apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I would love this. Americans think they need so much space in their home, especially with kids, but I far prefer our small home, with small upkeep, to the monstrosities that other people live in.

I imagine these people live near a nice park, and aren't afraid of a little weather.

ANd I've lived in an apt in Eastern Europe like this, and you only really have to go to the market once a day. You get really good at figuring out how much EXACTLY everyone will eat.

I loved this video. What a beautiful home, showing us how little we "need"! My husband and I have been discussing our "need" for a bigger house. I just had twins and am content in our 1200 sq. ft. house. It's all about how you use the space!

I need to look at the article, but I love the looks of it already. I would love to live in Europe with my kids, at least for a couple of years.

I lived in Romania for a while, and we lived in a little tiny apartment (without kids, with roommates). We walked to the huge outdoor market 4 - 5 times per week, and visited the small indoor market at the bottom of the building 2 - 3 times per week. We hardly used our fridge because we ate things right away. But it was so nice to be able to walk to get food.

I think we would have needed a little more space with kids - it is harder to go to the market "on the go" with 2 little ones, so we would have had to store more in our fridge and pantries. Plus, I plan for the future more with little ones - I want to be sure we have food around "just in case".

But as far as space needed...right now we live in an 850 sf apartment with 2 kids (and will probably have 3 by the time we move). We're lucky to have a lot of green space and parks by us (though grocery stores are NOT within walking distance). I feel like we're tight in here - baby #2 took some adjustment space-wise, but I only feel like we're tight because I need to declutter, not because we don't *really* have enough space.

Who has time to go to the market even once a day, let alone several times?? That's ridiculous. I mean, it's lovely in theory, but totally unrealistic for me, as a mom with a toddler, a demanding full time job, and a spouse who also has a demanding job. I'd love to live in one of these countries where people have sane jobs and 6 week vacations and lengthy parental leave and free universities and health care and time to do things like ride their bikes to run errands and shop for fresh food every day. I'm sure I'd be pretty happy then, too, small house or not.

I live in a city, so yeah, the lot sizes are small, but it's all about how you use the space, not the square footage.

Hyzen: Keep in mind that it isn't really comparable. Where I live now is, at a minimum, a 40 minute ordeal. Normally closer to an hour and a half. This is assuming I had a car as well. Where I lived before I had both a produce market, butcher, and baker nearby. I could spend 15 minutes on my way home and get that evenings and the next mornings fresh produce and baked goods.

Going to the market once or twice a day doesn't have to be an ordeal. The way cities in the US are structured just tends to make it such. Urban desserts here are a big issue.

Just from watching the film I am left with serious Aeroacrophobia.
No thanks!

I love it soooo much. Oprah was obviously amazed and impressed at the same time with the home owners' sense of family and togetherness and neatness.

Her comments about the fridge were funny too, "THIS is the WHOLE refrigerator?" I just love Oprah.

I love it. Stylewise, it's a little too cold and modern for my tastes, but I love the space, and I LOVE how close the children are to the parents. I currently live in a two bedroom, one story apartment with my two small children, and I do not envision us ever needing a bigger space, honestly. And truthfully, most of the world lives in smaller spaces. It's pretty much only Americans who live in huge homes.

As far as going to the market every day--that is also cultural, and not at all unrealistic. I have a one year old and three year old, and we live in the city (Montreal). We go to a market, grocery store, or natural foods store at least a few times a week, sometimes more. Many people I know shop almost daily.

I'm glad this was on Oprah. More people need to be exposed to this more simple lifestyle.

Oh--I almost forgot--I love how the kids didn't have 9 million toys.

It's not just Americans that live in BIG houses, Australians are also guilty of this. The average home is 4.5 bedrooms for a family of four adults.

This article has made me take a better look at my space and have a good think about removing the clutter to create the space I need versus moving into a larger space to then fill with more clutter.

I love it!

I live with my husband and 3 year old daughter in an 1150 square foot townhouse. When baby number two comes along we will probably sell it and move...but only to a 1200 square foot single-family house. If I could pick this place up and put it on its own lot, where we had a driveway instead of parking spaces and a yard instead of a 6x8 open patio, I would totally do it. To me privacy is more important than square footage. I wouldn't know what to do with a huge house. And, even though we have a regular fridge, it's never full. We go to the store pretty often because I hate to let things sit and go bad before we get a chance to eat them.

hyzen- I don't think you can compare adding a daily trip to the market with your current lifestyle. I doubt that the average Danish family/parents work as many hours as Americans.

