Gizmodo
Face it, that box you live in ain't no palace. When you can pee in the toilet from the living room, it's time to start finding ways to maximize your precious square footage. I may not be able to convince you to throw out your old, ratty chairs or your college textbooks that refer to the US as having 48 states, but in this week's Thank Giz It's Friday roundup, I can offer you some insanely clever space-saving ideas that will help make some sense of the chaos.
They say that the kitchen is the heart of any home, so that is where we will start. This Circular Kitchen utilizes the same sort of rotating space saving design that you might find in a cabinet or pantry. It only takes up 18 square feet, but it features the storage capacity of 12 cupboards in a conventional kitchen as well as room for essential appliances like a stove (burners above the fridge), dishwasher, sink, and microwave. Prices depend on the configuration, but expect to pay upwards of $6,000 to put one in your home. [Cleverkitchen]
It may only be where you sleep, but everyone wants a big bedroom. However, when space is tight, this is often the first place we think of when looking for a computer workspace. The aptly titled "Bedup" can buy you 30 square feet of extra space by sliding the bed up to the ceiling. Unfortunately, if your ceilings are low, you might be SOL on this one. Available for $4300 or more depending on options. [Bedup via Link]
If you don't consider yourself the owner of an actual "bedroom," maybe we should just talk about your "living space." This is the area where you will spend most of your time and do the majority of your entertaining, so optimizing the space is a must. For this task, there are two similar concept designs that could offer some inspiration for your own projects. The first is the Matroshka living concept that packs an L-shaped sofa, double bed, dinner table, four stools, total seating for 12, a home office workspace, wardrobe and storage in only a 43 square foot area. It is also highly configurable, so you can mess around with the layout on a whim. [Matroshika via Link]
The second and more extreme example of this idea comes in the form of the Casulo apartment in a box. As you can see in the video, the name pretty much says it all. [Project Page via Link ]
Small bathrooms are always a problem—even in some bigger homes. This handy little device transforms your toilet into a sink by using the tank water for hand washing then recycling it for flushing. So, it can be a space saver and an earth saver—if you can get past the inherent grossness, that is. Available for $89-$109. [Sink Positive via Link]
Remember those textbooks I talked about earlier? Maybe you wouldn't have to chuck them after all if you built yourself one of these now-famous stairwell bookcases. If your not much of a reader, you could always utilize it for movies and CDs. [Apartment Therapy via Link]
If you are planning a big dinner party or a holiday get-together, you may need a dining table that is a little bigger than what you might find in the Matroshika and Casulo concepts. This inflatable "Grace Table" designed by Philippe Malouin will give you the surface area you need for guests, but when all is said and done you can store it in a duffel bag. He also demonstrates a chair that doubles as a clothes hanger when not in use. So you can have a sturdy dining table and seating without taking nearly any space. [Philippe Malouin via Treehugger]
If furniture isn't your problem, but clutter is, you may want to invest in some of these Zero Gravity Hangers. Just clip on a remote, your car keys, pens, etc. and hang them from the ceiling. It will keep your tables clutter-free and help you keep tabs on stuff that you don't want to lose. Available for around $28. [Ledindon]
Speaking of clutter, if you tend to be a bit of a pack-rat, much of the junk you collect probably makes its way to the garage or attic. Installing one of these Heavy Lift Garage Elevators can get up to 250lbs stuff out of the way with a simple hand crank. Available for $180. [Skymall]
So, we have hit just about every room in the house, and now its time to take the party outdoors. This BloomFrame concept would actually increase your living space by converting a window into a balcony. Something like this would undoubtedly prove popular in high-rise urban apartment complexes—at least until your fat cousin steps out there, dislodges the window and sends you both plummeting to an untimely death. [Project Page via Link]
Comments
You forgot
1. Descending Beirut table
2. A wife that doubles as a doormat.
i'll just move my whole life to the ceiling, that way I can piss in the toilet rightside up! look mom . . . er, girlfriend No Hands!
@Darrone: lol. Good thing no chicks read tech news sites.
I can pee in the toilet from the living room, and my place is pretty big. I am a master of Tantric Urination, though.
The important thing to remember is, all these gadgets cost more than your tiny apartment.
The toilet/sink actually makes sense (but not good ergonomics). Why flush with pristine clean water from the tank, when you could use water that's already been used for handwashing?
[gizmodo.com]
DO NOT WANT!!
@EBone: If you were washing mud off your hands you might have to clean out the toiler afterwards
I just bought a new door for the house. Not only is it a door, it is ajar. Sorry, I'll go away now.
@xint: LOL, well that's disgusting too.
@Hiphopopotamus: exactly my thought. If I could afford half those things, I'd be able to afford a new apt. or the pimpinest trailer in tha world.
i really dont see the big "eeew!" regarding the toilet sink - this is the same friggin' water that comes out of every faucet in every house. there's no special, dirtier, "for toilet use only" water pipe.
