In a borough where the median price of an apartment hovers over $1 million, landing a Manhattan pad for just 10% of that sounds like a fever dream.<\/p>\n
But landing in that price range, which is indeed possible, comes with a big sacrifice in space. Fret not, it\u2019s still easy to live a life of comfort inside them.<\/p>\n
Two of the city\u2019s cheapest digs are pint-sized studios asking a mere $130,000 and $155,000 \u2014 measuring a cozy 364 and 250 square feet, respectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And there\u2019s one that\u2019s even smaller. A 254-square-foot abode in NoMad is on the market for a higher $320,000.<\/p>\n
Apartment 5D at 35 E. 30th St. (shown in a rendered image) spans 254 square feet. Eytan Weber\/Evan Joseph<\/p>\n
35 E. 30th St., Apt. #5D (seen in a rendered image), is on the market for $320,000.
\n Eytan Weber\/Evan Joseph<\/p>\n
Making shoebox-living work, potential buyers need to consider \u201cwhat functions you want to perform in this space,\u201d said Laura Cattano, a personal and interior stylist, and professional organizer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For instance: Do you want a big bed, a place to pray and meditate, a desk?<\/p>\n
Beyond professionally, she knows it all personally, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cI opted for a twin-size bed because it allows me to have a dining table and proper living space and proper dressing space,\u201d said Cattano of her own 335-square-foot studio apartment.<\/p>\n
A king-sized bed? Forget about it. \u201cI mean not if you actually want to live in this place,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n
Her golden rule: get furniture up on legs and mount cabinets on walls.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you have a small space, being able to see as much of the floor as possible makes it feel bigger,\u201d Cattano said. \u201cIt tricks the eye.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how three of Manhattan\u2019s pocket-sized pads stack up \u2014 and how the pros would style them.<\/p>\n
35 E. 30th St.<\/p>\n
Apartment 5D<\/a> at 35 E. 30th St., a 254-square-foot crib, has multiple exposures and in-unit washer\/dryer hookups. <\/p>\n It was bought in October 2019 for $230,000 by a young couple that currently uses it for overflow storage while living in a $2.2 million three-bedroom upstairs, that\u2019s also up for grabs<\/a>. The pair plans to relocate for work.<\/p>\n At the $320,000 asking price, the home would sell for $1,259 per square foot, according to StreetEasy. The NoMad unit has a maintenance of $1,076 per month.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can fit a day bed and add dining furniture or style with a king bed like a hotel suite,\u201d said listing agent Eleonora Srugo of Douglas Elliman, who holds the listing with Bernardo Mensch.<\/p>\n A mock floorplan shows what\u2019s doable furnishing-wise inside the home.<\/p>\n This rendering shows it in vivid detail.<\/p>\n Cattano envisions a twin bed in the corner near the bathroom, a 72-inch sofa catty-corner to the kitchen, a folding screen in front of the bed for privacy, a little living space in front of the washer\/dryer, plus shallow cabinets along the long wall between the windows.<\/p>\n Celebrity interior designer Cheryl Eisen said she would do a full wall of mirrors along the entrance wall behind a couch to reflect light into the room and make it appear bigger.<\/p>\n \u201cMount multiple floor-to-ceiling mirrors next to one another until you\u2019ve covered the entire wall from end to end,\u201d Eisen said. \u201cThe result will create the illusion of more space and reflect natural light from the one window you have throughout the room.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n She\u2019d skip the dining table for a full bed, add a room-dividing bookshelf\/wardrobe\/clothing rack, a mounted swivel TV and a bedside writing desk that doubles as a nightstand.<\/p>\n 157 W. 123rd St.<\/p>\n