The Best of Small Spaces
Small spaces have been on our mind (check out our June 2009 "Think Smaller" issue), and they’ve also been on the minds of the American Institute of Architects.
The national architects’ association recently honored 20 architecture and design firms by naming them recipients of the fifth annual Small Projects Awards. The projects range from homes to offices to bus shelters but all share the theme of efficiency. Click the “View Slideshow” at the top right-hand corner of this post to view eight of our favorite projects from the pool of honorees.
Articles
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Small Wonder
On a quaint, tree-lined street in Berkeley, California, architect Sarah Deeds of Deeds Design and carpenter John McBride placed a 120-square-foot office/art studio near their main house, a…
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Modest Modern Shopping List
Next month, Chad Ludeman, president of the firm PostGreen, will move into the first completed 100K House, an infill development he and his team built in the New Kensington neighborhood of…
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Small in Seattle
For architect Michelle Linden, living and working in 600 square feet poses its challenges, but one of the biggest was completing a gut-renovation on the tightest of budgets—just $25,000…
Products
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Low Chair
Inspiration is unpredictable: Thankfully, the muse for Jasper Morrison’s leisurely curled and wooden-slatted Low chair was a found wine crate and not a discarded box of Franzia.
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Geo Low Tables
An oldie, but goodie from Arik Levy, the Geo Low table is available in three sizes. Arrange an archipelago, or leave solo. We love that this design comes in a powder-coated aluminum version for…
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Low Table
Dwell Collection
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Bold Color, Small Space
From private residences to commercial spaces, there are myriad ways to harness the power of the palette. In this video series, Dwell delves into creative ways in which color can play an…
Tips
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Stainless-Steel Kitchen Islands: Ideal for Small Kitchens
When the Stonorovs set out to design their 400-square-foot house in Oakland for themselves and their young toddler, the kitchen required particular attention. They found a kitchen…
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Find Furniture that's Easy to Conceal
For a 500-square-foot loft in downtown Los Angeles, Tag Front designed a rectangular mahogany table with four ottomans that nestle underneath, creating a simple brown block when not in use. When…
Videos
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Bold Color, Small Space: The Min Loft
Craig and Jean Min, owners of LA Mill coffee boutique in Los Angeles, share their story of using a vibrant palette to enliven their temporary home—a 950-square-foot downtown loft apartment…
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Bold Color, Small Space: The Black Apartment
Frequent TED speaker and international advertising consultant Cindy Gallop opens the doors to her unusual apartment in Manhattan, an all-black space filled to the brim with curios and novel objets…
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Dwell and Nate Berkus Tackle Small Space
Dwell Executive Editor Amanda Dameron appeared on The Nate Berkus Show, November 3rd, to share modern design tips with Nate’s viewers. The show was devoted to our November Issue theme, Small Spaces…
Event
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AIA Los Angeles Restaurant Design Awards
The American Institute of Architects' Los Angeles chapter takes the stage to announce the winners of the fifth-annual Restaurant Design Awards. These awards celebrate excellence in the design of…
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Low Chair
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Reloading tweets…
this is very nice...well put together such a cosy small little place to rest and enjoy life
I love it!!!! Very interesting, especially when you don’t want guests to come upstairs…
love the red accents for the bar stools and the lighting fixtures, against the neutral color palette of the room..i'm hoping to add that to my new place as a focal point for the kitchen/living room
Such a great example of universal design that is just as beautiful as it is functional! Would love to see more!
Love to see all great small spaces. http://smallspaceresources.blogspot.com
That is absolutely beautiful.
I love small places. I currently reside in a single apartment and always look to DWELL for wonderful ideas on how to adapt to small places.
Amazing, simply amazing.
I'm not surprised by the simplicity or the beauty of the photographs. I am amazed at the lack of humanity. The harshness, the starkness, the sharp squareness and hard brittle materials used almost in spite of the apparent design use by people. Somehow I expected an evolution beyond mid-century. I expected opulence, minimalism, finesse, roundness, softness - an easy, welcoming environment for the rest and relaxation and renewal of spirit that modern people need in order to cope with the reality of current life/workstyles. I see buildings ignoring, laughing at their surrounds, their context, heat/air circulation needs, readability, etc. I just don't get it. Kitchen cabinets are still built where the average woman can not reach many items or has to stoop dangerously low for common needs. A person only comfortably reaches and can grab at elbow height or knee height, everything else is physically awkward or primed for falling or back injuries. When will the "standards" be adjusted to current body dimensions. Maybe I am just a purest but I don't understand the designed in discomforts - in homes, furniture, etc. Puzzled
I agree with Puzzled to an extent. I was kind of thinking the same thing in regards to a couple of the homes at least with respect to the bylines given. Particularly the one where the architects are noted as "having faith in their materials" and dispensing with any ornamentation. I think this relates a bit to what you were saying. It's not even about being bland anymore, its as though the philosophy of material-driven design (or something similar) is creating these austere spaces which in their exhibition sap the quirky humanity that is in all of us. I dig the look for sure, but I would like to see some more humanity and a little less sterility. I know its a symptom of the photo-shoot-look but even so, it calls to something that portrays these homes and, unfortunately, the people in them as somewhat like cardboard cut-outs - sharp and crisp around the edges with no depth - and that is a statement I think more to the presentation than the homes and people themselves because I wouldn't think they are, heck, if so then throw me into that group as I would love to eventually have my place in this great mag. =/
The descriptions need to be edited. Example: Image #10 is listed as being by "Facebook". I have a hard time believing that.
The title of this slideshow is "Best of Small Spaces," image 12 is hardly a small space, unless you are used to living in a football stadium or airplane hanger.
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