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If they are serious about space efficiency, they should look at layouts Soviets developed to "warehouse" their citizen in - no luxury, but it really worked magi
by sologoub 10y ago
If they are serious about space efficiency, they should look at layouts Soviets developed to "warehouse" their citizen in - no luxury, but it really worked magic with efficiency.
I grew up in 33 m^2 apartment. Layout is similar to this, minus the balcony: http://cdn.gdeetotdom.ru/b/b9f1203ec7061e6dc65984ff104ecfb7-cb300x198.jpeg http://cdn.gdeetotdom.ru/b/b9f1203ec7061e6dc65984ff104ecfb7-...
The major difference is that you have a separation of space with the kitchen and hallway (with closets). That separation made it fairly livable for a family with a child! (Don't recommend stuffing a teenager in there, but it has been done...)
The completely open studio layout will likely not be great even for a couple, as sometimes your really do need space or privacy. A blocked off kitchen affords that and doubles as a decent home office.
I don't recall us resorting to space-efficient furniture, but then again Soviet furniture was smaller already and I did sleep on a foldout couch.
For entertaining, that tiny kitchen actually fit 5-6 people reasonably well. I think our informal record was 14 (3 standing, rest comfortably seating).
The kitchen became such a part of the culture as a place to sit down and talk privately, that there have been articles and books written about it. It really highlights the genius utility of that small extra space. Unfortunately, all I could find in English is a really terrible NPR article that shows a place you'd need a hasmat suit to enter as a "typical" Russian kitchen... Still the utility is amazing!
EDIT: as discussed below, Tokyo calls such layout 1DK (with 2 rooms effectively, 2nd being the kitchen). These are much more desirable than the 1K true studio apartments.
- alexeiz 10y agoSay yes to Soviet-style apartments in Manhattan!
- sologoub 10y agoOh hell no! But they are doing worse than that with these...
- gambiting 10y agoI was just about to comment, that this "apartment" is pretty much identical in size and layout to an apartment my parents got from the communist government of Poland in the 70s. It was small, but at least it was free - is $2400/month a common price in New York? I currently live in UK and pay $900/month for a detached 3 bedroom house, $2400/month is more than I make a month as a c++ programmer - just seems very very high to me. Edit: I do make more than $2400/month, I fudged the conversion rate
- MagnumOpus 10y agoIf you live in the UK and make $2400 as a C++ programmer, you are being exploited. £20k a year is not much more than minimum wage, and university graduate salaries are far higher than that even in low-skill industries.
- visarga 10y agoFor people working remote, move to Bucharest. It's not just a little cheaper - it's 10x cheaper! 420$/mo (Bu) instead of 4600$/mo for two rooms in NY. Check it out here at the bottom of the list: http://ceoworld.biz/2015/10/19/top-50-most-expensive-cities-in-the-world-to-rent-an-apartment-2015-report http://ceoworld.biz/2015/10/19/top-50-most-expensive-cities-... Internet speeds are great and it only costs 10$/month to get 1gbps (probably just 100mbs external, 1gbps metropolitan). Americans are well regarded by everyone, especially girls :-)
- stevoski 10y agoWhat are the negatives of living and working in Bucharest as a foreigner?
- visarga 10y agoBucharest has bad traffic congestion, but that's only a problem if you commute to work during rush hour. If you work remote, you don't need to worry about it. Another negative is bureaucracy. The system is overly complex, stupid sometimes. If you need to open a company or get hired locally it can be a PITA. Young people can speak English, some quite well. But older people don't.
- dominotw 10y ago>The kitchen became such a part of the culture as a place to sit down and talk privately, that there have been articles and books written about it. Here is an interesting article on soviet kitchens on NPR if you don't have the time to read a book about it . How Soviet Kitchens Became Hotbeds Of Dissent And Culture http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/05/27/314961287/how-soviet-kitchens-became-hotbeds-of-dissent-and-culture http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/05/27/314961287/how...
- sologoub 10y agoUnfortunately, that's the article I was referring to as terrible. That is not how a typical Russian kitchen looks like...