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Find Out How This Millionaire & Tech-Tinkerer Transformed a 420-Square-Foot Apartment Into 1,100-Square-Feet Worth of Space

Dec. 7, 2012 2:58pm Liz Klimas

The founder of the environmental website Treehugger.com might be a millionaire, but you probably wouldn’t know it when you consider the square footage of his homesteads.

A member of the tiny house movement, which appeals to various audiences for different reasons, Graham Hill has lived in a trailer, tent, boat and a 350-square-foot apartment. According to a recent profile by Fair Companies’ Kirsten Dirksen, an avid documentarian of the tiny house people who has detailed Hill’s projects before, the tech-tinkerer finished a showcase project in New York City that turned a 420-square-foot apartment into 1,100 square feet of living space.

Treehugger Founder Graham Hill Creates 1100 Square Feet of Living Space in Tiny Apartment Using Moving Wall

(Image: YouTube screenshot)

Part of his “LifeEdited” project — a concept that Dirksten reports is one that believes “if you edit your stuff, space and even friends you can have more money, health and happiness” — the SoHo apartment was completed after a design was chosen through a crowd-sourced competition. Although tiny, the space still includes enough room for a 12-person dinner party, two overnight guests, a home office, and theater, according to Dirksen.

With all these capabilities, Hill said he feels like he’s “not sacrificing anything.”

“There’s just something about simplicity and just having less but better stuff that keeps your life … gives you more time,” Hill said.

(Image: YouTube screenshot)

Dirksen explains how it all works together:

[...] walls, drawers and beds move and unfold to create 6 rooms: living room, dining room, office, guest office, master bedroom and guest bedroom. If you include the kitchen and the bathroom which morphs into a phone booth or meditation room, the apartment includes 10 total rooms.

To create the bedroom, Hill lowers his Murphy bed (designed by the Italian firm Clei– see our video with distributor Resource Furniture:Space-saving furniture). He grows his dinner table from inches to feet. His office is a simple desk-in-a-drawer. The truly tricked-out element is the moving wall that is packed with storage (2 desks, drawers, closets, etc) and opens to create a full second bedroom (with 2 Clei bunk beds that fold out of the wall)*. Magnetized curtains close for privacy, both visual and acoustic.

(Image: YouTube screenshot)

Notice the nesting kitchen utensils to save space. (Image: YouTube screenshot)

Describing the design as futuristic, Dirksen said it was a pricey project. The hardware for the moving wall alone was nearly $5,000, which Hill said was too expensive. Still, the design is experimental and one Hill said he hopes to incorporate into a long-term goal of creating rental housing as a part of another one of his companies LifeEdited.

Take a tour of the morphing “6 rooms into 1″ tiny house:

See Dirksen’s full post for more background on Hill’s “LifeEditing” concept here.

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Comments (120)

Pogue
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:25pm
Looks like an over glorified prison cell to me!
Very sterile… The walls need some rubber padding.
Could pass as a sensory dep. chamber.

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- getitgotitgood
  Posted on December 9, 2012 at 10:28am
  Read Glenn Beck’s “Agenda 21″
  
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- Jwmajic
  Posted on December 9, 2012 at 5:05pm
  I could never live like that my nearest neighbor is 20 yards away and thats too close.
  
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- brasasman
  Posted on December 9, 2012 at 8:33pm
  WHen I saw the spork I chuckled and knew he was out of his mind. Seriously, a spork? I don’t want to live in a place that has sporks. I can imagine the way the guests looked at him with him flinging around his sporks and spouting his leftist ideologies. If Obama would show that that is exactly what he wants for American he wouldn’t have stood a chance.
  
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- lemonlover54
  Posted on December 9, 2012 at 10:10pm
  NPR ran an article on their “TED” program about this already happening in India. And they are stealing their land in the country at the same time…they are talked into just giving it up when they move them to the ‘urbanz’…
  
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- Grammalady
  Posted on December 10, 2012 at 12:15pm
  There is no room for all of my hobbies. I paint in oils, so there’s an easle and a drawer thingie to hold all the necessary tools and room for my canvases and then there’s the watercolors and pencil words and my pottery and my calligraphy and the photography and I need a LOT of wall space to hang MY works and the works of my Worlds Cutest Grandchildren and room for my dvd/video/cd collection and all my books and my computer area and my survival for 37 days stuff and ..and… No this kid needs a LOT more room than I have now and I already sleep in a twin bed, no room for a BUNK bed. Geez I’m in my 60′s and I’m not climbing up to go to bed.
  
