In 2005, grade school teacher Eric Schneider paid $235,000 for a 450 square foot studio apartment that originally looked like it had barely enough room for even a bed. So he handed it over to architects Michael Chen and Kari Anderson who revamped the kitchen, and designed a central transforming cabinet that now gives him considerably more living area in exactly the same space.


The renovations to his apartment cost an additional $70,000, but Eric now has multiple living areas that strategically overlap and leak into each other. Including a living room, bedroom, kitchen, dining area and even a semi-private place for guests to sleep. Most of the transforming functionality centers around a large cabinet which features a hideaway bed and fold-up office space, but even the kitchen has appliances stashed away under the counter, maximizing work space.

It's still not the most expansive place to live, and I doubt Eric has plans to raise a family in his current digs. But it has encouraged him to be more selective when it comes to buying things, and he seems to appreciate his minimalist lifestyle. Autobots! Transform and get ready for bed! [*faircompanies via TechEBlog]