Hosive

in the book series, not so big house, the key to getting the most out of a small space are niches. even in big homes, what makes a home “homey” are the small little places that feel cozy and safe. where memories are made. so good architects, builders and home makers build little spots into a house or apt to make the space memorable and alive. i’ve been blessed to live in a few places with little nooks and spots that radiate with life.

we bought one of the not so big house books because we were moving from a 2400 sq/ft md house into a 1100 sq/ft nyc apartment. but it turns out the not so big homes in the not so big house books were not so not-so-big. they were huge places! we have different definitions of not so big house!

in these features, i’ll detail mundane little spots around our apartment…..the spots where we live…and life is made.

we have this awesome wall of windows on the north side of our apartment, decorated and insulated by our beloved honeycomb blinds. we had honeycomb blinds in maryland and wound up picking the same color…a greyish blue…but not on purpose. i guess we are consistent in what we like.

a wall or walls of window seems to be the new trend of architecture for new buildings. some buildings have windows wrapping around the whole apartment! window treatments must be astronomical in those homes!

behind our blinds and on the other side of the wall of windows is a cool extra that the architect of our place (and building mate) put in to create another little niche…and add character to our place. as you can see, the wall is not comprised just of windows but also includes double pane-d doors….

……that lead outside! obviously, we have the wrong kind of couch that blocks sightlines and pathway outside. but we love our leather sectional and brought it with us from maryland. the way its supposed to work is the double panes create the illusion that our space extends all the way across the street….and gives you the ability to leave the apartment…to pop out to get some fresh air….

….here: on our little juliet balcony…as in romeo and. its enough to take one, maybe one and half steps. no space for a chair or a grill…but its a nice perk to be able to come out and enjoy the wind, the weather…take in the sites of the street.

it is peaceful up here….the noise from the ground is muffled.. it feels almost like you’re in a different place…no longer near the apartment.

outdoor space is a premium in nyc…but many would question what you can do with such a tiny space? what’s the function of this niche? its a reflection point. to think, to take in, to breathe…….and i can see the park…yes, central park…from my little balcony if i turn to the right.

here are some shots from the outside of our little juliet…..

it’s a great little niche…and part of the magic of our home.

in the book series, not so big house, the key to getting the most out of a small space are niches. even in big homes, what makes a home “homey” are the small little places that feel cozy and safe. where memories are made. so good architects, builders and home makers build little spots into a house or apt to make the space memorable and alive. i’ve been blessed to live in a few places with little nooks and spots that radiate with life.

we bought one of the not so big house books because we were moving from a 2400 sq/ft md house into a 1100 sq/ft nyc apartment. but it turns out the not so big homes in the not so big house books were not so not-so-big. they were huge places! we have different definitions of not so big house!

in these features, i’ll detail mundane little spots around our apartment…..the spots where we live…and life is made.

this is the prized possession of nyc apartments…your own washer and dryer in your own unit.

people outside of the tri-state area are surprised to find out that not all nyc homes have washers and dryers. where do you do your laundry then? when theresa and i lived on the lower east side, we would trek to the laundry mat and do our whites and colors in the coin operated machines. other options include drop off laundry by the pound and some people have their laundry picked up and delivered clean! we’re too cheap to do either of those last two options. and i don’t really want someone handling my wife’s underwear. or my underwear.

having the machines changes your whole lifestyle. likewise, imagine not having them and how that would change your life!

actually, we are lucky enough to have an apartment with plenty of closet space including a closet right across from the washer/dryer that we keep our laundry basket in. we kept it from our suburban maryland home despite the fact that it was unlikely a nyc pad would have room for it. but we kept our hopes up.

the way it wound up working is that we have a laundry room in the middle of our home that closes up and disappears when we close the doors. a very cool thing to have in nyc: the vanishing laundry room in your own space.

the laundry room isn’t just a laundry room of course. in nyc, you use up all the space you have…creativity is a necessity. everything has its place. everything has its niche. so its also a shoe closet, cleaning supplies storage, christmas ornament storage, games storage, umbrella rack and lost and found.

we spend a ton of time doing laundry….the result of having a constantly revolving door of guests taking advantage of free new york housing when visiting. sheets, towels, mats, pillow cases……and pretty small units keep me in and around the disappearing and reappearing laundry room.

not thrilling but here’s our life. a (laundry)life some in the city would like to have.

