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Small Space Architect

@small_space_architect

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Roberta Sandenbergh AIA SAIA architect. Book: "SMALL SPACE LIVING".

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There are many funny quotes that start with “My apartment is so small that …” Very small apartments can be challenging or comical. Just change your point of view. by @small_space_architect

Zoning policies are changing in many communities to allow conversion of garages into legal apartments.
So if you don’t have a car - or have another place to park one - you can gain an apartment for a family member or a rental. With online sites like @AirBnb or @Vrbo, you can rent it out whenever you don’t need it for yourself.
Many years ago I converted a carport into a cottage for me and my 8 year old daughter: a bedroom downstairs for my daughter and a loft bedroom under the roof for me.
Here’s some hints:
a) Take off the garage doors but keep the wide openings for narrower doors and windows. For privacy, convert the driveway into a patio with a wall or bushes along the line of the sidewalk.
b) Build an archway toward the back of the garage to hold 2 swing doors at 2 different angles. This will give you room to enter a small bedroom and bathroom.
c) Build in a mini-kitchen at the back of the bathroom to use the same plumbing. Close it off with 2 doors and shelves at the back.
d) Build a staircase (preferably spiral) to put a loft bedroom under the peak of the roof.
*STORE: If you have the space, add a narrow STORE at the side of the garage as a home for your bicycle, lawnmower and power tools.
#smallspacearchitect #garagerenovations #garagerenovation by @small_space_architect

Counter space
is always scarce in a small kitchen. Where to put the blender? The toaster-oven? The air fryer? The electric kettle? And where to hang your utensils? Plus you don’t want to make holes in the wall if you’re a renter. Here’s a clever solution from @joybos_official. The shelves are heavy duty metal and fold up neatly when the time comes for you to move from one small kitchen to another.
#smallkitchensolutions
#smallspacearchitect by @small_space_architect

DIVIDING SPACE IN A RENTAL
Living in a small space often means using a single room for more than one function. In a rental, you don’t want anything permanent. You want a divider that is easy to set up and take down without damaging the apartment. You may want to take it with you when you move. This light and elegant fabric room divider @hammacherschlemmer uses vertical tension rods to divide your space and can be rolled up when you move. There may be a few spots on the floor and ceiling, But you will be able to move without doing a major ‘touch-up’.
#smallspacearchitect
#roomdividers by @small_space_architect

BACK SEAT STORAGE
While working on my new book: 3 IN A VAN, I came across this clever idea from #Vantale. It uses every inch of the back seat space and is good for short trips as well as long ones like mine. Excellent. #backseatstorage #campervanideas
#smallspacearchitect by @small_space_architect

Van Life designs
can also be used for tiny houses or small apartments - or even as extra facilities in larger homes. This clever Discoverer Xtreme design certainly fits into these categories. You get a toilet without having to build a bathroom or install any water and drain pipes. But you do have to dispose of the bags.
#vanlifers #tinyhouses #smallapartments #smallspacearchitect by @small_space_architect

Put two things in the space of one and you can double your living space. Here you get more out of your kitchen by sliding the cooktop under the counter. This design also has clever drawers that pull out two different ways. Great idea! The design by #classiccoachworks is meant for vans. But it would work in small kitchens anywhere. #smallkitchen #vanlifer #vanlifeideas #smallspacearchitect by @small_space_architect

Einstein is
a symbol of greatness through extreme simplicity. We all know vaguely about a formula that says E = mc square, although what e, m or c stands for may remain a mystery to most of us. How a human being could have simplified the universe into 3 letters is beyond my comprehension. I hate clutter. I adore simplicity. So Einstein is my hero. #alberteinstein #einstein #einsteins #einsteininfact #einsteinquote #einsteinquotes #einsteinbagels
#smallspacearchitect by @small_space_architect

Many years ago, I helped a young couple in Cape Town cope with a baby and a nurse in a house with only one bathroom! They had to sacrifice their one bedroom closet to make room for a new ensuite bathroom for themselves. This year, my daughter discovered the same idea in a house she rented in the Loire Valley in France. Even though it was a large house with multiple bathrooms, the owners had used the same space saving design in one of their bedrooms. In an early Instagram, I presented this concept as an isometric sketch, which I have now included in this post.
#smallspace architect #smallbathrooms #smallbathroomideas #closetconversions by @small_space_architect

My tiny balcony
has one of the most spectacular views in New York: Central Park !
It seemed a pity not to use this wonderful space to the absolute max, so I added a small plastic desktop on both sides - one facing east and the other facing west- just big enough to fit my laptop. I put them high enough to work standing up - advice from my doctor to help with my back problems - but also giving me the best view while I am working!
#smallspacearchitect #apartmentbalconyideas #balconyideas by @small_space_architect

When I was living in South Africa, I longed to return to New York - if only I could afford a place to live. So I started thinking small. Seriously small. Bedroom-size small. Here's an example of 140 sq.ft. small. Designed by Polish designer Szymon Hanczar @hanczarstudio, it fits a sleeping loft over a tiny kitchen and bathroom, with a bicycle on the wall, a cabinet, a table, 2 chairs and a hammock. That's it! And maybe that's all I needed. I asked myself: "What do I really need and what can I do without?" I decided that I could live really small. Then I finally made it back to New York. But it was the early 90’s and the real estate market had tanked so I luxuriated in a 440 sq.ft. studio with a beautiful view of the park. Sometimes a bit of luck also helps. #smallspacedesign #smallspacearchitect by @small_space_architect

A mirrored shoe cabinet is a space-saving idea I find extremely useful. If you put it near your entry door, you can put on your shoes and check how you look before leaving the house. Then when you come home, you can take off your shoes and put them away without tramping in the dirt from the streets. The wall-hung model, available from Amazon, Tuhome and Pemberly Row for around $200, holds only 5 pairs of shoes, while the floor-mounted model, available for around $350 from Amazon and OrganizedLife, holds 10 to 20 pairs in 5 separate pull-out sections. However, one customer review notes that shoes larger than size 8 don’t fit. And the full-length mirror for this model is divided into 5 panels, which cuts your image into sections.
#organize #organized_home #organized_simplicity #smallspacearchitect by @small_space_architect