Technology

Want to See the Tiny, 450 Square-Foot ‘Unfolding Apartment?’

When Eric Schneider bought his 450-square-foot Manhattan apartment for $235,000, it only had two rooms (aside from the bathroom and closet): a rectangular living space and a corner kitchen. With the help of a magical unfolding cabinet, Schneider has doubled his number of rooms without increasing clutter or major architectural reconstruction.

Here is Schneider’s “tiny origami” apartment made livable by Normal Projects architects:

Fair Companies has more:

The morphing cabinet had to be custom built and while it packs in a lot — even kitchen storage and lighting for the room — Chen warns it’s not about hiding stuff, but about strategically creating division and overlap.

“It’s partly partitioning the space, it‘s partly making its interior available and its partly also creating lots of different areas of overlap where you get like a living area and a bed area and a dining area and a lounge area and they’re not necessarily separate but they’re sort of leaking into one another in a way.”

450 Square Foot Apartment Features Dividing Cabinet to Create Four Rooms

The metal accents on the cabinet serves not only as decoration, but as a more streamlined handle. And the architects use the depth of the cabinet to provide shelving on either side for kitchen storage and books. Also interesting, the design team took an unconventional approach to the refrigerator, which usually take up the largest space of a single item in a kitchen. They made a horizontal version that resides under the bar countertop with two cabinet doors.

The cost of this whole renovation — including Schneider’s custom-built cabinet, kitchen remodel (including dishes), bathroom renovation and furniture  – cost $70,000.

[H/T GeekoSystem]

Comments (106)

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  • daveposh
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 8:12pm

    This space efficiency will be useful when the U.N. fulfills its implementation of Agenda 21 and ICLEI and requires limitation of human habitation to only the non-Red and non-Yellow areas on this map of the USA for Biodiversity: http://www.amerikanexpose.com/Graphics/wildlands_map.html
    God help us if they succeed.

    Report Post » daveposh  
    • drphil69
      Posted on November 15, 2011 at 12:36pm

      Thank GOD for the 2nd Amendment. That is a scary map, but those of us with ample guns and ammo will prevent it from happening. I for one would rather die a free man with a gun in my hand than a slave to the state.

      BE PREPARED.

      Report Post »  
    • atechgeek
      Posted on November 15, 2011 at 12:55pm

      Yes .. my ammo and my guns will allow me to keep my 4K sqft home that I worked my a$$ off for. Keep your folding crud for the Libs.

      Report Post »  
    • Canyouhearus
      Posted on November 15, 2011 at 2:19pm

      They come in with all the “Feel Good” projects that you can’t convince people and even local officials are bad for us. If they succeed, it will mean the destruction of ALL private property rights…. and that means even yourself. Agenda 21 HAS to be stopped dead in it tracks!

      Report Post »  
    • gramma b
      Posted on November 15, 2011 at 5:08pm

      Just watching that video makes me uncomfortable and claustrophobic. I spent a few years working at a job that required me to spend a lot of time in New York. It was fun to visit, but the idea of living stacked like cordwood was so depressing. Everytime I arrived back in Utah, I wanted to fall on my knees and thank God for my little piece of ground.

      Report Post »  
    • Jinglebob
      Posted on November 15, 2011 at 7:42pm

      I could see something like this that could be used as temporary shelters for those who lost homes from storms, earthquakes etc. Say 12 foot square, plywood, cost $2500, airmobile. But only temporary. Lets have a design contest.

      Report Post » Jinglebob  
  • South Philly Boy
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 8:06pm

    It‘s a wonder IKEA didn’t think of this.

    Report Post » South Philly Boy  
    • seldomscene
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 8:17pm

      Where is the loo??? Where is the sink?? In the basement too?? That]s funny right there!

      Report Post » seldomscene  
    • seldomscene
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 8:21pm

      Yacht builders have been doing this for centuries. You can also carry the functional home with you!

