economie

Inside a ‘foldable’ apartment that allows a family of 3 to live comfortably in 400 square feet

June 5, 20240
The living space in the apartment.

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The living room can be set up to be one continuous, rectangular living space.

Garneau said there’s a ‘domino effect’ when designing a space this small.
The main living area of the apartment.

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“What’s fun in small spaces is you manage to carve space out of things that often don’t really get designed,” Garneau told Business Insider. “People don’t typically build cabinets that are that shallow.”

The parents use the storage in the main living room as their closets for clothes and personal items.

Garneau even played with gradients of color to make the room feel brighter.
A desk in the main living space can be separated from the rest of the room by a movable wall.

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Exposed brick is visible above a wooden desk that the parents use as a workspace, with the gray built-in cabinets above that.

“We did everything we could to keep as much of it exposed,” Garneau said. “A wonderful piece of wood, some brick, and then the grays with the light — the recipe is there for something that is soothing.'”

The real magic of the space is when the cabinets ‘fold’ to create an additional bedroom.
Garneau fastens the movable wall.

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Watching the wall move in person is fascinating.

Garneau said people are often absorbed by the transformation. “It’s visceral,” he added.

A doorstop locks the wall into place for extra security.
The bedroom inside the main living space.

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Garneau pointed out that the space created by the foldable wall doesn’t have to be a bedroom.

If you keep the Murphy bed up, it could be an office or, with the rocking chair that’s already in the apartment, a quiet space to soothe a young child.

A queen-sized Murphy bed is easy to pull down.
The Murphy bed fully taken down from the wall.

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In a different project, Garneau designed a custom space for actress and television host Laverne Cox that features a “glam” Murphy bed. It was also used to optimize a tight New York City space.

Cox’s setup, however, has a button that can be pressed to lower the bed.

Cabinets built into the sides of the Murphy bed again optimize the space.
Side cabinets in the couple’s foldable bedroom.

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The project was fully completed in summer of 2022 and cost around $280,000 to complete, Garneau said.

The living room and bedroom do feel completely separate when the wall is clicked into place.
Another angle of the newly formed space.

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“You can live these huge mansions that are cavernous, and they don’t feel welcoming,” he pointed out.

The Murphy bed goes up as easily as it came down.
Garneau shuts the foldable wall, bringing the space back to its original formation.

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A movable wall was a part of the inspiration from the very first discussions with the couple, Garneau said.

“They had seen the idea of what pivots can do to create and carve space on demand — and open up space again,” he explained.

An animated GIF captures the seamless transition from living room to bedroom in its entirety.
Garneau shows off one of the storage spaces in the main living room.

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Garneau emphasizes that lighting can make a world of difference in how the eye perceives space.

His team placed LED lighting above the gray built-in cabinetry to draw the eye up. In person, the effect mimics a skyline.

LED lighting inside the cabinetry and closets make the tight spaces feel warm and accessible.
The sofa in the main living space.

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Another tip from Garneau to create compact, but not overly squeezed, spaces: Leave space between pieces of furniture.

Here, there are a few inches left between the couch and the custom-built wall to prevent the space from feeling “too tense or too extreme.”

Garneau took the same measures with the Murphy bed in the foldable bedroom — leaving some space on each side.