People often assume that New Yorkers live in shoe-box–sized apartments.

But Manhattan's first (and only) official micro-apartment building at Carmel Place takes small to a new level. The units have less space than an average studio — but they're much better designed. The idea is that the minimalist, chic design makes ultra-tiny living possible.

Designed by nArchitects, Carmel Place recently won a prestigious 2017 Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects, the US' biggest architecture association. On January 13, the jury announced that "Carmel Place represents a new housing paradigm for the city's growing small household population."

Completed in early 2016, the units at Carmel Place range from 260 to 360 square feet. For comparison, the average Manhattan studio is twice that size, and a standard one-car garage is about 200 square feet.

To make the limited square footage more livable, Monadnock Development enlisted the help of the co-living and micro-housing startup Ollie. The Ollie team provided space-saving accessories, while the nArchitects team designed the units' interiors.

Unlike most apartments in Manhattan, the ones at Carmel Place are designed from the ground-up for minimalist living, Ollie's design director, Jacqueline Schmidt, told Business Insider. In June 2016, when Carmel Place's first residents moved in, I spent a night in a 308-square-foot furnished apartment.

Here's what happened.