      Report Post » seldomscene  
    • billjac
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 8:24pm

      Spending $70,000 to remodel a $235,000 gerbil cage of an apartment? You could get a decent house over in Jersey with a yard and green plants. Who lives like this?

      Report Post »  
    • crackerone
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 8:37pm

      Where does he hide the gerbils?

      Report Post »  
    • ishka4me
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 10:04pm

      while stationed inBerlin german in the late 80′s this is how the typical Berliner lived. This is a socialist utopic home. I was amazed that germans lived in apartments smaller then my tool shed. this is not new

      Report Post »  
    • Marci
      Posted on November 15, 2011 at 3:42am

      BillJac–Exactly! I was thinking the same thing–$235K + another $70K? I think I could get over having to have “everything have a meaning” and buy a house three times the size with a yard. Neat, but not practical if the idea is to economize. I live in a home four times that size with a nice sized yard and a pool and a two car garage and it was still way cheaper than his purchase price.

      Report Post » Marci  
    • loriann12
      Posted on November 15, 2011 at 7:40am

      @ishka4me

      My FIRST thought was, “How cool is that?” I would love to do something like that with my adult son’s room, he’s handicapped and will live with me the rest of my life. My second thought was, are they trying to get us used to Agenda 21 with all the stories of tiny spaces? Agenda 21 wants everyone in urban centers and the country to go back to nature, not even farms, but back to what it was before man came here.

      Report Post »  
    • sWampy
      Posted on November 15, 2011 at 10:08am

      Agenda 21 wants the exact opposite of what would be good for the planet/mankind while pretending to be pro planet, pretty typical liberal tactic.

      Report Post »  
  • Cameraman
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 8:02pm

    Wow! A Couple of Metro-Sexual Geeks that turned a Large Steamer Trunk into a Murphy Bed/Bar/Book Case? Can I get One At Spraw-Mart ? Second laff of the Day!

    Report Post »  
  • flatbroke
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 7:59pm

    Thats ok! politicojim, i will happily live in the midwest in my 2/2 humblehut, and live easily on 50k, and enjoy life, and space, and fresher air. i would never live in a closet, nor work on WS, nor do either just to make 200k. life is too short, enjoy it now.

    Report Post » flatbroke  
  • Jim
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 7:50pm

    $678.oo per square foot!!! I think I’ll pass.

    Report Post » Jim  
  • M13
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 7:47pm

    Hey future housing for all of us idiots provided by our friends from the United Nations after They take over the government.

    Report Post »  
    • scuba13
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 7:55pm

      Hey, are those things made in China?

      Report Post » scuba13  
    • vehoae
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 8:30pm

      You are so right, M13 …… This is exactly part of the plans of the residential agglomerations being put in place right now by ICLEI and the U.N.’s AGENDA-21. Russia has already planned twenty such agglomerations for its 141 million people. News of China’s agglomerations plans leaked out earlier this year. And in the U.S., ICLEI and AGENDA-21 strategists are putting in place what are called “Star Communities.” A nucleus of cities have been designated as these new star communities. These will be the residences of the non-rich people in the years, not too far off now, as capitalism is continually denigrated and discouraged.

      It‘s a shame that we’ve let education get away from us to where children of the X, Y, and Z generations are being taught communist/socialist ideologies. The U.S. and state/local departments of education are already moving toward online textbooks and teaching materials — which will make it next to impossible for parents of public school students to monitor. it would not surprise me in the least to see bHo sign an executive order soon mandating civil violations for parents who teach their school children opposite ideologies from those taught by the schools. That, after all, is a primary part of AGENDA-21.

      Become aware of your future under AGENDA-21:
      http://habitat.igc.org/agenda21/

      Report Post »  
    • seldomscene
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 8:37pm

      HUD will still be alive and well.

