. Only you know what's best for you--but perhaps editing your possessions and purging some items isn't a bad idea...

All of the unsolicited advice is bringing me down!

Your space is amazing! I mean, you are really living there and it shows. I get kinda bored of seing the trendy apartments filled with Antlers and globes and herman miller repros or the places that cost a bazillion bucks but have never been lived in. Kudos to you and to AT for giving us some diversity.

@petunias - I think the OP kind of solicits advice just by submitting to have photos of her apartment on AT or any other blog for that matter :)

@abc123 - I agree with you 100%.

I also commend you on your use of space - I know I couldn't do it.

And while I agree that a more cohesive color palette and higher shevling would help make the space feel more, well, spacious, we don't know what Masako's financial situation is. She might not have the funds to make her space more "polished" right now, but she clearly enjoys it and enjoys working at it. :)

And I'm with with the others, I like to see how real people live - stuff and all!

I really love this post because it reminds me of my old dorm room. I miss my cozy little space that was just for me.

This hurts my brain in so many ways. When I look at it I get flashbacks to my college dorm room days and I feel like I'm going to have a panic attack. Having said that, I totally admire someone who can live in such a small space, but I could never do it.

I do love these kind of "tours" much better than big houses, but agree an armoire/higher closed storage would serve them better than stacked plastic, as well as putting the CDs/DVDs into notebook type storage or boxes.

that said, it probably takes an hour to move.

ec05, I prefer smaller home tours too. I can't relate to an 8,000sq foot home filled with 1stDibs finds. But I come to AT to get ideas/inspiration...and this one just fell short for me. I'm really glad they're happy enough with their space to share it though, because I still surely am not.

I am inspired and even moved by the soul and energy I get from seeing these pictures. It is noble to commit to living like this, and I salute you!

disney vhs ftw!

Masako,

I really hope you don't feel disappointed by some of the critiques people are giving here. Everyone has preferences, and clearly you don't share the same styles and priorities, that's all.

I think you've done a great job with what a small space you have! You should feel proud. Very few people could live in such a small space as well as you seem to. :)

Thank you all for your comments, whatever your sentiments. :) It’s interesting to hear what people have to say, as it gives me insight into diverse perspectives.

[ “CLUTTER” ]
With regard to comments about “clutter,” that terms implies the presence of objects that serve no useful purpose, but as I have no tolerance for things that have no function, everything I have in there right now, I do use (and there are no duplicates of things). That said, as my needs change, so does my space, so my room undergoes a CONSTANT editing process. I admit myself that in photos, my room does look overwhelmingly cluttered, but it does look different in person. There’s plenty of space to move around, and objects are arranged according to their purpose. The angles from which the room is captured also seems to skew the sense of scale, so the storage actually goes pretty high (shelving on walls not shown go to ceiling), and being only 5’1”may also influence the height at which I mount things for accessibility.

I should also state that people seem to generally fall into two camps when it comes to storage-style preferences: open or hidden storage. Being the “out of sight, out of mind” type, I personally like to see what I have, otherwise, I might not think to use it…it helps me in generating ideas for recipes or projects, and concretely imagining the components I want to include. Hidden storage, though, is preferred sometimes for certain things, esp. if they’re considered private or hideous.

I think I’m also lazy enough that I like being able to reach over and have an arm’s-length access to the things I use most frequently…life’s just more efficient that way. Though most things are anywhere from an arm’s length to just a few steps away, believe it or not, I do have plenty of space in the center of the room in which to exercise, build furniture, fold laundry, etc.

[ “Arrghh!! TOO MUCH STUFF!!” ]
I understand that not everyone can live in a space this size, but due to my innate ability to classify and organize things into categories, I never feel overwhelmed w/ the amount of things I have (which all have distinct fxns). People like me see objects in categories (i.e., office supplies, kitchen, media, tools, clothing, etc.), vs. as hundreds of individual objects, so hopefully, that sheds some light into how the way we’re wired makes it possible for some of us to have a lot of things w/o losing our sanity…LOL.

[ “TO MY BUDGET DECORATORS…” ]
As to the very well-meaning and generally sound advice for improvements that could be made to the space, keep in mind that each house tour has a certain intended audience. A person w/ limitless funds probably wouldn’t deliberately gather a mish-mash of random-looking objects, unless they had some sort of affinity for that “dorm” feel. This room is meant to hopefully serve as “inspiration” to those who live on a BUDGET, such as students, starving artists, etc.

The feature I’m most proud of and was most eager to share, was the kitchenette, because it allows me the freedom to prep meals at home, rather than having to rely on purchased meals, which may neither be economical nor tasty (depending on your cooking skillz). My goal was to show that for little money, you could still have organization and high functionality.

-------------------------
(As for CDs, I’d already planned on purging them, and purchased an external hard drive to back up music as mp3 files, even prior to posting to AT. Having eclectic taste that leans more towards the modern/industrial aesthetic, I’ve also been planning on putting in metro shelving and storing my things in cute [matching] boxes. Again, something I’ve been considering for a while…)

THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR COMMENTS…IT’S BEEN FUN! :D

It should be noted that my room is by no means representative of my range of tastes. Visual cohesiveness is something that's easily achieved w/ money, but I felt compelled to show a room that, for the most part, was composed using just what I already had on hand...

"Visual cohesiveness is something that's easily achieved w/money.."

I don't entirely agree.

Well, "the other patrick," I just meant that for me, personally, visual cohesiveness is something that I would be able to achieve w/ money.

I understand which pieces would allow me to maximize my ability to use all of the vertical space, as well as visually streamline the room, and I agree w/ the organizational solutions that have been suggested by some of the other posters...many of them are the very ones I already have in my mental queue of improvements I've wanted to make, but at this point, there's no rush... :)