Living With Less. A Lot Less.
The New York Times released an article by Graham Hill in which he describes his living style nowadays (420-square-foot apartment) in comparison with his when he sold an Internet start-up before turning 30.
To celebrate, I bought a four-story, 3,600-square-foot, turn-of-the-century house in Seattle’s happening Capitol Hill neighborhood and, in a frenzy of consumption, bought a brand-new sectional couch (my first ever), a pair of $300 sunglasses, a ton of gadgets, like an Audible.com MobilePlayer (one of the first portable digital music players) and an audiophile-worthy five-disc CD player. And, of course, a black turbocharged Volvo. With a remote starter!
As he had no time to finish the house with furniture etc. he hired a "personal shopper" who took polaroids of stuff which could fit into the house. Later, he realized that having to much stuff makes life a lot more complicated and misled him to an antisocial behavior.
We live in a world of surfeit stuff, of big-box stores and 24-hour online shopping opportunities. Members of every socioeconomic bracket can and do deluge themselves with products. There isn’t any indication that any of these things makes anyone any happier; in fact it seems the reverse may be true.
He fell in love with a girl named Olga and the two of them moved to Bankok, Buenos Aires and Toronto with just a view things. Today, he is living in 39 square meter apartment in New York. The video above shows his well designed flat which is full of great ideas to make the most out of the space.
My apartment sleeps four people comfortably; I frequently have dinner parties for 12. My space is well-built, affordable and as functional as living spaces twice the size.
You can read the full article by Graham Hill here.
