New micro-apartment promises to repurpose forgotten spaces

“Maid rooms” in Paris are usually located on the top level of Haussmann-period buildings and are characterized by their tiny size and lack of aesthetic or function, according to Kitoko Studio. They are so small that no one wants to live in them and most have been abandoned or have become mere storage spaces. But due to extremely pricey rents in France’s capital, one design studio decided to rethink the entire concept of these forgotten rooms.

Kitoko Studio designed a room based on the “concept of a Swiss army knife,” and somehow managed to squeeze all of the amenities of a full apartment into this tiny 86-square-foot space.

All of the features of the apartment are hidden behind floral painted cupboards. The room has a staircase that pulls out of the lower cupboard and leads up to a compartment containing a single bed.

That compartment can then be completely closed with sliding doors, so that you can close out any unwanted daylight. Cue dramatic “goodbye, cruel world” sigh here.

The wardrobe is located in the cabinet next to the bookcase, and can be pulled out when needed. Just don’t throw clothes everywhere as you try to find the perfect outfit, because there is virtually nowhere to put them.

There is even a small dining room table that slides out from underneath the bed compartment. Two stools are stored underneath the table and can be easily removed for use.

The room also has a tiny kitchenette with a sink.

Yet another cabinet has a bookshelf and a boiler for hot water. The designer even managed to fit a full bathroom with a shower into the 86-square-foot space; a luxury that many small studios don’t even have.

Though this apartment is a great idea in theory, whoever lives here would have to be extremely organized to pull it off.