NYC's Smallest, Coolest Apartments

The Bronx houseboat, measuring in at only 250-square-feet, really should have cleaned up ship and entered this contest.

Apartment Therapy's Smallest, Coolest Apartment Contest is underway for a fourth year, and below are some of the New York City entries, all under 850-square-feet. Design solutions for cramped living quarters never cease to amaze, and apparently a key factor to maximizing your minimal space is to add a sheepskin throw -- as just about every entrant has one in their apartment...

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By Jen Carlson in Arts and Events on May 12, 2008 3:09 PM

Comments [rss]

GlenwoodNYC

The unique thing about Manhattan living is the creative challenges of space "the final frontier". Love the variety of architectural as well as design elements feature in this post.

mcfghp

Funny you should say that: http://www.vimeo.com/993363

Spirit of 76

I want to know how that cat in the Fort Greene (second to last) photo gets down out of the loft. It'd be fairly easy to go up the ladders, but getting down would be a bitch for a cat.

JRod5417

I used to live in a 325 square foot apartment with huge windows facing the East River, not bad, but tiny. I can't imagine living in a 200 square foot apt like the first pic. It's like a walk-in closet with a bunk bed.

Editrixie

I've been a regular at ApartmentTherapy for years. When the contest started, it was 600 sf and under, but they increased it. They were receiving lots of entries that were a tad over 600 sf and also have a West Coast version of the Contest, and I think the West Coast entries influenced the square footage thing. Anyway, lots of AT regulars (including myself) were getting mad after the second contest that so many professional designers were entering. We felt it should be strictly limited to amateurs. The winners get some cool prizes. Anyway, you can check out all the previous years' entries in their archives. Some pretty imaginative apartment dwellers out there.

tingo

This is upsetting. I mean, I love what they did with the space. But do you know how many trustfunders and 24 yo hedgefund dorks are laughing at these pics right now?

angry_pickle

I knew a relative in Hong Kong who used to live in a 144 sq ft apartment. But it was all solid concrete and steel and you can't hear your neighbors upstairs nor your neighbors next to you and she had a view. That's more than can be said of most apartments in NYC.

nik13

Around the corner on 58th & 9th, 700 sq. ft condo is offered at 900K.

sonyactivision

Yeah, start making broom closets trendy and appealing so they can raise their rent to $4,000.

Frankybonz

That second to last photo looks like a pretty awesome setup, but the I bet the fall from that bed probably isn't very awesome at all.

jambi

850 sq. ft. is big but most of the above apartments don't even come close to that.

Spirit of 76

850 sq ft really isn't that small for any city, if you're talking one bedroom. That's almost a 30x30 foot space, pretty big by any standards.