When you’re living in an 8-square-foot home, there are no corners to hide clutter or extra items that you don’t use often. The family of four who lives in this home, designed by architect Michael Janzen, relies on extremely high-quality storage and organization techniques to pack in everything they need and make their space livable and comfortable. This can be applied to your own home, even if it’s not quite as small as this one! Here are some of the best techniques they’ve used to live comfortably in just 8 square feet.
- The Big Picture
When Christofer Larsen and his wife decided to start a family, it wasn’t long before they realized that their Brooklyn apartment would not be large enough for them. Realizing the sacrifice it would take, Christoffer decided to downsize his own ambitions by taking on a project that had personal meaning—building their home from scratch.
Christoffer and his wife eventually settled on living in just 700 square feet.
- Sleeping Arrangements
The majority of the space is devoted to the living room and kitchen, which takes up nearly 500 square feet. A typical condo, however, only has 120-180 square feet. Because they have a small child, they have to have a bedroom on the ground floor as well as a nursery upstairs. Even though there are two bedrooms and a nursery in just 300 square feet of space, everything fits comfortably with plenty of breathing room left over.
- Kitchen & Dining
The kitchen is compact but stylish, and everything is within easy reach. The dining area converts into a work space with pull-out table, chair, and desk on one side; while on the other side it creates a space for hobbies like painting or ceramics. And, to make sure they don’t feel like they’re cramped in such a small space they often take their meals outside by the terrace.
- The Home Office/Den
I want to share with you one secret that has saved our sanity and boosted our confidence as parents: a home office/den. The kids get their own space, and we get to work with them while they play. Working at the kitchen table doesn’t cut it when you need to check email, edit pictures, or have a conference call. There’s only one problem: the availability of a large enough space for an office!
- Bathroom & Laundry Room
The family’s bathroom is a combined space, with a tiny, custom-made bathtub. The laundry room is cleverly concealed behind shelving.
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- Guest Room
The guest room is a smaller-scale version of the master bedroom. The bed is on one side and there’s plenty of space for other things like bookshelves, an office area, or sitting area on the other side. The room is made to feel really welcoming and cozy with a lot of warm colors like deep browns, golds, and reds.
The bedroom has a nice big TV mounted on the wall that the family uses when they watch movies together after their kids have gone to bed.
- The Exit Door & Balcony View
The family wanted to start their life anew, but when looking for houses they were consistently shocked by the prices. On top of this, they knew they didn’t want to spend any more time than absolutely necessary on home maintenance. We’re not contractors, Ward says. I just want it to be simple. Ultimately, the family purchased a 700-square-foot condo unit with three bedrooms and two bathrooms for just under $200,000–a fraction of what a larger house would have cost them.
