In some of the world?s most famously tiny micro apartments, like a $300K closet in London and a 12-by-7-foot hole in the wall in New York City, creative division of space is just a given. Shortages of affordable accommodations in desirable cities often mean house hunters and renters have to work with less square footage than they?re used to, especially when the ?apartments? available are literally former walk-in closets, laundry rooms and storage areas.
When you?re downsizing into a space-challenged apartment, getting rid of a bunch of stuff is the first step, but actually, living there on a day-to-day basis ultimately requires all sorts of space-maximizing tricks and hacks. Sometimes that means resorting to methods like storing clothes in a rarely-used oven or building a sleeping loft so shallow you better hope you don?t sit bolt upright in the middle of the night, but some crafty designers and DIYers have managed to come up with integrated solutions that look great, especially considering the diminutive dimensions of each room.
This Swedish apartment spent 30 years as a storage space for furniture, and in the 1980s, underwent the beginnings of a renovation before the owner?s illness halted the work. The space was left untouched until his death, and went up for sale in 2012. What the buyers saw when they walked in was grim: half-removed wallpaper peeling down to the floor, a kitchen faucet sticking out of one wall, a handful of tiles and rats in the bathroom.
But despite ...