      Report Post » seldomscene  
    • OneofMany
      Posted on November 15, 2011 at 2:52pm

      Good thing I practice survival skills and teach them to my kids… We can live in the most rugged areas with nothing. Yes it will be a hard life, but we will be FREE!!! We also practice evasion techniques so if they come looking for us, it’s going to take them a while and yes we plan for them using infra-red and night vision (just like we will use :-) ) Heck, if we have to live underground in order to be FREE we will.

      Report Post » OneofMany  
  • Kaoscontrol
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 7:27pm

    I think it’s fabulous. A great place for Brett Ratner to rehearse in, if you know what I mean.

    Report Post » Kaoscontrol  
  • spookydude
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 7:01pm

    “Useful Idiot Space”…..Nothing to See Here, Move Along……..!

    Report Post » spookydude  
  • flatbroke
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:57pm

    Ok this is crazy! i bought a house in the mid west for 100,000 and i have 2/2 a basement, with 1050 sq ft, of house, and a big backyard, and a garage, this guy pays 270.000 for a 450 sqft and has to buy an addition to sleep, and privacy? really! i will never leave the midwest/south ever, ya’ll are crazy.

    Report Post » flatbroke  
    • politicojim
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 7:32pm

      good luck making it to that 200,000 dollar a yr job on wall street……from your 2/2 midwest #humblehut

      Report Post »  
    • RoboZiggy
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 11:03pm

      “politicojim
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 7:32pm

      good luck making it to that 200,000 dollar a yr job on wall street……from your 2/2 midwest #humblehut”

      And that show you the insanity of a Socialist, right there.
      This idiot can’t get it by is ignorance that you NEED to have a 250,000 salary just to survive in Manhattan.
      For 50,000 in the Heartlands, you can live three times as large.
      but, that’s OK there poilitfoo, stay in Manhattan, we don’t want your insanity spread to where we live.

      Report Post »  
    • loriann12
      Posted on November 15, 2011 at 7:47am

      My brother in law lives in Dallas. He moved from Garland because he didn’t like the 45 minute commute (with traffic) twice a day. He got a 2 bedroom condo, 3 baths, and an office that can double as a 3rd bedroom. Price? Nearly half a million, but he’s within walking distance of work. Walks by a Starbuck’s every morning and gets coffee. I guess he saves a lot in gas, but they bought before the housing crash and it’s not worth what they paid for it anymore. He also bought an acre of land down near Austin for retiring to. I paid $99,000 for a 1554 sq ft 3 bedroom/2 bath with a 2 car garage and 2 car covered parking (garage is storage) and a covered back porch. I would love to pare down, but I’m too addicted to my stuff.

      Report Post »  
  • hillbilly patriot
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:55pm

    So he spend 305k (after remodeling) for 450 sq ft apartment that doesn’t have a bathroom. How does that make sense? If you have that kind of cash, MOVE! There are other places to live besides a dorm room.

    Report Post » hillbilly patriot  
  • Cynic-clinic
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:37pm

    So now it will only cost another $70,000 to hook up electric, water, gas and sewer plus another $10,000 to pay off the plumbing and electrical inspectors to get a permit to even move into the place.

    Report Post »  
  • HTuttle
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:37pm

    450 sq ft in Manhattan is a good sized apartment.

    Report Post »  
    • hidden_lion
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:55pm

      No wonder New Yorkers are nutz. I bought my 1500 sq ft home for $70,000….and I got 4.5 acres with it.

      Report Post » hidden_lion  
  • ares338
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:36pm

    Obama’s going to make it mandatory that all of us comrades live in one of these. It’s for our own good. This way the polar bears will have more room.

    Report Post » ares338  
  • Flyovergirl
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:36pm

    Somehow I do not see a wife and kiddies in this mans future. Are we being slowly conditioned to the idea of living like a rat and “loving it”?

    Report Post »  
    • Dabldo
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 10:37pm

      I would say thats an affirmative.
      I like the concept of being a minimalist.
      I like the looks of being a minimalist.
      I just don’t like the results of being a minimalist.
      Works fine as long as you don’t have any interests.
      I have far too many and like to be prepared for anything.

