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Designed by architect Gary Chang, the “Domestic Transformer” apartment features 24 different layouts!
According to an article in the Hong Kong Journal, “Over 90% of Hong Kong families today live in homes smaller than 700 square feet.” The average apartment size in Manhattan is around 1,300 square feet, and that’s usually occupied by a single person. Now try to imagine how Hong Kong native Gary Chang must have felt growing up (for 14 years) in a 344 square foot apartment with his parents and two sisters…plus a female tenant. I have a feeling that sharing the bathroom with four other women wasn’t fun for a young Chang.
An article in the New York Times reveals how architect Gary Chang “transformed” his family’s tiny 1960s-style Chinese apartment into a beautiful modernized home with 24 space-saving layouts. It all began in 1988 when Chang was working for an architectural firm and living in a rented room near the University of Hong Kong. His parents had recently moved from the tiny 344 square foot apartment into a bigger one a few blocks away. Since he had a special place in his heart for the home, he decided to take over his parents’ lease. He bought it for $45,000 and has been maximizing a minimal space since then.
Chang calls his home renovation project “Domestic Transformer.” Using designs from his very own Edge Design Institute, he has been able to create 24 different livable spaces that accommodate his lifestyle. All of the rooms are connected to a sliding wall system that allows Chang to pull down, push up, slide across or tuck away different rooms. That means one minute he can be lying on his hammock in the living room, and the next he’s cooking dinner in the kitchen.
Here are a few of the amazing compact, space-saving rooms:
The massive wall of CDs reveals a linen closet, which reveals a soaker bathtub, which reveals a pull-down guest bed above it.
See, there is a bathtub with a bed above it.
With a simple tuck here and there, Chang’s bed turns into a sofa.
Want to see more? Here’s a great video from Planet Green that features Chang showing off his hard work.
Chang hopes that his Domestic Transformer will be an inspiration for other Hong Kong builders. With this type of design, families will have more room to grow in, and that would mean a lot of happy Hong Kong residents. So, what do you think about the Domestic Transformer?
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