THE DESIGN RULES FOR MICRO LIVING
Michael Chen, New York-based architect and founder of MKCA, is a wizard at turning compact spaces into cool homes. We asked him to share his tricks…
What would be your top tip? I think that it’s all about setting priorities and looking for unique opportunities. Living in a small home does not mean that everything has to be tiny. We almost always incorporate something that is unexpectedly, or even irrationally, overscaled for the space that it’s going in, especially if it’s important.
How do you go about editing a home down to its essentials? As much as I long to live in an empty room, it’s not realistic for me or anyone else. We do strive to reduce visual noise wherever possible and to create moments of blankness and emptiness. Nothing is more special than a little nothingness. Sometimes that’s leaving something out, like an upper cabinet in a kitchen or a wall without decoration or function.
Aside from that, I’m obsessed with tables, and finding ways to incorporate ones that are relatively large for the spaces they go in. A table is often one of the first things that people are willing to compromise on, but they’re social, generous and optimistic. You’re known for your flexible furniture ideas. What makes a good multifunctional piece? Our approach boils down to three important factors. One is that quality matters. A lot. That’s quality of motion, stability, craft and materiality. A poorly made or gimmicky multifunctional gizmo is not a solution. It’s future garbage. Another is that it’s not the things that matter, it’s the space or the relationship between the things. Multifunctional objects or furnishings aren’t useful unless they allow the space around them to be used differently without requiring much effort. And lastly, multifunctional design doesn’t need to be complicated. Simple is never easy, but it’s always worth the effort. Are there any common mistakes to avoid? It’s important that smallness doesn’t supersede other design principles. Small spaces can become oppressive and suffocating when people try to do too much with them. mkca.com