I'm an American living in Denmark for the last 11 years (married to a Dane). Yes, most kid rooms (bedrooms in general) are ridiculously small (I think). I don't know anyone that has 1 room as a playroom only (except at-home daycare women). Not all homes are uncluttered, Scandinavian style. Most areas have a supermarket of some sorts close by and it's not abnormal to stop by for fresh groceries every couple of days. I do. 37 hours a week is the average full-time job. But most daycares are not open very late so I always see parents picking up their kids and stopping by the supermarket, then going home to make dinner. And yes, most people we know have small fridges. We have a full-size fridge and full-size freezer and family & friends are always surprised to see it when they first come to our home.

People call this small? Sure, the kids' room was, as well as the refrigerator. And of course for Oprah, anything short of a mansion would be small to her. But the rest was fabulous! I've certainly never had a place that large. And it is so open and bright!

Spacious and bright and NO CLUTTER. Sign me up!

Omg, love it! Perfect use of space and those dining chairs? I totally dig them! The herman miller chair in the kitchen/bedroom. Amazing!!! The kids bedroom is super cute. I feel 100% not guilty about moving my daughter into a 2 bedroom apartment where the 'bedrooms' have a 6 foot ceiling (I'm only 5 ft tall, so this works for me) and are smaller then some people's closets. This example proves that good design and high quality translate into less space needed in a home or apartment.

Right, I think it's more the work hours than the proximity to stores. My husband and I both work about 60 hours a week, with slightly staggered schedules and doing some work from home in the evenings so that our daughter isn't in daycare for all her waking hours. I literally pass a lovely natural foods market and a weekly farmer's market on my way home, and live close to lots of other nice places to shop. I just don't usually have time to stop there during the week, at least not if I want to get home in time to make dinner and eat and spend family time before it's time to get the baby ready for bed. Weekend time is so precious, I actually try not to go shopping even once a week. So yes, I need my "big" (probably "normal" by US standards) fridge and freezer and pantry so that I can stock a variety of healthy foods that make it fast and easy to throw together 2 weeks of family meals, and spend more time enjoying being together, and less time shopping. This is the American experience, at least for a lot of us. It's certainly not ideal, but we do try to make the best of it.

I'm all for a small, uncluttered house but the fact that the kids rooms were open to the parents rooms is a little too close for my taste! In my opinion, privacy is necessity when it comes to the master bedroom! I loved the fun entrance to the kids room but wonder what they will do when the kids get a little older.

Love the eating area.

The family is selling the place now so they can have more space for their three kids. Pictures at the real estate agent's:

http://tinyurl.com/ykmnacc

It is normal for fridges in Denmark to be so small. People are used to energy costs being high, and opt for small appliances, cars etc. I shop once or twice a week, and it's fine for me and my family of 4. Why stuff your fridge with stuff you may end up throwing out anyway? Also, believe it or not, a lot of people store beverages like sodas and beer outside to keep cool.

THIS IS NOT A TYPICAL DANISH HOME! I am Danish, living in Copenhagen - and let me tell you right now that this is how Danes DREAM of living, but I think maybe only this woman and maybe one or two of her architect colleagues live like this (yes, she's an architect). Kids rooms are small, yes, - but this is gimmicky. And the open bedroom? The open shower situation? Also gimmicky and NOT representative. And please - go to the market several times a day? I don't think so. The vast majority of Danish women have careers (hence the "happiest in the world" score?) and thus have no time to grocery shop several times a day. The one thing I will concede is: Danes spend a lot of time with their family. Unlike the way we lived in the US, dinner is ALWAYS a family thing, and unless it is a special occasion, always home cooked.

