In large Dutch cities, a new phenomenon is emerging: the micro-apartment. A micro-apartment is between 15 and 40 m2 in size. That is small, but the comfortable layout is very comfortable. In a micro-apartment you have all the advantages of living in the city, but without the sky-high fixed costs. And the beauty is, they are stylish too.
Tiny houses or micro-apartments for students and starters
We have long seen a trend that people want to live smaller. Near nature you can live in a self-sufficient tiny house, but now there is also a kind of tiny house for the city; the micro-apartment. Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam are great cities to live in, but unaffordable for most single people. It is therefore not surprising that the number of micro-apartments in these cities is growing explosively. They are aimed at students, starters in the labor market and single people.
A micro-apartment makes your life easy
For students and starters, the apartments are a affordable way to live in the city, but that is not the drive of the reason. Many millennia have no value at all for a large house. For single people with a good salary is more than just living. The apartment is well-organized, easy to keep clean and you need more freedom.
A micro-apartment; what are the other advantages?
Many residents of micro-apartments see the city as their living room. There are also buildings with micro-apartments where parts can be rented. Think of a vacuum cleaner, that saves a whole square meter, a washing machine in the basement of the building, a garden, roof terrace of a shared car.
Where does the trend come from?
In cities like New York, Paris, London, Hong Kong or Tokyo, the micro-apartment is fully established. Everyone knows that with a modest income you may have to settle for an apartment of 20 m2. The residents of a micro-apartment form a kind of community where they share ideas through various sites and social media for the design of the apartments. On YouTube, for example, it is full of videos in which an owner of a micro-apartment gives you a 'tour' through the house. And let's be honest, there is quite a difference. One lives in a dark, glorified broom cupboard with a bed stuck 30 cm from the ceiling, the other lives in a high-tech mini-palace with a view over the Tokyo skyline. Something for everyone.
How big is a micro-apartment?
In the Netherlands, a micro-apartment is on average 30 m2. For many Japanese, that is already a mansion. They live with a little luck on about 20 to 25 m2, but everything fits in there too. You may have to move some cabinets back and forth, but then you have a kitchen, a bathroom and a living area, which in turn can be converted into a bedroom.
Size is not important, what then?
For residents of a micro-apartment, size is not very important, but location for example. If you are going to live small, or would like to be in a nice location, where you have at least a supermarket, restaurant and coffee shop nearby. In addition, you have to go all the way with the apartment, especially in height. Consider, for example, high windows, which makes the apartment appear larger, but a split level is ideal. You can sleep there and you can leave some floor space below.
The micro-apartment best furnished
A lot of cupboard space and other ways to store stuff is essential in a micro-apartment. High ceilings are really a godsend, because then the cabinets can also go up. Architects recommend the use of quiet colors to give the apartment a more spacious and peaceful look. Due to the growth of small apartments, more and more modular furniture is coming onto the market. You can fold that furniture up, roll it out, or roll it up, so that your bed becomes a sofa, or your dining table a desk.
What should you not do in a micro-apartment?
A micro apartment is a real challenge for slime foxes. Rumbling troop is, according to experts, an absolute no go, because junk only makes the apartment smaller. A little minimalist lifestyle is therefore advisable, but due to all the technology we have at our disposal, an average person also needs less and less stuff. CDs are superfluous by Spotify, you can read books on your e-reader and a TV, if you already have one, you just hang on the wall.
The big advantage of the micro-apartments is that we use the available space in the city better and make it affordable for everyone. It is therefore possible for more and more people to live in the city. The apartments give a sense of freedom, because the fixed costs are limited, but they are also more sustainable because they are more energy-efficient and because the residents share everything. Not only good for the environment, but also very cozy.
Cover photo: an apartment in Turin that was first a store. The design is from R3 Architetti, Photos 2 and 3: Shift Architecture Urbanism
By: Hetkanwel
https://www.whatsorb.com/solution/tiny-houses/tinyhouses