Learning the finer art of thinking small from the master!
The Dream Closet Project is a collaborative online experiment we started to talk about and working on giving closet makeover! We will publish a new post with a podcast and other goodies every week. Join us on our little adventure to turn a mild manner typical New York City closet into the ultimate dream closet!
In this week’s episode; Hsiang and Guido talk about the incredible capsule hotels!
Ever stare at your closet and wished that you had more room? Well, since we can’t make our closet magically bigger, we’ll have to learn how to think smaller! Thinking small, or doing more with less, are a wonderful way to help you be more efficient with your life. Can you imagine sleeping in your closet for the night? Well, ‘if we learn how to do that comfortably, then no closet can ever be too small for us to design and organize!’ we reasoned. Our Zen meditation teacher would surely be proud! Which brings us to;
5 rules that’ll help you create your own micro nirvana
First appeared in Japan in the 80s, capsule hotel was created as a low cost over night alternative for salaryman that missed the last train home.
And in one of densest populated country in the world. Being low cost means that the “rooms” were often time not much bigger than the space require for someone to lie down and sleep. But over the years the culture of tiny hotel rooms has evolved and spread around the world and created some outstanding examples, which bring us to;
First Rule: Less is More, and more equal freedom!
Mini Capsule Hotel, a six-bed dorm by Atelier Van Lieshout, part of an installation call Never-Ever Land. A sleeping space in its simplest form, no fuss, no frill. And no boundary! Because of the simplistic nature, the entire unit is easily transportable and can be placed just about anywhere. A white sand tropical beach or the middle of the Sahara desert? Let your imagine be your guide! having less stuff will not only make room but also loosen your hold on your own routine and create room for imagination and experimentation. Edit your possession on a regular basis, need some toss support? Check out our episode on editing.
Via dezeen
Second Rule: Place for everything, everything has a place!
Even though the rooms at The Pod Hotel in New York City are tiny, their wonderful and layout create a sense of openness and efficiency that make their budget price even sweeter. The we especially liked the ingenious location of the shower and toilet and how they were designed. Every single item in room is designed to fit into a specific location, this make it a lot easily to keep the room clean and organized. Which is exactly what we need with our closet! We all know that it’s important to keep things sorted in different locations but designing those spaces to accommodate the items is just as important!
Via Mocoloco
Third Rule: Everything should have a reason to be there!
For our third (and fourth) inspiration, we return to the land of the rising sun where capsule hotel was born. The 9 hours hotel takes the concept of minimalism all the way to the moon and back! The idea is that 9 hours, are all you need to rest and recharge and get your beauty sleep on. And its goal is to create the most efficient process to help you do it with style. We still remember our design professor talking about the need for the ‘clarity of purpose’ which is beautifully done here. By reducing everything to a field of white and clearly labeling functions in easy to understand pictures the whole process become incredibly intuitive and simple. Now if we can create something similar for our closet…
Fourth Rule: It all about you (and your routine).
And of course, the most important part is You! Just as the entire 9h hotel is design around the concept of conforming to the ‘hotel experience’. So should your closet, or even your home be design and organized the same way. An out of control and disorganized closet not only make it more difficult to find the things you need, it also create a negative vibe that follows you throughout the day. A diary of your daily routine will go a long way to help you better understand your own routine and find ways to optimize it better.
Via. designboom
Fifth Rule: Simplicity does not equal Boring!
The Jane hotel located in the hip Meat Packing district in NYC has sometime been refer to as a ‘Micro Luxury’ hotel. The giant disco ball in the middle of the posh lobby screams personality and the rooms; although just as tiny, hold their own when it comes to design with a distinctive art deco cruise look. So, just because you have to keep things simple don’t mean that they have to be boring. Just the opposite actually since you’ll have a much easier time matching style and finishes when there aren’t too many elements involved.
Via. Mike Larson
Your Dream Closet assignment this week- Trying to sleep in your closet? Perhaps.
Or perhaps you can visit one of these micro hotels and tell us all about your experiences. Dreams, revelation or Eureka moments? Share your thought with us!
Tags: Architecture, Closet, Closetspiration, DreamCloset, Fashion, Holiday Destination, Hotel, Inspiration, Interior Design, travel
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