I come from Spain, and I've just seen the Oprah film
YES the house is beauty and neat
YES I don´t really think is a typical Danish home. It´s really modern and too stylish. Maybe they mean is typical because of its size?
Oh, here in Spain those are the regular fridges. My mother is a housewife in a family of 5 but she goes shopping about 2 times a week. I guess our trick is to cook every day: legumes, rice, pasta, stew... Do you really need to buy lentils or rice every day? And you can freeze meat or fish too... now I go once a week shopping and we eat fresh vegetables. Well, I must confess I don´t buy fresh bread.
Sorry for my english

I love the apartment but it seemed very child 'unfriendly'. The glass topped table how would you keep sticky fingers from that? Also the vertinginous view from the dining area and was the bathroom open to the sitting area?

I would absolutely hate to live in that apartment. I love windows and natural light but I wouldn't want most of my walls to be glass. I would despise having my SMALL bed right out in the open and a bathroom with no door adjacent to the living room. Yuck yuck yuck.

I swear sometimes people allow themselves to live in small confined spaces just so they can brag that they live with 34 children in 234 square feet of living space. Good for you. I actually live in an apartment myself and I don't see the need for a huge house, but I do see the need for privacy and having your own space to stretch out in.

Hi readers - I actually meant to write that they probably get fresh food from the market several times a week not day! I will make an edit.

Thanks!
Carrie

We live in Manhattan with 2 children and our apartment (500 SF, 1 bedroom apt) is much smaller than this one. In fact, most other families I know live in small apartments as well. Since I grew up in an apartment and my husband is from Sweden and is not accustomed to large homes, we don't feel so uncomfortable. With creative storage solutions and limiting the collecting of junk we are able to live pretty comfortably.

When I look into large American homes in the suburbs I am always astounded at how much space is wasted and how much CRAP people keep that they don't need!

the design of the home is fantastic! great lines, decor, feel!!! now..if only oprah wasnt in the video - it would have been better and not about her.

oh and the house is nearly $1.3 million

I think the remark about the home being "typical" relates to the the focus on simple straight lines and lots of windows, and not to the layout of the apartment.

Frankly, I can't imagine living in it -- a toilet and shower open to the living room sofa? A "master bed" that looks to be a leather covered day bed in the kitchen area? Really?

As for cooking and shopping, all the Danish women I know work full-time (and unlike the U.S., there are no housekeepers or cleaners to hire for help). People tend not to live as far from work and grocery stores (which are smaller and more local), so shopping is more convenient (although they have European opening hours which are far more limited than what we are used to in North America, making that rather stressful). Oh, and take-out is almost non-existent, and restaurant meals are very, very expensive relative to the U.S., so people really do cook at home much more than we do. I think another big difference is that they don't race around so much after school to extracurricular activities.

When I lived in Paris, I had 5 grocery stores and a big street market 3 times a week within a 2 block walk of my house. Our fridge was dinky, but there was no need for anything bigger. In America, our cities are just not structured this way. If they were, you'd be surprised how much it became a part of your routine. Taking 10 minutes a day to get food vs. taking 90 minutes on the weekend at the big box--you get the same stuff, and your weekend! :) Plus, when the stores are closed (Sundays, and after 8 PM most days), you have to plan ahead. Either that, or run out of TP!

Watching the video makes me really want to live in a country like that. Reading the comments make me curious what an actual typical home looks like in that country.

I'm sorry...but I would find it very difficult to live in a home with no doors. It's nice to be able to have some privacy every once in a while. And I don't even know where to start with that bathroom! Otherwise, a very lovely home. Not my style, but it seems like it would be an extremely fun place to live.

After seeing this piece, I have to resist the temptation to make comparisons or draw conclusions about families based on where they live or the size of their house. I love Europe and I would love to live there for a few years, but I live in a small town in New Hampshire in an old farmhouse. It's certainly not Europe and never will be, but I love it here and I don't think that my family is less happy or spends less time together just because we don't live in a teeny tiny urban apartment.

I applaud Oprah for using her platform to demonstrate that families can certainly be happy (or happier, even) with less. As someone who grew up in a tiny house with 3 kids, I totally agree. I'm sure it's a real eye opener to some people. But I think it's unfair to make assumptions about the quality of family life of those living in a larger, suburban, American home (i.e. their house is filled with crap, they don't spend any time together because their house is too big, they never have fresh food in the house because they don't walk to the market every night on the way home from work, etc.). I think happiness is where you find it and shouldn't be defined by the square footage you occupy.

