SUPER SMALL LIVING - A GENIUS 350 SQUARE FOOT BEACH COTTAGE

A super small cottage with a really smart space saving solution - a built in sofa! (above)

Two things excite me when looking at places for sale or rent...either extremely big mansions on one hand...or super duper small living spaces on the other.  I know. Diametrical sized living spaces!  I love the idea of living in a big house for once.  I live in a tiny cottage in the Hollywood Hills that I bought years and years ago.  I love my cute cottage in the hills but I admittedly at some point in the future I am ready to move into some place bigger (a mansion, a large farm, a castle, a compound...you know...just something a little bigger).

My dream big house aside, over the last few days, I have been helping a girl at work look at apartments for rent.  She has to move out of her place in about 7 days so she is in a mad search for an apartment.  Well yesterday, she found a super small studio in Los Angeles and came into my office to show it to me.  We stayed late yesterday as I helped her map out a floor plan for the apartment and figure out furniture.  I really enjoy the challenge of taking on a super small space and making it livable.  Is that weird?

So today (unlike yesterday...see the post on the $75 million dollar house), I am thinking small!  That is why I am posting this little Venice Beach, California cottage cutie that I saw on Apartment Therapy yesterday.  A couple lives in this tiny abode.

This home pictured here is only 356 square feet.  It is a 1920's craftsman cottage on a small lot in the Venice Canals.  Apparently the couple who lives in this house rents it.    There is just one bedroom and a nice garden.

Here's the cool part...in order to maximize the little space there is in this cottage, the owner had a built in L-shaped sofa bench made and also made a built-in bed in the bedroom.  The built-in furniture dimensions were customized to make the most of the square footage

Take a look.
 

The L-shaped built in bench sofa also acts as room divider between the tiny living room and the small kitchen. (above)

Every inch of wall space is used...there is even room for a small home office that doubles as a dining room for two. (above)

More built-in space saving - this time in the bedroom, with a built in bed and book shelves. (above)

A small patio is perfect for a tiny outdoor living room (above)

What do you think of this small space?  Do you prefer a little tiny home like this or a penthouse apartment like I featured yesterday?  Please let me know in the comments section below.

Happy Wednesday!

xo
Coco

P.S.  Was so excited to see on Instagram that Apartment Therapy founder Maxwell Ryan saw the COCOCOZY Rug Collection at High Point Furniture Market yesterday and really liked it.  Here's his Instagram photo and the caption below is what he had to say about our COCOCOZY Loop Rug in Hot Pink!  Maxwell has seen it all in home furnishings so was honored that he is "impressed" with my rug collection! Thank you Maxwell for the nice words!

"Super simple but elegant and with great colors. I was totally impressed with Cococozy @Capel rugs #hpmkt MR"

Photos: Apartment Therapy

THE FLIP FLOP HOUSE - ARCHITECT TOUR

Pivoting walls offer ocean front views. (above(

People who live in glass houses...are very lucky if they live in houses like this!

Okay...this is perhaps one of the coolest hones I have seen in awhile.  Architect Dan Brunn was given free reign and $8 million dollars from a Los Angeles based couple to create this Venice Beach home.  The couple's only requirements were that there should be no brown in the house and they needed a place to hang their art and photography they have collected over the years.

Architect Brunn's solution was to create a house with louvered walls - pivoting walls!  These turning panels create wall space so that the couple's art could be displayed while also allowing for fantastic ocean front views!  The Flip Flop House name is inspired by the turning walls.

The house is tres modern (my way of saying ultra modern).  Sleek Terrazzo floors, shiny Valcucine white glass cabinets, stainless steel wrapped structural columns and tons and tons of floor to ceiling glass imported from Switzerland.  5700 square feet.  A modern wonder beach house!

Side view of the home with the louvered walls that open and close. (above)

Louvered walls allow art to displayed but then open to show off the fantastic ocean views. (above)

Stainless steel columns and floor to ceiling windows in the family room. (above)

White glass modern flat front cabinetry surround the television in the family room (above)

Staircase has glass rail with Terrazzo covered floors

What do you think of this house? Would you want to live in a house with flip flopping walls?  I would!

Beautifully done by the architect!

Happy Monday!

xo
Coco


Photos:  New York Times; Dan Brunn