Who Lives Here: Ann
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Size: 260 square feet
What is your one favorite element in your small, cool home? After living with a rolling cart and full-size fridge for more than a year, I hired the Kitchen Couple (found through Apartment Therapy) to renovate, and I'm utterly pleased with the outcome. Now I have an under-the-counter fridge, two burners, and a built-in microwave. No oven — I traded it for drawers. It's nice to finally have somewhere to put my forks!
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What was one of the biggest challenges you faced in furnishing your small home? I try to think about my apartment as a ship: everything has a place, everything can be put away. The custom Murphy Bed, which doubles as a book shelf, was key to making the space livable. I've also found that renovating while living in a small apartment requires patience and long breaks between projects. The kitchen was by far the biggest undertaking, though modest in scope: the cabinets and counter are IKEA and the appliances are mostly Home Depot. I just finished painting the bathroom, which gave new life to the tiles, and I built a wooden frame inside a wall recession, replacing an old medicine cabinet with a nicer mirror. Small things (a custom window shade, new lights, recaulking the bathtub) make big differences when you cook, eat, sleep, and entertain all in the same 12' x 15' room.
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Comments (72)
What an amazing space! I love the kitchen and am jealous that you have more counter space than I do with an apartment over double the size.
ok this may be a dumb question, but how do the books not fall out when you pull down the bed?
looks like the book shelves in front of the bed slide to each side before you pull the bed down... very cool design
the shelves slide open, and the bed pulls down
nice
Love the great design. Stylish and practical. I would miss the oven though! Oh well, you must have awesome friends that cook for you. ;)
What rac1234 said. Looks like the left center cabinet of shelves slides left and the right center cabinet of shelves slides right. And then plop, Murphy bed pops down the center once the shelves aren't blocking it anymore. WAY cool design! Love the innovative use of space, design and materials!
A very innovative use of space!
What is the space in the upper right hand corner of the floor plan? Is that part of the bathroom?
Hi,
Could you tell use who made your bed and about what it cost.. I really love it, and would love to get one just like it.
Thanks
Stephanie
great apartment im so jealous!
This is quite remarkable. I like the "ship-shape" concept. It helps to focus on what you "need" and what you practically can have. Fab!
those microwave ovens also have a convection oven and exhaust hood built in. they're great for small spaces.
great space -- very intelligent!
Really nice little space. It looks comfortable and cozy and well planned. I love the Murphy bed and the corner sink in the bathroom.
Ann is my new role model.
Great ideas for a small space. A place for everything you need. Compact and cosy. I love it!
You make small very cool - nice work!
LOVE.
I think your advice to take a break between projects is right on. I like the perceived division of sitting, cooking, and sleeping spaces even though they are all one. Nice rug, too. Congratulations!
Wow. For that size you put together a real home! Great job.
I love this - cute and stylish at the same time!
260?! wow! great job.
Thanks for the nice comments--to answer a few questions, the Murphy Bed is made from a kit called the "Library Bed," which I ordered from murphybedsdirect.com, in Florida. The kit arrived via ground shipping: about 150 pieces and one page of instructions. Two long-suffering friends helped me decipher the line drawings, and we spent 24 hours over three days putting it together. It's safely attached to the brick wall in back.
And yes, exactly, the two shelves in the center slide right and left so that the Murphy Bed can come down, designed for a full-size bed.
As for my plan--the space in the upper right hand corner is part of the bathroom, which makes a mini-L.
I would also love to know who makes your bed. It's genius!
Wow, this was very well done. The space doesn't feel cramped, it has style and color...and all in under 300 sqft! Love it!
I feel like I shouldn't be allowed to comment, as my bedroom alone is bigger than this, but then again I live near nothing and you probably wouldn't want live here either, just for more space.
But anyway! I love it! Nicely done, this is one of my favorites so far!
What would life be like in apartment's without good ol' Murphy...This is absolutely amazing. I am in awe of the teeny-tiny division I have never been so inspired. Your kitchen is great.
Wonderful use of space, kudos! If the thumbing system isn't monitored, I'd give you TWO thumbs up!
I really like what you've done with this space. Let me just say I love the kitchen - I'd miss the oven but otherwise I love it!
I am also a fan of the paint colour in your bathroom - what is it?
this is flat-out great! everything you have in your apartment fits so well it just seems to belong in the space, which is calming (and so difficult to do). well done, it looks fantastic!
Gorgeous and I love that your photos showed all areas.
so far this is one of the best i've seen. I lived in 350sq ft and the main problem is clothing storage...where do you store your clothes?
hi! i love your bookshelves/murphy bed solution. where did you get the bookshelves? were they custom built? can you pass on the company or contractor?
brilliant Ann! clean, simple, bright, excellent job!
I wonder though if the cabinet placed in front of the window in the kitchen is awkward or just really well designed becuase you let the light in and use the space for cabinets. The work space seems a little bit make shift but that all depends on how the person is able to find comfort the way they work. This place is very romantic and intelligent!
I just love this space of yours, all the books on the wall in such a small space is amazing. Where did you find the beautiful rug it's to die for.
You get a thumbs up for putting the bed together with friends.