      Report Post »  
  • 1casawizard
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:31pm

    There’s not enough room in there to sling a cat.

    Report Post » 1casawizard  
    • seldomscene
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 8:26pm

      It may be better described as “swing a dead cat”. Sorry.

      Report Post » seldomscene  
    • Taquoshi
      Posted on November 15, 2011 at 8:52am

      My two cats strongly object to that remark.

      Report Post » Taquoshi  
  • grayling646
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:29pm

    I made it thru 2 minutes before I got BORED TO DEATH!!!

    Report Post »  
  • littlefish
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:27pm

    I was hoping this would be a foldout that floats . . .perfect for the occupiers.

    Report Post » littlefish  
  • SLOWBIDEN
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:26pm

    Yea great idea…ur only missing one thing….where do you go to take a shat……guess u could use the kitchen sink

    Report Post »  
    • Restored One
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:57pm

      That is what I was waiting for during the video for the pooper to fold out of the wall. Oh by the way, I hope when he has guest he doesn’t happen to fart.

      Report Post »  
  • Furrystoat
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:16pm

    Compare the effort that it took to transform a $250k Manhattan shoebox into a tiny living area that’s only marginally worthwhile, and requires perpetual fiddling to make it so, with the HOUSE and YARD that $250K will buy in so many other areas of the country. Someone would have to absolutely ADORE Manhattan to want to go this this much trouble to live there. If he’s happy then more power to him, but to me it seems to be a tremendous amount of trouble, probably because I don’t really see the attraction of Manhattan as a place to live.

    Report Post » Furrystoat  
    • 13th Imam
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:32pm

      And you get to hang with the likes of OWS Perps and Bloomberg and Weiner

      Report Post » 13th Imam  
  • Bakko Bomma
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:14pm

    Compact Queers

    Report Post » Bakko Bomma  
  • JEANNIEMAC
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:07pm

    Agenda 21, calls for the confiscation of private property, and the stacking of people into high rise apartment buildings. The media started about a year ago to feature stories about living in small spaces, removing clutter, etc. We are being indoctrinated into the idea of being squeezed together and packed in like sardines. This – so that the planet can be “back to nature” giving the elites a pristine living space for themselves and their progeny. A few serfs will be allowed to live, to serve. .

    Report Post »  
  • GTH
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:03pm

    Get ready, 90% of the country will be living in one of these soon. While the other 10% will be living in a 40 room mansion on the lake.

    Report Post »  
  • lukerw
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:02pm

    Cute… I bid $2,350 for the whole thing!

    Report Post » lukerw  
  • NeoFan
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:02pm

    What kind of idiot pays 235K for a one room apartment in the biggest sewer on the face of the earth?

    Report Post »  
    • GTH
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:05pm

      Damn! You made a better comment than me. I’m jealous.

      Report Post »  
    • CatB
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:24pm

      LOL .. thanks I needed that.

      Report Post »  
    • Stoic one
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 7:50pm

      An idiot that has never left the sewer…. that is who.

      I will keep my acre & 1200 sq ft home for 50k over ANY CITY.

      Report Post » Stoic one  
    • grassroots
      Posted on November 15, 2011 at 8:40am

      Where is the Bathroom???
      I guess $275,000 does not include a bathroom????

      Report Post »  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on November 14, 2011 at 5:58pm

    So are we seeing the future of the nation under the wannabe Emperor Obama?

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • escape_from_socialism
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:04pm

      OK, this is ridicules. To live in the concrete jungle and as adult sleep in teenage bed.
      On the other hand he can still fit at least 3 beds. Hope this apartment is in walking distance to his job.

      Report Post »  
    • CatB
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 6:27pm

      Welcome to Obamaville .. your cell awaits.

      Report Post »  
    • Dabldo
      Posted on November 16, 2011 at 10:41pm

      I‘m 6’4″. Most beds don’t fit me now! I am going to have perpetually cold feet.

      Report Post »  
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