@ianmanning:
I wouldn't worry about it, that muddy water is going to be flowing into a bowl of shitty water.
I wish I could find rent for $1200 a month, even if I did have a dong and could pee from my couch to the toilet. Heck, i could buy several new cars. That sucks!!
@madcow3417: haha, of course not. Females aren't interested in tech news. Or reading.
Pull your head out of your ass.
Giz, this stuff is all very cool, but if I could afford any of it, don't you think I'd be putting up the money for a bigger apartment anyway?
@ionerox: Does that make you feel better about not getting laid? ;)
I was reading that zero gravity hanger thing and instead of pens, I read "penis" and went Whoa! good thinking!...
@shamoononon: If you moved to the midwest, you could find a house for $1200 a month.
@nutbastard:
Agreed, you get clean water on your hands, and then pee/poo into dirty water.
I hear guys lots love to look at the size of their crap. Now if you paint and wash you hands you can have colorful water surrounding you masterpiece!
@Log1c:
That's because you guys always think everything is about the penis.
@madcow3417:
WTF?
I'm a girl. This has been confirmed.
@Darrone:
Lots of wives already do this. Lots of women love assholes.
id rather spend my 6,000 on a whole new apartment...if you have that much to spend on this plus a landlord that will let you install it...im thinking you can probably move somewhere else
@TheCapt: Hmm, yeah, i guess it's a trade off though. I pay about 1750 a month for a smallish apartment but I'm surrounded by companies with jobs in my specialty. Of course, it's still an hour commute each way because the darned traffic is so horrible. It's a tough decision i guess... hard to tell which life would be better :)
On a more realistic tip here is an actual book I recommend about stuffing lots of stuff into small spaces
[www.amazon.com]
@LindsayJoy:
"I hear guys lots love to look at the size of their crap"
if pushing the thing out would have been aided by the administration of an epidural, then yes, we will check and see if it's trophy material or not.
@Camperton:
"here is an actual book I recommend about stuffing lots of stuff into small spaces"
you know they make films of that, too... interracial films...
hasn't anyone been to ikea?
they have wonderful space-efficient rooms, including an entire apt in less than 400 sq feet (complete with futon AND bunk beds i might add)
because every techie geek needs bunk beds, where else would i put my 'empire strikes back' sheets?
Way better kitchen option (seriously guys? Range above the fridge???) is this one from uncrate:
[www.uncrate.com]
All these items are pretty neat and would make for a better use of the tiny spaces in bigger cities. Just a couple things standing in my way:
1) Cost because a dollar just doesn't go very far in NYC, actually it goes nowhere, maybe even a little backward (as mentioned throughout above comments)
2) Don't want to lose my deposit because I drilled anchors into every wall, ceiling, and floor space in my apartment to attach all this cool space saving furniture
3) Moving every year (because finding a rent stabilized place is like finding a unicorn in Central Park) would be a total bitch carrying this stuff up and down super narrow walk ups full of 180 degree turns
4) I am not Bruce Willis and this is not the set from the 5th Element
wow 0.0
@nutbastard:
I was waiting for that.
My four personal rules for living in a ~600 sq ft Manhattan one-bedroom.
1) Nothing comes in the house unless something else goes out.
(This includes clothes and food.)
2) If you can't/won't throw it out, stash it at Manhattan Mini Storage.
3) Take it as a point of pride when someone tells you your apartment looks like a modern hotel room.
4) Don't have children.
@Camperton: OWN ED!
I still love that staircase book
@Amiash is dyslexic: *stairwell bookcase
@92BuickLeSabre: #4 is my rule for living anywhere.
Stuff like this should be on Home Maker crap or hell, Oprah!!
Either that woman on the fold-out balcony is really short, or that is one huge window.
hahaha oh man
thats funny because that picture accurately represents my studio apartment, 1200/amonth and all.
@shamoononon: Girl here, who gets laid whenever I want. Go back to your blow-up doll.
Thanks lifeha.. err Gizmodo
ionerox, my blow-up doll looks just like you, and really, getting laid whenever you want, sounds a bit skanky babe. really
another girl here....i hate guys who call girls who they don't know babe.
as far as the furniture goes, i've lived in big places and small spaces, and i feel like the bigger the place the more cluttered it gets. i guess it's just important to be mindful of junk.
enjoy the blow up doll. i'm sure thats the biggest space saver of all, unfortunately it seems to have inflated your ego as well...
I guess it sucks for you guys.
1250 sq ft, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths and a 1/2 bath next to the living room. 25 minute commute to one of the best tech hubs on the east coast. 2 hours to the best beaches on the east coast (probably in the country). 2 hours to the mountains. And only $800 a month. Yep, sucks for you guys.
The description of the toilet-sink had me terrified for a minute. Thankfully it's wrong. The water comes from the mains, not the ta