Graham Hill and LifeEdited
In 2009 and 2010 Graham Hill, the founder of LifeEdited, a minimalist design firm, bought two apartments in an old building in Soho, a trendy area in New York City. The larger of the two apartments is about 420 square feet, and he decided to hold a design competition to create an apartment that could provide the functionality of a much larger space. The functionality he desired included the ability to host dinner for 12 people, a home theater system, a home office, tons of storage, and the ability to have two guests stay overnight. In addition, he wanted all of this to be accomplished in a stylish and comfortable space. Graham’s competition received over 300 entries, and surely enough, the final apartment checks all those boxes. It utilizes wall to wall, floor to ceiling storage, beds that fold into the walls and a moving dividing wall. Almost every feature of the apartment has multiple ways of being used, which was the key to success. While the renovations weren’t cheap, Graham says that this unit is experimental, and that a similar result will be able to be achieved at a lower cost. Below is a photo gallery featuring images of the apartment, and two more videos. The first is a longer tour of the LifeEdited apartment and the second is a video that demonstrates a lot of safe spacing furniture, including several pieces used in Graham’s abode.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ animation=”none” column_padding=”padding-4-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″][vc_column_text]
Living in Small Spaces
What makes Graham Hill’s project interesting is not his precise execution. While his space is well designed and contains some innovative features, at the amount it cost someone could probably just purchase a larger apartment and be done with it. However, rethinking how we use space and design furniture is becoming invaluable as urban areas populations grow and grow, and apartments continue to shrink. I think the widespread adoption of any of these strategies or designs will depend largely on affordability.
However, there is another reason why someone might be interested in an apartment like the LifeEdited apartment now. They may agree with Graham’s own philosophy, that by reducing what they own and simplifying their life they will become happier. And there isn’t a clear divide between these two motivators. The small house movement exists in and out of cities, and many people express a combination of financial limitations and a desire to simplify.
It will be interesting to see if smaller, more affordable furniture designers begin developing space saving, multiple use, configurable furniture as well. As a university student I can see a possible demand in student housing as well, that high end designer products wouldn’t be able to meet.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” interval=”3″ layout=”4″ gallery_style=”2″ onclick=”link_image” custom_links_target=”_self” images=”1341,1340,1342,1343,1350,1349,1344,1345,1347,1348,1346,1338,1337,1339,1355,1357,1352,1353,1351,1354,1364,1363,1356,1362,1361,1360,1359,1358″ img_size=”750×563″ display_title_caption=”true”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” bg_position=”left top” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” bottom_padding=”2%”][vc_column width=”1/1″ animation=”none” column_padding=”padding-4-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ centered_text=”true”][vc_column_text]