Downsize? Try a Shoebox Home (But Don't Expect Room for Your Shoes)
Frankly, I just don't get it, these people choosing (even wanting) to live in 200 square feet or less. I had a studio apartment back in the day that was 800 square feet and I could barely fit all my stuff in it. So what's up with this idea? I believe it came from Asia, where businessmen squeeze themselves into compartments about 5 feet by 5 feet so they can be near their offices during the week, and there's no place else to live, though Singapore has cracked down on them. But New York? Really? Yesterday's New York Times ran a story about this trend, and while I suppose an advantage is that it's cheaper (I think), it seems to be catching on. The young man interviewed for the story was excited because he even had his own bathroom (wouldn't the sink take up most of the apartment?). They're called shoebox homes, but I bet I have some that hold shoes that are bigger. An architect and her husband, a builder, put together a 204-square-foot house in N