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darkknight91
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:07pm
My recording studio is bigger than this. No, thanks.

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Larry E
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 6:38pm
I guess I just don’t see the fun and excitement of living in a 20×21 ft space, and have no desire to even try. The UN and all the other expert/genius planners who want to save the planet might do well by trying to stop or at least lower the birth rates in various Asian, African, and South/Central American countries where the vast majority of population growth is.

Unfortunately that would offend the delicate sensibilities of those peoples to breed like rabbits so they want to force the rest of us into dog house sized dwellings in high rise buildings. When it all comes falling down about their foolish heads they still won’t understand what happened.

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- flrick
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 6:58pm
  I’ll be happy to move into a home that size. The day after obumbles does, not sooner.
  
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- Sumrknght
  Posted on January 23, 2013 at 2:44pm
  Good point FLRICK – have you seen the Hawaii digs that he has for ‘after the White House’? With him touting ‘redistribution of wealth’ I think we should start with HIS. Give that house to a homeless guy… or… me. (laughs)
  
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KyleD
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 6:38pm
Small does not equate to simple or minimal. His house is complex. He’s engineered an inherent complexity into a small apartment to give it the functionality of a larger apartment. He’s deluding himself, especially if he thinks living small means living happily.

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- Madmartigan
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 8:22pm
  I totally agree, day after day thats going to get old real fast!
  
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- ron2win
  Posted on December 8, 2012 at 11:32am
  With all the gadgets ,doors ,draws ,closets ,things could get old real quick. To say nothing of getting lazy after awhile to.It is interesting and very functional ,there are probably a lot of people out there that could live in that space quite comfortably.
  
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IbisDev
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 6:36pm
This is an excellent example of what we are up against. The premise is well founded as they state they have a fixed amount of sq ft. It is well designed and engineered, attractive and makes its case for versatility. Who would fault this concept based on the established premise? He saves the clincher for the end: “Americans are now living in an average of 2300 sq ft and thats just not working for us”. Who is us? After they set aside the areas for wild life and then connect them with the migration corridors, your will only have the human habitat centers left to live in. But hey… if your 35 and living on a government pension the rest of your life, why do you need so much space. Coffee and pastries in the morning, cafe life in the afternoon and the pub at night. Works for Denmark… for now. The slow march continues and the Agenda 21 float is next in the parade. These guys are really, really slick. The question is… are we up to the challenge? Tigthen up the chin strap on your tin foil hat, its going to be a bumpy ride.

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- AZgirl9000
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 7:37pm
  I wonder how many college graduates are now living in a single room of their parents’ house thanks to Obama? Get used to it.
  
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OneofMany
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 6:16pm
If I’m going to live in an area that small, I’d MUCH rather live in a tent in the woods! That style living is NOT for me… we just moved from a 2100 sq. ft. home with a small backyard to a 3 acre backyard and 4700 sq. ft. so our boys can actually climb a tree or play with a dog in the backyard… Get me OUT of the city any day of the week. I’d rather live even further into the country, but my wife likes some people nearby in case of an emergency…

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- Do The Right Thing
  Posted on December 9, 2012 at 11:29pm
  @ One/many I know how you feel. When I left the city behind, and ‘bought the farm’ my at the time little boy was 14. Best move we ever made, no more 12 year old coke dealers in school, teachers who cared, (well, most of them hadn’t given up caring yet) and best payoff, he got to see that people can get their hands dirty for a living, and be happy. Not the media version of happy, the authentic version. Looking back to my own childhood, the media has been pushing office weenies since somewhere between ‘Gunsmoke’ and ‘Bewitched, That Girl, WKRP, etc. It seems we simply have nothing entertaining, out here in the country, worthy of the media! What a blessing this warping of reality has been for my family! My boy had 4 wheelers and snowmobiles to have fun with, vs x-boxes and the sort, and that in itself, was worth the move. My nearest neighbor is a half mile away, and that isn’t far enough, in my opinion, not that they’re bad people, we simply feel there’s less stress in living in ones’ own shadow. We barter favors, plumbing, mechanic work, etc. to a great degree, and it works. Can’t do that anymore in our over regulated metro areas. I don’t know where our country lost track of the pleasures of life, and it all became being all about cash. The only thing I miss is Dominoes delivery, and I’ll probably clog up slower without the convenience. (Nothing wrong with Dominoes, mind you, but my cardiologist does not approve!)
  
