A Family of Four in a 700sqft Apartment

I read this article about to make a small space worth while in New York a family of four is making full use of thier 700sqft space.

They hired Oliver and McGrath after hearing of the pair’s skill with small spaces. One of the first steps was to eliminate several inches of dry-wall along the eastern side, increasing the floor area slightly. Finger restored the remaining exposed brick himself, leaving a groove in the rear of the apartment between the reclaimed pine floor and wall that enables a convenient cleaning strategy—simply sweep dust into the channel, then run a vacuum hose through it. “A pretty thorough cleaning only takes an hour,” he says. With a job that demands frequent travel, he values saving time as much as space, maximizing weekend hours for family and his favorite pastime: cooking.

The new kitchen sits along one wall of the connective passage between the living room and the rear of the apartment. Finger had initially envisioned an all-black, showroom-style kitchen, but ultimately they went with CaesarStone and a gray color scheme, which kept the kitchen from dominating. Though the area is narrow, there’s still enough room for Jonah to set up a battleground for several brigades of army figurines near his father’s collection of lime green Le Creuset pots. Pantry goods are stored in a narrow sliding shelving unit that doubles as a screen when extended fully, providing some peace and quiet in the bedrooms if the kids need to go to sleep while the parents entertain. The floor slopes up at the bathroom, where existing plumbing necessitated some extra elevation.

In the found space above the original floor, recessed lighting provides a subtle night-light, partially filtered by a mahogany grill over the top. The pillbox lavatory was strategically placed so that the shower could share one of the kitchen skylights. “We believe that natural light is important in a shower,” Oliver explains. “It can transform a standard bathroom into a spa-like space.” Birch plywood and jade green stone mosaic floor tiles add to the Japanese feel.

The end of the corridor becomes a slender office/bedroom, with a tall north-facing window that looks out onto a tree and offers glimpses of Manhattan’s minimally varied wildlife. “We have a squirrel and a nesting pigeon,” Finger tells me, “but of course New Yorkers don’t like pigeons.” Jonah quickly interjects: “Excuse me, it’s a turtle dove, and there were two eggs, and two doves mean good luck.”

Clearly Jonah considers himself lucky to have had his pirate ship aspirations honored. He demonstrates the easy transformation of his sleeping berth from desk into bed, which he can do by himself. The floor hatches are also kid-friendly, he readily proves, with each section of mahogany floor lifting up to reveal cavities approximately eight inches deep for storing electronics, clothes, and toys.

Read more: http://www.dwell.com/articles/a-narrow-victory.html#ixzz1f1dYqXHt