A very small space that lives big

Posted on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 by KiM

We received an email from Robert Garneau of Studio Garneau, an architecture firm in New York, about one of their award-winning renovation projects called Transformer (a derelict pre-war studio apartment). This is one of the coolest and most efficient uses of a small space I have seen in a LONG time. Here is a quick breakdown of what they did and the features of the space. 

  1. Sliding a wall carves a bedroom from the living room, while revealing a library or a home office.
  2. Sliding wall transforms into surface for projector for movie-watching.
  3. Tilting down a wall-bed unveils a walnut clad sleeping nook complete with bedside niches.
  4. Wall-bed tucks away tp create yoga niche.
  5. A tiled washroom wall opens to expose walnut clad laundry hampers and linen closets.
  6. Pressing a button converts a dining table into a countertop, complete with secret compartment inside.
  7. Custom modular sofa can be configured into queen size bed. 

What an amazing use of space! And imagine, a house with a library 🙂

Felicia says:

A truly incredible space. I love the bathroom and that Murphy bed is a real coup de coeur. I just wish that there was a half bath for guests. I personally don't like the idea of someone walking through your intimate spaces to use the bathroom.

Zeppy says:

Divine! The creation of such a zen like area in such a small space is fabulous, the moving walls, the flow of wood in each room, the small nooks that are used to create extra space. I simply love it!

Issy says:

What fantastic use of space. Love the way everything multi-tasks. This house feels much than its meagre square footage!

Karen says:

I'm searching for a solution like the one used here for the bed. Could you tell me more about the kind of system/hardware used?

Many Thanks!

Lorena says:

Very well done. How many m² does it have?

selina says:

Amazing! and so elegant!

Thank you for your wonderful comments, let me try to answer some of your questions:
The hardware for the Wall Bed/Murphy Bed is manufactured by Hafele, the legs retract automatically and it's perfectly counterbalanced so it's easy to lift and lower.
The space is 650 square feet, approximately 60 square meters.
The recessed ceiling shower is called Rain Showerhead, and in this project it's 4 separate adjustable heads by Kohler.

Lud says:

Lovely apartment. However, I'd like to point that 650 square feet are 60 square meters, not 200. A 200- square-meter apartment is huge!

Thanks Lud for pointing that out, we fixed that typo, indeed the apartment is not huge!

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