Living in Tiny Spaces Part II
“To me 300 square feet seems like a palace,” Genevieve Shuler said. The 33-year-old administrative assistant has been living in an apartment even smaller than the micro-apartments envisioned by the mayor. “I dream of, oh my Gosh, what could I do with 300 square feet?”
She has been renting a 105 square feet studio in the West Village for seven years. Shuler says she makes the best use of space: she has a loft bed which utilizes the height of the apartment, and a couch and a small table for TV the space underneath.
WNYC has a story about people who live in smaller spaces than the 300 square feet “micro studios” Mayor Bloomberg is proposing to build in Kips Bay, including a woman who lives in a 105 square-foot studio in the West Village. I personally would find the space too claustrophobic, but, hey, she’s living in the West Village for $800 a month, and if she’s been happy enough with the space to stay there for seven years, more power to her. Oh, and let’s not forget this woman:
These make the 520sqft studio I am about to move into seem like a palace! Not in Manhattan, but it is a good deal and I was worried about the size, but sheesh! I don’t think I could live with such clutter, no matter the location or price.
So I guess she has sex on the floor?
This just sadly reminds me of how small the Brooklyn apartment I will be moving into is. Sigh, I’ll miss your spacious and affordable apartments, Chicago.
I’ve seen this video before and still don’t understand why she says she lives in the West Village but then goes on to say that Central Park is a block away, and Lincoln Center is nearby, etc. Where is this apartment?!
Also, I could never give up all of my books. One reason I am seriously considering moving out of NYC is because I cannot find a new place (or roommate situation) in my price range that has space to fit all my books and records. Plus, I could never live without a kitchen. I need to be able to bake!
@kellyography Oh, they’re two separate ladies/apartments. One lives in a 105 square foot apartment in the Village, the other lives in a 90 square foot apartment on the Upper West Side next to Central Park.
@Mike Dang: I clearly got some brain-wires crossed (yes), because I could have sworn that the video started out with a shot looking north on 6th Ave. at the Jefferson Market Library. But no, it is just another building that has a similar silhouette.
Related question: How many square feet is your studio, Mike Dang? And do you entertain there? That is my main worry about moving to a studio apartment – that I won’t have space for a “living” area as well as a sleeping area, and my base of all operations will be relegated to my bed, as it has been while living with roommates for six years.
@kellyography It’s probably a little more than 400 square feet. Perhaps I’ll take photos and post them! And I hosted a dinner party for 12 once—I just had to move some things around before the guests arrived.
@kellyography You are a hoarder. Just get a Kindle for your books. You can live and go anywhere and still have your entire library with you all the time.
Yeah, this lady is single. Has to be. There is no sex happening in that space.
@Kate, M.D. And what is the point of an apartment all your own if you’re not getting regular tail?