It also gave many New Yorkers a joltingly fresh perspective. For those who already consider themselves space-starved, quarters that are even more cramped seemed inconceivable. Yet to others, an apartment of that size sounded crazy-huge.
Consider Gab Stolarski, who happily renewed the lease for her West Village studio apartment— all 170 square feet of it.
As she welcomes a visitor to her fourth-floor walk-up, Ms. Stolarski, a manager in the digital sales group at Condé Nast, recites the stock reaction to her pinkie toehold in Manhattan: “ ‘Oh! Ohhh. It’s ... cute! And you have a bathroom, too!’ ”
Plus 35 pairs of shoes.
Although her charming aerie has a working fireplace and a courtyard view, here is what Ms. Stolarski’s apartment does not have: a couch; tchotchkes; specks of dirt; paperwork (“I’m 25,” she shrugs. “I’m a digital girl.”); food.
Yet the studio, which was represented by Prudential Douglas Elliman, perfectly matches her priorities. A clotheshorse who doesn’t cook, she stores sweaters, not soy sauce, in her kitchen cabinets. She covers her stove burners with a cutting board — not for serving cheese and crackers, but as a counter area to dump sunglasses and her purse du jour. More important, she lives in her favorite neighborhood, near transportation, and for a rent that is almost bearable: $1,745 a month (Manhattan one-bedroom rents have inched over $3,300). As for entertaining guests? Like many others with no space to spare, she usually meets friends at bars and restaurants.
“The city as living room is key,” said Susanne Schindler, an architect with Team R8, a design group that contributed to Making Room, an initiative of the Citizens Housing and Planning Council, which explores designs for diverse housing options, including micro-units.
by Jan Hoffman, NY Times | Read more:
Photo: Marilynn K. Yee
