There are conventional methods of maximizing small living spaces — Murphy beds, futons, tables that fold flat onto the wall, etc. Then, there is Valentina Maini’s way.

Maini and her 269-square-foot apartment in Barcelona is one of the latest “tiny house” features by Fair Companies. Although many with small living quarters have to bring in designers for ideas on how to deal with the space, Maini, as an architect, already had a design in mind and simply hired a carpenter to make it happen.

First, let‘s start with the stairway leading up to Maini’s apartment. She leads with “don’t be scared,” as she walks up the little more than one-meter-wide winding staircase.

That's not bad really, I'm sure the average US prison cell is smaller than 269 sq ft.

I have a walk in closet off my bedroom about that size.

But being an unemployed female 'architect' in Spam is the same as being a 'dancer' or 'model' here.

It's academic anyways as the landlord is about to throw her ass out in the street because the bank is about to foreclose on the building and the Region of Cantalonia is about to nationalize the bank because the Spain Federal Government is about to foreclose on Cantalonia because the ECB is about to foreclose on the Spanish government because the Germans are about to foreclose the ECB because......etc.

269-square-foot apartment

This is the size of a typical Soviet 2 room apartment, "Khruschevka", build in 1960s-1970s. One room would be like 160 sf. In the late 70s and 80s the improved plan would have one room (one room, not one bedroom) of 180 sf. Pretty much like you average hotel room in US.

PopsCrotte wrote:


That's not bad really, I'm sure the average US prison cell is smaller than 269 sq ft.

Maybe, but you have to share the average US prison cell with 3 neo-nazis rednecks waiting to perforate your asshole every night.

Just sayin from what I saw in "Prison Break"...

europe is a backwater

NikosAliagas wrote:

PopsCrotte wrote:


That's not bad really, I'm sure the average US prison cell is smaller than 269 sq ft.

Maybe, but you have to share the average US prison cell with 3 neo-nazis rednecks waiting to perforate your asshole every night.

Just sayin from what I saw in "Prison Break"...

And as America has the highest rate of incarceration in the world (far exceeding that of any dictatorships,) they must have the worlds highest percentage of severely perforated rectums. Go America go. Leading the world again.

NikosAliagas wrote:

Just sayin from what I saw in "Prison Break"...

If you saw it in a movie, just like on the internet, it has to be true.

Sheeezzz!

mikgof wrote:

And as America has the highest rate of incarceration in the world (far exceeding that of any dictatorships,) they must have the worlds highest percentage of severely perforated rectums. Go America go. Leading the world again.

You Europeons, you're always talking about buggering school mates, posting pictures of dicks or thinking about rectums.
I guess that makes you guy multidimensional, huh?

PopsFrost wrote:

You Europeons, you're always talking about buggering school mates, posting pictures of dicks or thinking about rectums.

Are you trying to tell us CAP is a European?

I suppose there is a clever little pigsty built in somewhere, you know just so she can have company after midnight.

Don't want to make fun of this woman or her luck to have been born in Spain, but man, that's waaayyyy toooooo small.

How about a home with a regular bathroom, and bedroom, you know.

Geeezzzz,... that's about half the size of my TV room,...

What you are missing is the lesson in this for housing niggers and other scum who collect Sec. 8 checks, this is all they are entitled to.

Moreover, having stayed in an arrangement like that while in Europe, its not bad. I mean what the fuck, you get less sleep because your bedroom measures 8 x 10 then if it measures 16 by 20?

There is some merit in having a 10,000 Sqft house that needs heating, cooling and maintenance?

I've seen enough House Hunters International to know the Europeans live like rats for the most part.

Northern Europeans, Londoners, Parisians, Swiss and Germans are all getting hosed. Often they get to walk up multiple flights of stairs to a cramped space that Americans would only use as storage. Their kitchens are like wet bars, dorm-room refrigerators, lucky to have a washing machine or air conditioning, often need to duck under low doorways and slanted ceilings. There seems to be more value once you get in the suburbs and countryside in France and Italy or Eastern Europe. London real estate in particular is insanely overprices. I high end London flat or home will run you $2000-$6000 per square foot. The absolute priciest markets in the US will run you $1000-$2000 per square. Hope those Brits are ready for when their bubble bursts.

The only thing that could make it tolerable living in such cramped quarters is the fact that most urban Europeans spend much more time outside of their homes hanging out/loitering in public spaces. They act like this is purely because they have a more walk-friendly and interactive society, but I think at least half these people are out and about because they live in such rat traps. Who know, maybe it is better that people are forced out of their homes more. Most Americans tend to like to make their homes the end-all be-all of their existence and are very self-contained. It is much easier to entertain guests and have back yard parties in the US than Europe I think.

I will acknowledge that Americans are kind of ridiculous about their need for space--especially in kitchens and bathrooms. Even more ridiculous when they expect to go to a 300 year old home and expect an open floor plan with modern amenities. Like Nozzle says, how big does a bedroom really need to be to sleep in it?

Like Nozzle says, how big does a bedroom really need to be to sleep in it?

People don't just Sleep in the bedroom my friend.



Some of em get dressed there. Some increase families (or fucking). Some put a baby cot in the room and still expect to be able to walk round.

Some people even have a small balcony off the bedroom to sit and drink a coffee and read the news. I like it.

Crummy small homes are not conducive to a healthy society. Apart from in Japan that is. But just a bit. Some people get used to caravan life I guess.

lookanlearn wrote:

Like Nozzle says, how big does a bedroom really need to be to sleep in it?

People don't just Sleep in the bedroom my friend.



Some of em get dressed there. Some increase families (or fucking). Some put a baby cot in the room and still expect to be able to walk round.