Posted under not so big house blueprint

reflecting on our home in the city…………

in the book series, not so big house, the key to getting the most out of a small space are niches. even in big homes, what makes a home “homey” are the small little places that feel cozy and safe. where memories are made. so good architects, builders and home makers build little spots into a house or apt to make the space memorable and alive. i’ve been blessed to live in a few places with little nooks and spots that radiate with life.

we bought one of the not so big house books because we were moving from a 2400 sq/ft md house into a 1100 sq/ft nyc apartment. but it turns out the not so big homes in the not so big house books were not so not-so-big. they were huge places! we have different definitions of not so big house!

in these features, i’ll detail mundane little spots around our apartment…..the spots where we live…and life is made.

the kitchen used to be the heart of the home….where nourishment, refreshment flowed out to the family. the aromas of good food, good coffee would waft into the rest of the home giving life. just like a heart pumping blood to the rest of the body.

this has dwindled because people don’t cook anymore and the kitchen has lost its primacy. people eat out 3,4,5 times a week…sometimes all their meals are from restaurants! but in the tsang home household, we’re trying to fight that. theresa is taking more cooking lessons from the french culinary institute….the stove and oven will be her domain. i’m really happy for her. so much of her life is sacrificed living my life and the life of the church. whenever she can do something for herself, i’m thrilled.

my domain is this little niche. tucked around the corner of the fridge is this place where so much happens. not big things and not even exciting things…..but life things.

coffee is stored, ground and brewed here….in a few ways….i have two french presses, both wedding gifts of course. in fact, the majority of our kitchen was pimped out thanks to our friends’ wedding gifting generosity. if there is a gadget, appliance, plate, bowl, utensil, whatever you see in our kitchen, it was likely a gift.

i did buy the electronic coffeemaker to cut down on the amount of french pressed coffee i drink….theresa read a health threat article a few years ago and used it to threaten me into drinking less of the good stuff. we received a few coffeemakers for our wedding as well…my mother in law scavenged one and we returned the others until we could figure out which one really worked for us and serving groups.

in the early morn, before i go to work or to prayer, i make coffee or tea here. prayer and caffeine start my days.

coffee is not the only scent that comes out of this corner. two staples of life…rice from the rice cooker and bread, bagels are toasted here. for theresa, rice is life; a big part of our diet. so a few years ago, giving up rice during lent for her was near torture. i love rice too but i also dig toasted breads.

in this space, i also make shakes here: fruit smoothies for breakfast and dessert. protein shakes after lifting or for a meal substitute.

see? nothing exciting. but so much of our life starts here. maybe this corner and what happens here is a telling parable for our existence.

regardless, i love lingering here. with that coffee or that shake. nibbling on some bread. reading…waiting for something to finish being made. its a homey little niche that pumps life often.

in the book series, not so big house, the key to getting the most out of a small space are niches. even in big homes, what makes a home “homey” are the small little places that feel cozy and safe. where memories are made. so good architects, builders and home makers build little spots into a house or apt to make the space memorable and alive. i’ve been blessed to live in a few places with little nooks and spots that radiate with life.

we bought one of the not so big house books because we were moving from a 2400 sq/ft md house into a 1100 sq/ft nyc apartment. but it turns out the not so big homes in the not so big house books were not so not-so-big. they were huge places! we have different definitions of not so big house!

in these features, i’ll detail mundane little spots around our apartment…..the spots where we live…and life is made.

this is our bedroom…and where the magic happens. but not in the way you think. let me explain.

during one of our housewarmings, i gave the folks a tour of the place….lagging behind, ricky yu entered the room and saw the desk right next to our bed…he assumed that this is where i write my sermons. and while i was showing others the master bath, we heard ricky say behind us…”so…this is where the magic happens.” we turned to see ricky, a little embarrassed realizing that most in room thought he was noting the king sized bed.

but some “magic” does occur here….since space in nyc is a premium, many spaces double or triple in function…

in this space, as you can see by the piles of books and papers is where i sometimes meet with god in meditation, prayer, readings, connection with nature. these are the windows i look out of when i pray….

there is a collage of man and god that is in my mind as i pray. when i see the inner courtyard with old buildings and gut renovations, i am grounded in reality…..my head is not in the clouds filled with illusions and delusions. i am reminded of the fact that i still live on a broken earth with all kinds of people with real lives and real problems; sometimes too real and sometimes much realer than mine. even realer than the real thing. but in the midst of the grittiness, i still see the majesty and power of god surrounding, peeking through, illuminating, permeating……this is the backdrop that pray with.

i am blessed to have these windows and so much light in my apartment…..here’s a shot before we moved all our stuff in…you can see that they are pretty epic. yeah!….upper, upper west side.