Tiniest Kitchen Ever? Jack's Micro Home

We are always interested in seeing how city-dwellers work with tiny kitchen spaces. Perhaps the reigning champion of tiny kitchen spaces belongs to Jack, an artist and musician who lives in a 10x16 Manhattan apartment. See more of Jack's kitchen and some of the things we noticed about it, below...

• Jack's whole apartment is only 10x16 - our dorm room was bigger than that! The kitchen is immediately to your right as you walk in the door.

• Kitchen storage and pull-out table under the sink.

• Shelves with books and cool jars - we like these colorful plastic canisters.

• Jack chooses even his silverware very carefully - there is a place for every single thing in this apartment.

• A little cupcake! And a vintage Chemex coffee maker - small footprint and great coffee.

• His limited and curated cabinet of foodstuff - see the Perfex pepper grinder! This heavy, solid little mill is one of our favorite kitchen objects.

• More food.

• The sink becomes a dining area with a cutting board and stool.

• Note the steel-cut oats - two cans!

• Two small burners.

• The whole kitchen/library.

• See the whole tour and read more about Jack at AT: New York - NY House Tour: Jack Makes Micro Changes and Jack's Really Small Home.

Comments (32)

Just...wow.

posted by classiccook on March 3rd 2008 at 10:16am
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I'm impressed that he has limited storage and chooses to have both bourbon and whiskey on hand in full-size bottles. Priorities! :)

posted by nadarine on March 3rd 2008 at 2:18pm
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i loved his apartment on SSBS :)

posted by Joan in SB on March 3rd 2008 at 8:58pm
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I want to know where he got the world's teeny-tiniest blender! (And it looks like it's even a Waring.)

posted by magbot on March 4th 2008 at 6:49am
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Wow indeed. Did ya get a load of the rolling pin on the back of the drainboard?!

posted by chartreuse on March 5th 2008 at 12:48pm
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I'd sooner slit my wrists, or move to Nebraska.

posted by hdtex on March 8th 2008 at 9:28am
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I'd sooner slit my wrists than move to Nebraska.

posted by alexis on March 9th 2008 at 11:48am
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Making the best of it thats for sure, but minimalism can be more elegant than that. Books over the stove? Needs Polish.

posted by spoiler on April 13th 2008 at 6:56pm
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actually, i rather appreciate that he's minimal but not too "polished". not all of us are "polished" people. also, i love his random art E above his bed. it looks livable, casual, and not overdone. someone should tell him to move to brooklyn though, where he can get 2 - 3x the space for the same price. manhattan, i've learned, is really not worth living so cramped!

posted by mexcellent on April 25th 2008 at 9:28am
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WOW! I am envious of less is more! Seriously!!! Pardon the copy cat, but I must try with my little 1100 sq ft space. Thanks for sharing Jack :)

posted by VeryDelishVeg on July 24th 2008 at 6:48pm
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As a graphic designer I L-O-V-E the letter-form above the bed. And as a studio apt. dweller, I too use the ledge above the kitchen counter as a bookshelf. People find it funny, but it's practical, breaks up the monotony, and the spines create a nice color pallet.
Also, as a fan, I must compliment the Cupcake Café cupcake.
This is lovely!

posted by anonymouscitydweller on October 21st 2008 at 5:04am
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Everything is so neat and clean, yet livable! Very cool Jack! Thanks for sharing!

posted by flibbertigibbet on October 30th 2008 at 8:51pm
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Is there really no microwave? Is it hidden, or off camera somewhere? With a kitchen THAT small, how can he function with just a few canisters of dry food stuffs? Does he eat most of the time?
Sorry if I'm being too nosy, I'm just baffled by the lack of a microwave in the pictures.

posted by Stephie_is_a_dork on November 1st 2008 at 11:38am
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Not having a microwave is not that big of a deal. I lived in Brooklyn with a tiny kitchen & thought I would miss it. Then, when we moved to a space with lots of room, we still never purchased one & that was four years ago. It wasn't in vain to live a "modern, simple" life or anything like that--I simply just don't need more counter clutter. I already have my kids backpacks & homework to contend with on the kitchen island all the time......

