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Tiny Houzz: A Clever Storage Wall Maximises a 225-Sq-Ft Flat
A slide-out table, a pullout pantry, a pull-down bed and other components free up space in this tiny New York apartment
Architect Michael Chen is pretty well-known in New York for his smart storage solutions for small apartments. But this 20 square metres (225 square foot) studio in Manhattan’s West Village neighbourhood almost scared him off. The ramshackle nature of the space, which hadn’t been remodelled in something like a hundred years, he says, and its minuscule size posed a set of unique challenges for him. “I was nervous about the project at the beginning,” Chen says. “I wasn’t really sure what we could do there. The floor sloped; the ceiling sagged. It was so small.”
Nevertheless, Chen was able to gut the unit and use a crawl space to house several transforming components, including a slide-out table, a pullout pantry and computer, and a Murphy-style bed to give the homeowner more functionality for entertaining, dining and working.
Nevertheless, Chen was able to gut the unit and use a crawl space to house several transforming components, including a slide-out table, a pullout pantry and computer, and a Murphy-style bed to give the homeowner more functionality for entertaining, dining and working.
A slide-out box with power holds a computer screen. Below, a 6-foot table pulls out to provide several functions.
Chen was most excited about getting a table into the apartment. “In 20 square metres (225 square feet), the last thing you would expect is a table that seats four to five people,” he says. “This feature is so valuable. It enables you to entertain, to have a dedicated space for a meal, a place to work. It’s such an important feature in any residential space, so we became obsessed with how to get the biggest table we can.”
When pulled out, the slim table can act as an additional kitchen work surface, turning the area into a galley layout of sorts.
Transparent Italian folding chairs from the 1970s allow for extra seating when needed and can be folded up and tucked away when not.
Check out these multipurpose furniture pieces
When pulled out, the slim table can act as an additional kitchen work surface, turning the area into a galley layout of sorts.
Transparent Italian folding chairs from the 1970s allow for extra seating when needed and can be folded up and tucked away when not.
Check out these multipurpose furniture pieces
This compartment acts as extra pantry storage for the kitchen.
Shelving above holds books and audiovisual equipment.
A pullout offers wardrobe space, in addition to the larger storage to the right of the bed and a dresser near the entry.
Here’s how to have an amazing walk-in wardrobe
Here’s how to have an amazing walk-in wardrobe
This cabinet acts as the main clothing closet.
A custom pull-down bed with Hafele hardware features pink satin lacquer and a headboard wrapped in light blue mohair. The door pivots and pockets a little bit inward, but not all the way, offering a bit of privacy from other spots in the home.
Cabinetry over the headboard offers more storage. An illuminated cove with LED lights has space for an alarm clock and books. “The sensation of being in there when the bed is down feels like a really, really nice hotel room,” Chen says. “There’s so much design per square footage.”
Take a look at these over-bed storage ideas
Take a look at these over-bed storage ideas
Getting a small kitchen was a high priority.
Black lacquer cabinets, and black Corian for the backsplash, countertops and sink, keep the kitchen and its fixtures from standing out in the living space. “All recesses and surfaces and fixtures recede into shadow, so the kitchen isn’t taking over the room,” Chen says.
A single drawer is all there is for refrigerated food storage. The model can be switched to refrigerator, freezer or wine cooler, but not all at the same time. There’s no dishwasher. “It’s incredibly compact,” Chen says.
The section in the middle is from the bathroom vanity niche on the other side of the wall. “The kitchen and bathroom create this one continuous black cube,” he says.
A single drawer is all there is for refrigerated food storage. The model can be switched to refrigerator, freezer or wine cooler, but not all at the same time. There’s no dishwasher. “It’s incredibly compact,” Chen says.
The section in the middle is from the bathroom vanity niche on the other side of the wall. “The kitchen and bathroom create this one continuous black cube,” he says.
Before
The original unit had a lot of water infiltration, a sagging ceiling and severely outdated plumbing. The floor sloped. “It was never especially high-quality construction,” Chen says. “And it’s 175 years old on top of that. Then of course it’s just tiny. So it was a little challenging. It was clear there wasn’t anything in the space that was in any way worth maintaining,” Chen says.
Chen says the budget was appropriate for a New York gut renovation, nothing excessive, but the cost wasn’t the concern for him. “We can throw limitless money at a problem and arrive at a solution,” he says. “But the question is whether or not the solution would have value to the client; whether it’d be worth the expense is always at the forefront of my mind. I wasn’t sure we could produce something worth spending that money on at the beginning. After some time it became clear that we could do it.”
