Architects vie to see who can fit most stuff into smallest space
Only in New York could 400 square feet of living space be considered too big. But just because you’re living in an area smaller than most celebrity closets doesn’t mean you don’t need renter’s insurance.
You’d be amazed at what people can pack into the tiniest of living quarters. In Hong Kong, a city known for packing a lot in a single block, architect Gary Chang transformed a 344-square-foot apartment into a high-tech dream with sliding walls, all the latest technology and the ability to transform into 24 different designs. We’re not making this up; see the video.
People have devoted entire blogs devoted to the subject of living large in small spaces. One of our favorites is Deb Perelman’s Smitten Kitchen, where she creates everything from chocolate babka to braised beef short ribs in a 42-square-foot New York apartment kitchen. Some of us can’t get up to anything fancier than a PB&J in a tiny kitchen without annexing space from the living room.
But New York landlords, it seems, are beginning to offer 300-square-foot micro-apartments to appeal to the singletons who apparently find that extra 100 square feet just too much room to bounce around in alone. A new show at the Museum of the City of New York features the creative use of micro-spaces by architects who may have been traumatized by large houses as children.
The city actually held a contest to see who could design the best tiny apartments, and the winning architects crammed a lot of living into 250 square feet (because 300 feet would have been an unfair advantage?). The micro-apartment is seen as a possible solution to New York’s ongoing battle with affordable housing, although it’s unlikely anyone’s going to be throwing any Twister parties in them.
Whether you’re living in 300 or 3,000 square feet, you can still fit in your flat-screen TV, your fabulous jewelry, your priceless collection of big-eyed art from the 1960s. And it all needs to be insured, because bad things can happen in the little apartments as easily as the big ones.
Don’t let cost be a deterrent — most renter’s policies are $10 or $20 a month. It’ll cost more than that to buy the ingredients for your next tiny kitchen-made chocolate babka.
We hope you’ll put down the mixing bowl long enough to call Gotham Brokerage and let us find the solution to your renter’s insurance needs. Our family-owned firm has been in business for more than 50 years. We work with multiple insurers, so we can tailor our products to whatever you need. You can feel confident with our A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, and you’ll feel peace of mind if you let us help find the right renter’s insurance policy for you. Give us a call at 212-406-7300.
