If the last ten years can be termed the Hy(brid)-Decade, then surely the next period must be the Micro-Era and it is starting right now. Many things keep shrinking, not just your “disposable” income.
New high-rise towers that are going up are full of micro-condominiums, anywhere between 250 and 500 square ft. (approx. 20 to 40 m^2) in area including all the amenities. Even many hotel rooms are larger. You’ll just have to be nifty and decide first whether you want to nap or eat, cook dinner, read the newspaper, or watch TV. It reminds me of an experience long time ago.
Memories of Past
We were on one of our rock-hunting expeditions. The kids were not yet teenagers and still listening to their parents; you know, the good old times.
Anyway, we found a little house-keeping cabin at the river’s bend. The beds were a bit short but who says you need to be able to stretch out, that’s just hearsay. It had a small table as well, affixed with a hinge and its opposite end with wire to a loose nail in the wall. The bed was right underneath that contraption. Somehow, I had difficulties sleeping that night.
On the next day, the owner of the place, I think Murphy was his name, encouraged us to stay on but we decided to look for different pastures further down the road. Of course, in Japan such accommodations are nothing new, half the population lives under such conditions. The other half does much better; so I read. Whatever the truth is about Japan, micro-apartments are now coming to North America, Murphy-type tables, beds and all. If you can believe the media, that is the new way to live, at least for a while. For a simple demonstration on how that works, just look at the picture below, a juice pitcher(?) right under your feet and, oh, a book for show (looks like CONVENIENT MYTHS; you don’t need to read it, just get it
here or
here):
Micro-Condos
Construction of micro-condos is booming, both here and in the metropolis around the river’s bend. Even the
real estate ads offer all kinds of good advice, like “sit in a bathtub before buying it,” or “take advantage of space between wall studs by recessing a tall storage cabinet into the wall to maximize vertical storage while saving floor space,” or “in homes with back-to-back bathrooms, a shared shower with access doors to each of the bathrooms maximizes limited space.”
I say, who needs any walls at all? Just take them out and you could have a large free-for-all. In fact, you’d create oodles of extra space. Wouldn’t that be better yet?
Even if it isn’t any better, it’s called modern, or SMART. More on that after I find my socks...
