On a mission to prove that good things really do come in small packages, Treehugger’s Graham Hill launched LifeEdited - a global design challenge to turn a run-down, 39 sq m New York apartment into a viable place to live, work and entertain. Designers were tasked to include seated dining for twelve, a living space for eight, a home office, space for two overnight guests and the option of a steam room. From clever storage solutions, to fully fledged master plans for mini living, the ideas came flooding in. Here Hill reveals the winning design, and the best of the rest.
The winning design: ’One Size Fits All’ by Catalin Sandu and Adrian Iancu
On their quest to find a plan for ’a tiny, ultra green, really efficient, even luxurious’ apartment, the judges - including designer Yves Behar, architect William McDonough and Hill himself - picked out this design by architecture students Catalin Sandu and Adrian Iancu. Their prize included $10,000 in cash, a contract award of up to $10,000 to consult on the renovation project and a one-week stay in the apartment.
Says Hill: ’The winning scheme from Romania featured a moving wall, a fairly common element in people’s submissions. We really like the way the moving wall can easily transform a space from one large one to two smaller ones with different functions. We believe that, if the design of moving walls can be advanced enough that they are safe, easy to use and not too expensive, they will be a key component in small space design.’
Adds Behar: ’The living room and couch set-up is quite luxurious considering the overall size of the apartment, and there resides the genius of this entry: each separate living function seems to maximize the entire space, rather than be confined to a compromised space.’
On their quest to find a plan for ’a tiny, ultra green, really efficient, even luxurious’ apartment, the judges - including designer Yves Behar, architect William McDonough and Hill himself - picked out this design by architecture students Catalin Sandu and Adrian Iancu. Their prize included $10,000 in cash, a contract award of up to $10,000 to consult on the renovation project and a one-week stay in the apartment.
Says Hill: ’The winning scheme from Romania featured a moving wall, a fairly common element in people’s submissions. We really like the way the moving wall can easily transform a space from one large one to two smaller ones with different functions. We believe that, if the design of moving walls can be advanced enough that they are safe, easy to use and not too expensive, they will be a key component in small space design.’
Adds Behar: ’The living room and couch set-up is quite luxurious considering the overall size of the apartment, and there resides the genius of this entry: each separate living function seems to maximize the entire space, rather than be confined to a compromised space.’