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Royalkin
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 5:41pm
It’s one thing if someone ‘chooses’ to live this way, but I fear that this will be fate for all of us, considering skyrocketing (Obama’s own words) energy prices, and the UN’s draconian Sustainable Development projects.

My advice? Get the hell out of cities.

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- betsyyoung
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 5:47pm
  Absolutely, get out of the city!!!!
  
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- Ballot_Box_Revolution
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 6:06pm
  They are trying to cool up the small living space thing so when that part of Agenda 21 kicks in it will be easier to force people into the situation, because all those people will be saying how cool and hip it is,…and its good for the planet!!!
  
  If you don’t want that you must hate the planet.
  
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- glassaudioguy
  Posted on December 8, 2012 at 9:11am
  @BBR- that’s exactly what I was thinking, though I’m sure everyone here knows that whatever little cell the UN tries to put us in won’t have any of those amenities.
  
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crazyrightwingmom
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 5:25pm
Dreams in heads of single progressives who don’t live in a real world with (heavens no!) children. God forbid we reward our work with a comfortable home.

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Leslie Anne
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 5:08pm
Housing like this should be mandatory for all USAmericans. The family model (same square footage) could be made more efficient by having sleeping pods for the kids…the pods being attached to a rope-n-pulley system so you can have the lil’ ankle biters crawl in, give ‘em a kiss, then hoist them up to the ceiling and out of the way.

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- DougHuffman
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 5:22pm
  @Leslie Anne, “mandatory” tyranny.
  
  I live in 900 sq. ft. because I want to and because it enhances the six acres of woods. Remember cottages in the woods?
  
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- WarMunger_Al
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 6:08pm
  Leslie-
  just go to prison, you too can live like this. Tiny space, 3 hots and a cot.
  
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Seagal45
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 4:39pm
No thank you, I do not care to live in a hobbit hole.

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merik59
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 4:38pm
This is definitely for someone who thinks small… I like the idea of conservation but this goes way beyond & becomes an origami-type challenge just to move from one day phase to another. Not my bag, I guess. I really like the idea of yurts. I want to combine 4-5 yurts into a living arrangement that works for 4 people with 1 meeting & living room. Everyone would have their own yurt for sleeping, study, meditation, what have you. Walkways or ladders between them because they don’t all have to be on the same level & they don’t have to be huge. Then I want to take cast off storage containers & have my husband weld together small domiciles using recycled materials. Dreams can be fun even if they’re not realized.

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T-2
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 4:22pm
there’s no room for a grill.

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- Grey Eagle
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 4:32pm
  Personally, this type of housing does not appeal to me. I would say they are getting ready for agenda 21. I notice the lefty gardening magazines are going full steam ahead with sustainable housing, living, downsizing, living off the grid etc.
  
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Gladius_Doctorae
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 4:21pm
I honestly dont have the time, energy,or patience to solve a rubics cube every time I need to eat, sleep, or use the restroom.

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- OneofMany
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 6:18pm
  h aha h ah hah hhha ah aha.. EXCELLENT post… and that guy talks about simplicity! ha ha ha aah
  
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- LisaJKW
  Posted on December 9, 2012 at 5:02pm
  hahahahaha
  
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MGrilla
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 4:20pm
So my wife get’s home from work, goes into the kitchen, opens the cabinet, I’m sitting there, and i’m like , seriously, I’m try’n to meditate here, get your snack out of the fridge……….. I can see it now, the peace and harmony just over-flowing out of that place.

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SpankDaMonkey
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 4:10pm
.
One good fart would level the place…………..

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- VRW Conspirator
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 5:32pm
  LMAO Spank
  
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Dismayed Veteran
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 4:03pm
No big deal. In the Army, I had a bunk, wall locker and foot locker. Way smaller than this and you don’t have to pay rent.

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- Fubared
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 4:08pm
  Ditto. This guy just sent Bloomturd a Christmas card saying please double my taxes.
  
