This Efficiency Apartment Might Be Too Efficient

I've lived in small apartments. My first place in Seattle was a studio apartment in a really old building. The bedroom and living room were one and the same.

In fact, the apartment had Murphy beds to save space. It felt like I was living in a "Three Stooges" movie short. But there are small apartments and then there are ridiculously small apartments.

A man in St. Louis thought he had found a bargain when he rented a studio apartment in the city's fashionable Central West End for only $525/month, even though it has only 200 square feet of living space. What he probably wasn't counting on was the lack of a wall between the kitchen and bathroom. Just as my living room and bedroom in Seattle were combined, this St. Louis apartment's kitchen and bathroom are one room.

Let's think about this for a moment. The refrigerator, stove, oven, shower, and toilet are all in the same space without anything separating them. The tenant can make tea and go tee-tee at the same time. The only thing that makes sense in this unsavory space-saving arrangement is the dual-purpose sink, although he could also let his pots and pans soak in the bathtub, if need be. I hope the view from the window above the commode is at least a good one.