To answer the question about storing my clothes, there are two closets: one is 5' deep but only 2.25' wide, so I placed a set of shelves at the back, behind a rack of clothes, for things like sheets and towels. I have a second closet that's shallow and wide, also with a hanging rack, where I built Elfa shelves for t-shirts and jeans. There isn't enough wall space in my room for an actual bureau, so I use two CB2 bathroom cabinets (not pictured), side by side, as a sort of sideboard for my sweaters. Finally, the multi-purpose Murphy Bed has a a shelf on top that hides storage bins up to six-inches deep.
The paint color in the bathroom is Benjamin Moore "Silverlake."
i love ittttttttt
Well organised and comfortable.
Thumbs up!
You've made a well organised and beautiful home.
the murphy bed is genius. Does the bed really stay all "made up" when you put it away or do you need to make the bed after pulling it down?
also, the kitchen looks extremely well done! Even the little window in the back corner didn't get blocked. brilliant!
Did you know there are ovens which are also microwaves? We've got this one at home - it's expensive, but perfect for those who are living in small spaces: http://www.appliancist.com/builtin_ovens/oven-with-microwave-by-siemens-hb86k570b.html
That's a really cute mini-fridge? What kind is that?
What a beautiful color gray in the bathroom - how did you think of that? Also I love the David Hockney print above the couch in the "living room".
What a cozy, clever home! This just goes to show that living in a small space doesn't necessarily mean giving up the things you love, or compromising your aesthetic. It seems like it would be a comfortable place to entertain, too. I love it that you can hide your bedroom! Brilliant.
uH, she has no oven. That's freakish.
So, does this mean you can't bake a cake or broil a steak or put yesterday's pizza in the oven to get it tasty crispy?
I don't use my oven everyday but I would rather live someplace where I could, at least, have an oven.
Uh, I don't see a toliet in your bathroom. I hope you didn't have to choose between a toliet and a sink.
Wow, Ann! Great use of natural light, and I am so impressed by how many little separate areas you get out of a tiny, open square. Just gorgeous!
You have the best Murphy bed I have ever seen. When I first looked at the living room pic....I had no idea there was a bed behind the books.
Great idea on your kitchen decisions. I really love the design and colors.
I love that you kept so many the books in such a tiny space. Bravo!!!
Wow. U win! Love that bed behind the bookshelves.
seriously, 260 sq is tiny. and i hate how you put your bed behind the bookshelves, there should always be enough room in the apartment for a bed, shouldn't have to compromise.
What a beautiful space! I love the bed!
I love it. I got rid of hundreds of books in my last tiny apartment to make room for the "bedroom". In hindsight, I say books trump the bed anytime. So much more interesting-visually and mentally! And so hard to keep many books as a New Yorker--inspiring solution.
ditto the question on the undercounter refrigerator. Our house is double this size, but the undercounter refrigerator would really help. Is it a freezer too? Is it good quality or just one of those dorm fridges that freezes half the stuff and lets the other half spoil? Anyone else have one? or an undercounter freezer? would love some objective opinions!
LOVE the Murphy Bed!
If I could live in this apartment, I would in a minute. Love the bed and the books. Books are to a room, what a soul is to the body. Kitchen is perfect also. Fantastic job!!!!!
Where did you get your Murphy Bed?
The under-counter refrigerator/freezer is a Summit (5.3 cubic feet), and I highly recommend it. It's not at all like a dorm fridge; the freezer actually freezes and is self-defrosting, and the fridge is surprisingly spacious. I ordered mine through Drimmer's A&B Appliances, in Brooklyn.
I did think about a convection oven but I do 90% of my cooking on a stovetop (mine is a DeLonghi--another space-saver, two burners instead of four), and I can always substitute a convection oven down the road since they're essentially the same size.
Thanks again for all the kind comments! I consulted Apartment Therapy for so many of these solutions that I'm happy to share what worked in my home.
its just goes to show u, amazing things can happen in tiny places and its a good thing at that. lovely space u have here..
that bookcase is too cool! Love the whole place!
That gives me some good ideas. I would try to bring that kitchen window on the right "forward" somehow, or sculpt the kitchen cabinets (perhaps glass on the sides).
Wait was that a Murphy bed behind the bookcase? Genius I've never seen one like that before.
I am losing all composure this is un-believable
This is inspirational! Is the bed as comfortable as a regular bed?
Too many books. If there's no proper place for the TV, throw it away, TV sucks anyway. The bed looks like a grandma one.
Thumbs up! This apartment is beautiful.
I LOVE this! Especially the kitchen. Not only is it incredibly well-designed, but it isn't cookiecutter. Really original.
I LOVE THIS APARTMENT!!
I'm going to add to the already numerous praises for this apartment. Just a great example of how to make a small space completely livable and beautiful. Well done!
My soon-to-be-renovated kitchen is a very similar size and I too will be using Ikea cabinetry. What did you do for the lower base cabinet in the corner? Are you able to fully use it for storage? Curious since your space is small and Ikea's corner cabinets don't seem easy for such a tiny footprint.
Love it!
Ann, you have got it goin' on! For the Murphy bed, did you use Pedro Townsend Murphy Installation (a local NYC service), or did you put it in yourself?
Have you rocked in the bed yet?
This is the most inspirational place yet. You are a great role model for designing your own life! Thank you for posting.