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Tifn8r
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 3:42pm
Oh goody! Living in the dorm in college was such fun… I’m sure it would be great to cram my husband and two kids into a tiny living space like that.
I can just see it now… living the life of luxury with one spoon and fork that we all share to save space. Cooking in one pot to save energy and space. We wouldn’t need as much heat, because our body heat would keep the place warm.

Sounds like a granola-baking, tree-hugging, environmentalists dream come true!

NOT for me thanks!

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- Harold B
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 4:00pm
  I thought granola was precooked so that saves cooking time. Good Post
  
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- MGrilla
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 4:13pm
  It’s easy , divorce your husband, and abort your babies, bake up some granola, and home sweet home.
  
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- cptenn94
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 5:03pm
  hey granola is good though….but yeah your completely right
  
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- Taquoshi
  Posted on December 8, 2012 at 8:22pm
  There are times when we are all just need to be alone and not on top of one another.
  
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Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 3:40pm
I can see having more house than you need, but why try to convince people to live in a smaller space? If that’s what YOU want to do, fine, but don’t try to convince me. I will live in whatever space my family and I find comfortable and easy. I am not going to pack my bed away every day and move walls, just so I can brag that I use less space thsn the rest of the world.

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- dmacfarlane
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 4:15pm
  This is a propaganda tool of the Agenda 21 plan to create “Transit Villages” , more people in less space. By producing shows like this it looks cool and appealing and could possibly convince others to do the same only to find out later it is more than they can afford to do. Also, by convincing people to move in buildings it leaves room to work on projects like “re-wilding” the suburbs. Also, the comment of the “smaller foot print” sounds all to familiar with the Agenda 21 over-all goal of humans having “NO” footprint. For those who like it that’s tine – but as for me and my family, we will live where and how we choose to live. I highly recommend the book “AGENDA 21″ by Glenn Beck. If you don’t have a copy pick one up today: http://www.glennbeck.com/agenda21/
  
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- loriann12
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 4:45pm
  I agree that it’s propaganda for Agenda 21. But, that said, this is the best of the small houses I’ve seen. If I had older kids who didn’t have “toys” this one might actually work. But we all like having our permanent separate bedrooms. I don’t think I’d like a murphy style bed in my living room. I go to bed before my husband, so where would he sit and watch TV?
  
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blanco5
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 3:38pm
I stopped watching after he said, “smaller foot print.” That was in the first 30 sec.

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ResistSocialism
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 3:35pm
Boring

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lel2007
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 3:20pm
Looks like a small apartment to me.

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DarkestbeforeDawn
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 3:16pm
Sure, this will work great if you have no children, (population control), limited friends, want to live in a box where you trust the government to provide all you needs because you can’t grow your own food, RENT instead of own, because personal property ownership goes against the collective.

Can you say Agenda 21?

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CWPrequired
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 3:15pm
Agenda 21 at it’s best.

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JEANNIEMAC
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 3:13pm
http://www.infowars.com/for-rent-your-very-own-agenda-21-shoebox-apartment/
Along with reducing the surplus population by means of sterilization vaccines, abortion, euthanasia, etc., Agenda 21 is a plan agreed upon by world leaders some years ago – to be implemented in the 21st century. It calls for the confiscation of private property and the squashing of people into high density, tiny living spaces.

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- 1TrueOne55
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 3:21pm
  Europe has been living in “Dense” population centers for Centuries already they are just pushing it around the world with the help of George Soros and the UN. I have relatives that live in Austria and property ownership is only a dream their and nearly 80% of that country lives in large cities like Salzburg, Linz and Vienna. They live like New Yorkers, in apartments that they own rights to occaisonally someone in the family makes the choice to save money for decades to build a “Family” dwelling (two or three story home) for the family and from there they move forward. But it is harder and harder to do as time moves forward.
  
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FISH_BONE
Posted on December 7, 2012 at 3:13pm
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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- Tifn8r
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 3:44pm
  Time to get up honey – I need to fold up the bed so I can make breakfast.
  
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- GhostOfJefferson
  Posted on December 7, 2012 at 4:01pm
  “Time to get up honey – I need to fold up the bed so I can make breakfast.”
  
  And *here* is the problem with the entire concept. It could work if you lived alone, but throw another human being into the mix and suddenly this goes from “modestly interesting exercise of a concept” to “absolutely unworkable in real life”.

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