The woman in the video above lives in eight square meters of space, seven flights of stairs above the cobbled streets of Paris. In case you're not up on metrics, eight square meters translates to about 80 square feet. That tiny space is made up of panels that can be opened to reveal a bed, closet storage, and even a table that pulls out from the wall.
How much living space a person can afford on their income largely depends on where they live in the world. The more cosmopolitan and desirable areas, then, have immensely expensive rents and tiny living spaces. Some people have taken small living spaces to new extremes by creating pull out beds, walls that hide secret storage compartments, and bedrooms that function as living rooms and kitchens.
Here are a few video tours of these microapartments, and how people make them feel like home:
This Parisian apartment is 129 square feet. The bed doubles as a couch, and the headboard doubles as kitchen storage space. Apparently, the French are really good at this.
Christian's apartment seems ideal, because the panels hide the kitchen, which means he can easily hide all of his dirty dishes from guests. At 24 square meters, it's quite a bit larger than the other apartments on this list, which is how he has space for a full kitchen sink and a large shower.
This New York City origami apartment is complete with pull-out walls and a couch that coverts into a bed.
Microapartments aren't for everyone. They are tight living spaces without a lot of privacy and often require heavy-handed re-designs to make them liveable. But they do have potential to create more affordable living spaces in areas with high rent rates. Also, if you're not claustrophobic, they're pretty dang cool.