Some people even have a small balcony off the bedroom to sit and drink a coffee and read the news. I like it.

Crummy small homes are not conducive to a healthy society. Apart from in Japan that is. But just a bit. Some people get used to
caravan life I guess.

Great to live in a country made prosperous and free by the US Marine Corps and their application of extreme violence, huh?

I bet you say "Semper Fi" every morning. Do you raise the US and Marine Corps flags?

Everything is bigger in the usa... Especially stupidity...

Fredmasse wrote:

Everything is bigger in the usa... Especially stupidity...

No. The A380 is bigger. The 787 is lighter, revolutionary, more efficient, quieter and leads the way into the future. But hey, trying to top Boeing's 1960's technology is great for the Europeon ego.

PopsFrost wrote:

Fredmasse wrote:

Everything is bigger in the usa... Especially stupidity...

No. The A380 is bigger. The 787 is lighter, revolutionary, more efficient, quieter and leads the way into the future. But hey, trying to top Boeing's 1960's technology is great for the Europeon ego.

The ego has nothing to do with it... Airbus is better. Case closed.
BTW tell me why Boeing tried to buy the French engineers working in Toulouse for Airbus...

NOZZLE wrote:

What you are missing is the lesson in this for housing niggers and other scum who collect Sec. 8 checks, this is all they are entitled to.

They are not entitled to a fucking thing

...and yes, I definitely sleep better in a large bedroom. Fucks sake where else to put my antique walnut bedroom suite and clothes and shoes and shit. And what am I gonna do when my mom dies? She has a gigantic 4 poster bed and all matching cherry suite. I'm not just gonna sell that stuff or put it on the curb

the idea of living in something like that...intolerable

I will acknowledge that Americans are kind of ridiculous about their need for space--especially in kitchens and bathrooms. Even more ridiculous when they expect to go to a 300 year old home and expect an open floor plan with modern amenities. Like Nozzle says, how big does a bedroom really need to be to sleep in it?

What's ridiculous it? try living in a place with tiny bathroom and kitchen for a while. intolerable.

Johnny_Ola wrote:

I've seen enough House Hunters International to know the Europeans live like rats for the most part.

That show is as intolerable to watch as anything else, what you are seeing are staged showings and pricing that is unrealistic.

I spent the last three weeks in what I would call a cement blockhouse with a flat roof "within steps to the beach" in Montenegro. 11 foot ceilings because there is no A/C. Four rooms, each of them bedrooms, 10 x 12. Kitchen is under the overhang next to the eating sitting eating area. Single bathroom, standup shower, you typically have 1 foot in the shower pan and the other on the floor. Place has a total of five lightbulbs inside and one outside. Then there is the roof deck, small pool for the kids, table chairs perfect at night.

Also, there are the same kids next door every year so my kids run across the street to play with them or they all go to the neighbor's house and jump in his pool. No Tv's or video games, just kids throwing balls around or chasing each other.

Often they get to walk up multiple flights of stairs

Think of it as cardio and a disuassion from carrying home 400lbs of groceries.

kitchens are like wet bars, dorm-room refrigerators,

Once again, an incentive to stay thin instead of cooking Nachos by the baleful.

lucky to have a washing machine or air conditioning,

Now I'm in Belgrade in a four room flat for a few days. Nine foot ceilings, bathroom is like four feet wide and 14 feet long. crapper sits at an angle, narrow sink and there is a washing machine with an interior drum that feeds from the top is probably 20 inches in width against the wall.

Its air conditioned.

The funny thing is, I see nicer cars around here than in Chicago, probably because they are not paying ten fucking thousand dollars a year in property taxes on some crap $250k house. Or 11% in sales taxes on the crap clothing they buy.

Go ahead, build that giant fucking house so Rham Emanuel can tax the shit out of you. When you want to leave, good luck taking your bricks with you.

I had a cardiologist perform an ultrasound and a stress test in his office, he spent around 40 minutes with me. Cost around $200. Good luck finding that service in one place in Chicago for around $2,000.

Life in the US is so fucking great I cant wait to get back and smell the niggers.

NOZZLE wrote:

Life in the US is so fucking great I cant wait to get back and smell the niggers.

Then stay the fuck away bitch.

PopsFrost wrote:

NOZZLE wrote:

Life in the US is so fucking great I cant wait to get back and smell the niggers.

Then stay the fuck away bitch.

Seems like your great lifestyle aint so great after all, eh

The only bitches I see are the ones in the hamster wheel that comes around every month looking for a couple of thou for a health insurance policy where you basically susbsidize the health insurance costs for every low life scumbag.

Or the property tax hamster wheel to pay for your crumbling roads,

Or the income tax hamster wheel

Or the sales tax hamster wheel that subsidizes the lives of more scum

Or the universal service phone tax hamster wheel so the scum can have free phones

Or the toll road tax hamster wheel for the roads that were supposed to have been paid off in the 80's.

With all that taxing, who is the bitch?

NOZZLE wrote:

Seems like your great lifestyle aint so great after all, eh

I like having a refrigerator, AC, central heat and a basement.

Or the property tax hamster wheel to pay for your crumbling roads,

Our roads aren't that bad. Maintenance is an ongoing issue. It's not magic.

Or the income tax hamster wheel

Or the sales tax hamster wheel that subsidizes the lives of more scum

Or the universal service phone tax hamster wheel so the scum can have free phones

Or the toll road tax hamster wheel for the roads that were supposed to have been paid off in the 80's.

With all that taxing, who is the bitch?

What are you an anarchist? We pay for (or borrow) the services that we vote for via our elected representatives. Some areas do away with sales or income taxes, Chicago voted for all of them. Too bad, so sad.