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$70,000 Treehugger Tiny NYC Apartment Contest

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When Treehugger founder Graham Hill put out word of his $70,000 prize money for designing a way for his tiny 420  square foot NYC apartment to perform like an apartment four or five times that size, it seemed like an easy challenge, with such huge prize money, that even I grabbed my sketchup to try!

Then I took one look at the hideous awkward cramped little room with its tiny windows onto horrible views, and gave up all hope of competing. But the first entries are now online, and amazingly some indeed do achieve everything that the downsizing eco-pioneer laid out in his requirements for LifeEdited.

Here is the terrific entry from the German design studio wenstudio, for example.
1. There had to be a lounging area for 8.

2. There had to be a computer home office workspace. Watch this wall behind the computer. That is the key to this movable room.

The only non-moving parts are the plumbing for the kitchen and bathroom, which are along the far wall by the entry door.

To maximise light, neither kitchen not bathroom are fully partitioned off, (other than to screen the shower stall by the door and the toilet from view) but a semi-opaque sliding glass wall provides some bathroom privacy, and lets in the daylight, while screening out the gory details that say “bathroom.”

3. There had to be a relaxing space to watch TV at night. By tilting the movable wall, and tucking the chair under the long-bed-sofa storage, the computer screen does double duty.

4. There had to be space to give a dinner party for twelve. The  long dining table flips down from the wall in two sections and out to form the table.

5. After dinner, there had to be room for twelve to dance.

6. A guest room was on the list of requirements. This is done by sliding the wall forward from the window, over half of the long sofa, and folding it back.

7. Storage for Graham’s bike was of course one of the requirements. Normally this is behind the wall, whether it is flat or folded into a guest room, and accessed from the kitchen area.

8. The kitchen is minimal. The sink backs up to the bathroom wall. The kitchen’s opaque glass wall seems to swing out from where it normally is covering the bike.

With the glass wall slid back, and night lighting, the bathroom is easier to see. But the sliding opaque glass wall can make it private, when you want it to be.

This entry certainly meets all the requirements for a frugal 420 square foot life lived large. There are ten more ideas here, if you want to vote for your favorite.