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 (29)
Just...wow.
I'm impressed that he has limited storage and chooses to have both bourbon and whiskey on hand in full-size bottles. Priorities! :)
i loved his apartment on SSBS :)
I want to know where he got the world's teeny-tiniest blender! (And it looks like it's even a Waring.)
Wow indeed. Did ya get a load of the rolling pin on the back of the drainboard?!
I'd sooner slit my wrists, or move to Nebraska.
I'd sooner slit my wrists than move to Nebraska.
Making the best of it thats for sure, but minimalism can be more elegant than that. Books over the stove? Needs Polish.
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!
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 :)
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!
Everything is so neat and clean, yet livable! Very cool Jack! Thanks for sharing!
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.
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......
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.
I've never had a microwave. Ever.
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.
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!
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. : )
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!
http://www.abreadaday.com
I like it.
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.
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
oh and p.s. i love that you use dr. brenner's all natural soap! i do, too! :)
wow..this is indeed the tiniest kitchen ever!
Thanks for sharing, it gave me ideas on how to decorate small spaces :)
Berita Harian
This is beautiful. Such class. Please help that other poor couple in the hideous apartment in Morningside Heights.
This is so interesting. I love to see how real people live.
Very quaint apartment - but just curious what a person would have to pay each month for this "quaintness."
This looks like the size of most kitchens in Japan.