Well it obviously isn't typical in the sense that everyone lives like that. The view, the build etc are all very high end. The space, however, is common as well as the appliances. I honestly get jealous looking at some of the amazing compact kitchens you can get all over europe in general. An acquaintance of mines kitchen was basically one unit you install and the entire thing is just amazing. Looks great and is designed very efficiently.

Folks, as swank as that house is I am pretty sure that the glass bathroom will have LCD privacy glass installed. (it is pretty cool, example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ECbrB9mlkI ) Especially as the lady is an architect.

I know someone who has this glass and it works very well and at the flip of a swtich. It is getting pretty popular in Europe.

As close as their family may be I highly doubt they are all watching each other take a poo in their living room.

Wow, that place is amazing. I would move in a second.

I think the points of this being "unrealistic" are certainly true in the US. But we all can make decisions to live closer to where we work and (OMG) ride a bicycle. Riding a bike, going to the market, its all about making it a part of your routine. Commute time is a major issue in the US, not in most of Europe. Many Europeans work as many hours as Americans, but they (luckily) get to live a short distance from their job. It makes a huge difference.

that's great and all, but what happens when the toddlers get to be teenagers? Having less yes I can do that, but what's wrong with having a lot of stuff? or having a big home? or even an average size home? do we all have to live in apartment jungles and ride our bikes? that's great that they can make it work. not my bag.

I have to ad that this apartment cost about three times as much as a normal house in Denmark, which probably would be twice as big. And it is absolutely not how danes live.

If you want to see "normal" danish homes take a look at this realestate site:

http://www.boligsiden.dk/resultat/2453627129c34bb2a9937076604639d6/

Janni
Denmark

Wallaby: I didn't know about privacy glass, and was really happy to learn about it. What a great idea ! Although I don't know about the price...

This house is amazing, design and arrangements, even if it is so small. Not being an American, this almost was my first time watching Oprah, and I gotta say, I thought she was quite rude about how tiny it is. Not a fan here. But I'd move in anytime in the appartment !

However, I'd still build one room for the parents, and close it. Isn't this kind of intimacy with your kids killing your sex life ?

Our fridge is the same size as the one in that house (I'm an American living in Holland.) When we first moved here, we laughed when we saw the refrigerator because it seemed ridiculously small. What's interesting though is that now it seems like the perfect size. We actually eat our leftovers and we have fewer things just rotting away to science projects in the back (this was a major problem in our fridge back home!)

We found out by experience that you need less room than you think you do.

Oh, and by the way, we have kids and both work so there isn't time to constantly go to the grocery store (does anyone actually go to the market several times a day as mentioned above?!). We go probably every other day or every third day and just buy what we need for the next few days.

Our fridge here in Switzerland is the same size too by the way... It's perfectly adequate for a family of four; I've found that keeping more than 3 days food, I start to lose track of what I have in their, and am not as efficient at using it up.

(I will admit though, that I wouldn't be able to fit a turkey in it, with all the trimmings, but then again, I wouldn't be able to fit said turkey and trimmings into my oven either, which being Swiss, is smaller than the standard European size.)

There are many small supermarkets on our route to school and work. The stores themselves are ingeniously designed: by North American standards, they are tiny, but they have pretty much everything (the secret is their stock replenishment system). Because they are so small, you just pop in and out -- you don't spend half an hour wandering the aisles. Wish we had stores like that back home.

mschatelaine--

I noticed that about the little stores near me in Montreal, too. I always go into these TINY places thinking they aren't possibly going to have even half the items on my list, and they have all of them and more. I'm also an American transplant, and I'm still shocked by this.

this is off topic but...............
Oprah, find a podiatrist..... with that kind of money your toes/feet should look fabulous not gnarled and disfigured

That is the standard size fridge in Norway, and also in every European country I've visited so far.

We had a small fridge when we lived in Boston and it was awesome. It forced us to quit buying a ton of junk we didn't need and instead focus on fresh produce, grains, etc.

Did anyone else find Oprah's tone a little condescending? It was more on the "wow, you're crazy" level than just the "wow" level, at least for me.