Monday, April 25, 2011

Masters of Spacial Reasoning


I have a particular love for small homes, I think for the same reason I enjoy vegan cooking even though I eat meat. It's exciting to see how innovative people get when given restrictions on a project. Personally, restriction often does more to motivate me than complete freedom. (What would you do with the prompt, "make a manifesto using no text"?) It's a shortcut to problem solving mode.

The small spaces trend is one that's gaining popularity quickly. With land at a premium in many Old World nations, and populations rising worldwide, architects who specialize in fitting us all into smaller living spaces comfortably can only get more work. New York City is famous for "shoebox" apartments; what strategies can make these spaces more livable? Some favor maximizing vertical space when there's no horizontal space to spare. Others make the space multitask on a new level. Still others make the space portable and affordable, especially when considering a guest house or vacation cabin.

We all like looking, but I'd like to ask all of you: would you live in a tiny home?

18 comments:

  1. I would live in a tiny home even if I was really rich. I think that in todays society we look a lot at celebrities and their big mansions they live in. Living in too big of a home like the ones that celebs live in gives too much room and decorating can be a problem sometimes because there just is soo much space. I personally feel that I don't need that big of a space to live in, I would rather invest my money elsewhere than on a big house. Something smaller is more cozy to me.

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  2. I currently live in a tiny home and I cant stand it. I don't need something huge, but I need a decent space to do art work separate from the rest of life. I also need sunlight. I have neither of those and it is depressing. This is a very creative way of tackling the "space problem" but it would not be my first choice.

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  3. I feel having a summer home like this would be very interesting to have whether you are single, dating or married. Not enough room for those who have kids. I have seen so many unique small houses.

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  4. I could live in a tiny space, I don't think I would ever want a huge home. Large homes tend to depress me, even if you have a large family in a huge home it feels lonely. I agree with Jene, investing my money in something or helping others would be a better use.

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  5. I also personally like projects given to me that are no open, I like a little restriction in requests. I could definitely not live in a home that small, unless the area was the environment of my dreams. I agree with Amanda I don't want a huge home either, but that looks like a dorm room with a bathroom.

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  6. I don't need something terribly big, but those tiny shoebox apartments I have seen in new york are too small for me. I do like the modernist look of these types of houses, but the one shown is pushing it, especially with more than one living there.

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  7. I don't think I could live in a tiny house like that, especially if like Shanna said it was too dark.

    I get bored in really small houses. My apartment last year was just a bedroom, kitchen, and living room, and it was all in a straight little line. It was nice and actually pretty spacious, but being in the same little space all the time quickly led to cabin fever.

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  8. I could do it! As long as the sun joins me. This reminds me of a movie David just showed me on Tuesday about some big, famous New York fashion photographer (whose name I forget) who lives in a teeny apartment because "once they start paying you, you don't have any say" (or something like that). David...help me out here.

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  9. People can get pretty crafty when they are limited to small spaces. I remember coming across pictures on the internet about an apartment in Japan where the walls actually folded down to change up how the space could be used. Pretty neat!

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  10. I wouldn't be able to stand it, personally. Not enough room for my books. And as Shanna said, I need to have a decent space to do art -- and in my case, music. It drives me nucking futs at the moment that I can't compartamentalize the various things that are important to me into different rooms (a library, a music room, a design lab). For me, it's all about boundaries. Keeping such things physically separate would, I think, also help me to mentally manage them. Part of the reason I have productivity issues at home is because the same place I'm doing work is the same place where I'm goofing off. (At the same time, I can't work in the school labs because I hate being around people when I work!)

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  11. I'm living in a much smaller apartment than I did last year and I really don't like it. I am way to distracted and bored just sitting in the same room and having everything within steps. It also becomes way to close quarters with my roommate, who I love, but I still need more space.

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  12. i love your analogy about vegan cooking, and what you said about the way we can become more creative when we are restricted.

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  13. restriction definitely makes you think, and requires you to push it just a bit more.

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  14. I agree with Aaron. It definitely does get your creative juices flowing. Although I don't think I could live there.

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  15. I agree with Aaron as well. When you are working within a strick set of rules, you are forced to be as creative as possible.

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  16. Small homes such as this hints temporary to me. Especially when you have a family in your home.I think I may be slowly approaching a diagnoses of claustrophobia,given my apartment I have today! However,for solo purposes like a personal art studio of some sort, I think it would be fine.

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  17. I know exactly what your saying theres a special appreciation for things you don't do.

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  18. I think our notion of home is completely different from the rest of the world, especially Europe. Its a different style of life, that I greatly admire and strive for because we really do not need the access. I've always lived in older homes that you just do not change, but adapt yourselves to them.

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