Apart from being very expensive, Aussie houses have a name for being big. And it’s quite rare this days – at least in my social circle – to hear about people in their 30s or 40s who don’t own a home and, as a direct consequence, have a mortgage. Well, how about a completely different point of view?
“You don’t acquire what you can’t afford” is the reason why Felice Cohen lives in an 8-square-meters home.
She wanted to live in Manhattan, but didn’t want this to cost her everything she’s got – and then a friend suggested this tiny flat.
Ms Cohen says that she grew up in a house with walk-in robes twice the size of this apartment 
She sleeps so close to the ceiling that she has to crawl into the bed and can barely raise her head.
Her “study” is a desk with some shelves above it – this is where she does her writing and art, and every square centimeter of shelving is efficiently used for storage.
Her living room is pretty much an arm chair by the window – which doesn’t stop her from having people over, up to 9 at a time!
She’s got no kitchen – just a little minibar-style fridge and a hot pot. Her toaster oven also does a part-time job of storing the bananas.
Being a professional organizer, Ms Cohen got rid of all the bulky furniture left from the previous tenant, replaced it with a dresser that has a curtain instead of a door to save space, and installed a bed frame above the dresser – which is why she sleeps right under the ceiling.
But Felice says – never mind the compromises, it’s worth it. She wanted to live in Manhattan, but didn’t want it to cost her an arm and a leg. She rents this micro-studio for $700 a month, while her neighbors are being charged over four times as much.
Thanks to the low expenses on rent she can write, travel and not worry about the bills. The location of the apartment is great – just one block from the Central Park, close to subway, the Lincoln center and everything the city has to offer. Ms Cohen says “Sometimes it feels like you’re in college, and it’s a huge campus, and you can take advantage of everything you want”.
If you want a guided tour of the whole 8 square meters of Felice Cohen’s apartment – watch the video below.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I realize this is quite an extreme opposite to what most of us consider comfortable living. But …
Do you feel sometimes that we own more than we need? Or more than we can afford?