posted by LucienMaximillian on November 26th 2008 at 10:31am
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I have a year and a half old baby, and we have not had a microwave for his life thus far. I built a house and moved into it a month after he was born and never liked the look of any microwaves that we saw. I did like the toaster oven, but figured I really only needed an oven and a toaster oven -- for toast. I don't plan on ever getting one again. It's sort of my little protest against technology.

posted by mamaspank on December 7th 2008 at 1:17am
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I've never had a microwave. Ever.

posted by chez shoes on December 12th 2008 at 12:34pm
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Jack, you were such a great artist, it shows in the way you're curating your apartment. I do hope you will make some art again, and I wish you the best of luck in your life. I hope AT will keep us posted if you make work and have an exhibition somewhere.

posted by FBC! on December 13th 2008 at 11:39pm
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Food is not the same when heated with microwave

posted by kateb on December 23rd 2008 at 3:28am
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The apartment is tiny, but well organized...the kitchen isn't as tiny as I expected! I lived in a house with an even smaller one and also went to see a number of apartments in Europe that had smaller kitchens (basically a small closet transformed into a kitchen)...but if you're single, you can easily make it work. Once you start sharing, you start butting elbows and getting grumpy!

posted by wc_canuck on December 28th 2008 at 8:21pm
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this is Jack.

i've never sent a response before, but i want to say thanks FBC!
and let you know i just had a show in Athens Greece in October 08. it feels nice to be making stuff again. maybe i'll see if AT will post some images of the show.
and stephie_is_a_dork i really don't have a microwave, or a t.v. : )

posted by jackrabbit on January 24th 2009 at 12:34am
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Wow those are some really thin kitchen tops. I guess that just leaves more room for the soup and the kitchen towels right? Ways to Make Money Online

posted by AlbertF on June 22nd 2009 at 1:50pm
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Love it! It's very well-organized, and makes room for all the necessitites, like the Maker's. Love the butcher's block, the rolling pin, the industrial stainless steel surface, the dishes, the storage, everything! Not only that, but it looks like Jack eats pretty well, too! Dunno if I could do it personally (I'm complaining about a "small" kitchen as big as that entire place!), but I love entertaining too much for that. Great work!

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posted by eprewitt on June 29th 2009 at 4:25pm
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I like it.

posted by JamesG on July 3rd 2009 at 7:02pm
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the adorable bafflement of not having a microwave really cracks me up. How do people live without a microwave? Could it be true? But back to the real subject at hand. I love it. I love that you even have room for R2D2 up above. Even the smallest of any kitchen needs a little art. I also love that it is not too polished. Those kind of kitchens are great for those types of people. But for my types of people, the things don't all match, and the pleasure of the objects collected are more important than an overall "theme" the Chemex coffee pot makes me want one, though I love my french press too much to give it up.

posted by freyalei on July 12th 2009 at 11:58am
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yes i love the stainless steel bachelor pad look as well! as a woman, i like a bit more space to decorate. i wouldn't want open shelving for all my crap. and i did wonder the same thing: jack must eat out a lot! a few pieces of fruit, coffee, honey, and oats would not make a very nice meal three times a day.

but jack does make it all look very cool and svelte. nice job!

kindly,
vintagedress
http://www.vintagedress.etsy.com

posted by vintagedress on July 14th 2009 at 1:26am
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oh and p.s. i love that you use dr. brenner's all natural soap! i do, too! :)

posted by vintagedress on July 14th 2009 at 1:28am
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That's a really nice kitchen you have there. Looks like you have everything in place you want it to be...real cool.

Regards,
Jay
workathometomakemoney.com/

posted by Jaye on September 7th 2009 at 8:30am
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wow that is really tiny! I have to say though, he kept his place very clean and organized.. looks small but super clean. Very nice.

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posted by daveb91 on September 12th 2009 at 8:38pm
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This config is very useful for counties with space limitations such as Singapore. All in one eh...
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posted by alphat on October 10th 2009 at 12:51pm
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This is very useful for tiny little house. Thanks for the tips! laser lipo prices | laser lipo prices in london

posted by LilyWhite on October 17th 2009 at 3:04am
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wow..this is indeed the tiniest kitchen ever!

Thanks for sharing, it gave me ideas on how to decorate small spaces :)

Berita Harian

posted by Khai on October 27th 2009 at 8:17am
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The kitchen look so neat, but wouldnt the book be oily after cooking? shld cover the books.
interesting content here. Thanks alot, enjoy reading.
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