The original unit had a lot of water infiltration, a sagging ceiling and severely outdated plumbing. The floor sloped. “It was never especially high-quality construction,” Chen says. “And it’s 175 years old on top of that. Then of course it’s just tiny. So it was a little challenging. It was clear there wasn’t anything in the space that was in any way worth maintaining,” Chen says.
Chen says the budget was appropriate for a New York gut renovation, nothing excessive, but the cost wasn’t the concern for him. “We can throw limitless money at a problem and arrive at a solution,” he says. “But the question is whether or not the solution would have value to the client; whether it’d be worth the expense is always at the forefront of my mind. I wasn’t sure we could produce something worth spending that money on at the beginning. After some time it became clear that we could do it.”
After
Chen removed the interior wall to create one open space. He added waterproofing and insulation to the exterior walls.
A plush pink wool sofa, side tables and a few occasional tables that can double as stools are the only furnishings always out. Most of the other items the homeowner needs get tucked away into the multifunctional wall unit. The TV hangs on a swivel arm so it can be adjusted as needed.
Chen removed the interior wall to create one open space. He added waterproofing and insulation to the exterior walls.
A plush pink wool sofa, side tables and a few occasional tables that can double as stools are the only furnishings always out. Most of the other items the homeowner needs get tucked away into the multifunctional wall unit. The TV hangs on a swivel arm so it can be adjusted as needed.
Chen reconfigured the bathroom, even shrinking it a bit to create space for the kitchen. The homeowner wanted a classic black-and-white palette for it. “We wanted it to feel generous even though it’s a tiny footprint,” Chen says.
The shower base is black Corian. The floor is black marble mosaic hexagonal tiles. The walls are clad floor to ceiling in white marble tile.
Chen had to stop the niche storage midway down the wall because of a sloping stair bulkhead that juts into the space from the other side. “We were just carving away everywhere we could to reclaim space,” he says.
A new frosted window with an aluminum frame lets in light while offering privacy.
The shower base is black Corian. The floor is black marble mosaic hexagonal tiles. The walls are clad floor to ceiling in white marble tile.
Chen had to stop the niche storage midway down the wall because of a sloping stair bulkhead that juts into the space from the other side. “We were just carving away everywhere we could to reclaim space,” he says.
A new frosted window with an aluminum frame lets in light while offering privacy.
The vanity is a custom piece made from black Corian, including the sink and countertop. Chen says he used Corian because it produces a continuous waterproof surface.
The crawl space was only 5 feet high and was broken up by a chimney that serves apartments below, so it wasn’t a single continuous space that could be opened into the main room.
A built-in dresser with six drawers sits under the sloping surface of the former crawl space. A door at the far back opens to concealed crawl space storage. To the right of that is a small hanging compartment with a rod that can be pulled out.
The homeowner has to crouch a bit to access the dresser, but Chen didn’t want anything sitting flush with the entrance hallway. “It felt nicer to see some more floor space when you walk into the apartment and come down the stairs,” he says. “It’s visually more generous.”
A built-in dresser with six drawers sits under the sloping surface of the former crawl space. A door at the far back opens to concealed crawl space storage. To the right of that is a small hanging compartment with a rod that can be pulled out.
The homeowner has to crouch a bit to access the dresser, but Chen didn’t want anything sitting flush with the entrance hallway. “It felt nicer to see some more floor space when you walk into the apartment and come down the stairs,” he says. “It’s visually more generous.”
These floor plans show the layout of the studio and how the various components can be slid in and out of the former attic and crawl spaces.
Read more:
Houzz Tour: Five Rooms in One Compact Unit
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this house? Tell us in the Comments below.
Read more:
Houzz Tour: Five Rooms in One Compact Unit
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this house? Tell us in the Comments below.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A schoolteacher
Location: New York City
Size: The entire studio is 20 square metres (225 square feet)
Designer: Michael Chen
The apartment belongs to a schoolteacher and has been in her family since the late 1960s. She’d been living in the unit for a couple of years before reaching out to Chen for help renovating it. The space occupies the top floor of a building built in the 1850s and previously had been used as a writing studio.
The existing layout consisted of two rooms and a small bathroom. There was no proper kitchen, just a small refrigerator. That alone wasn’t a huge deal, since the prime West Village location put the homeowner within steps of places to eat. But to live in the unit long term, she felt she needed a proper cooking space.
Chen took the space down to the studs and rafters and rebuilt it from there. One wall in the living space, shown here, contains the transforming components. The portion on the right is ash, stained white. The left is white lacquer and contains several slide-out components that fill a former crawl space.
Chen didn’t want visible hardware on the fronts. Instead, milled hardwood forms finger pulls. “If you have to open or operate those on a daily basis, they should feel really good in your hand,” he says.