The 420-square-foot space needed to be completely functional, while including room for a sit-down dinner for 12, comfortable lounging for eight people, space for two guests, a home office, a work area, a hideable kitchen, and the regular necessities like a bed, shower, and bike storage.

Graham Hill, founder of Treehugger, concocted the contest idea, then teamed up with the LifeEdited group at the crowdsourcing website Jovoto to make it a reality. The requirements were nothing to scoff at. The 420-square-foot space needed to be completely functional, while including room for a sit-down dinner for 12, comfortable lounging for eight people, space for two guests, a home office, a work area, a hideable kitchen, and the regular necessities like a bed, shower, and bike storage — basically, everything every New Yorker wishes his or her apartment could be.

Three-hundred and four designs were submitted, with more than 600,000 entry views and comments. The winning design, One Size Fits All, is a bright, clean space with a moving wall that can transform the main room into a lounge, bedroom, office, and/or guest sleeping area. Each positioning maximizes the space, creating an open feeling even when the table is set for 12. Juror (and Inhabitat favorite) Yves Behar says,

This idea is very smart in that it creates layers of use that are both original, and practical. For example the bed unfolding over the couch makes a lot of sense: when in bed the couch is not needed…The singular moving partition is a brilliant move, as many new uses are achieved with just one single transformation. The living room and couch set-up is quite luxurious considering the overall size of the apartment, and there resides the genius of this entry: each separate living function seems to maximize the entire space, rather than be confined to a compromised space.”

Hill is currently working with the designer to make the apartment become a reality, posting regular design updates on Treehugger. He hopes to hold similar contests in the future, but for different living spaces, like a family home or an entire apartment complex.

+ One Size Fits All + LifeEdited

Via Treehugger