Peter BerkowitzIn London, estate agents would probably refer to this as a ‘cosy’, ‘open-plan’ living space, but it’s really far from it.
Illustrator Peter Berkowitz literally lives in a box or what he prefers to call it, a ‘bedroom pod’ in his mates lounge.
In an age where us millennials can’t afford to live anywhere, really, Peter, 25, had to get creative with his housing situation in San Francisco, where the average rent price for a one-bed flat is at a staggering $3,500 (£2,400)- that’s almost £1,000 more than London.
Peter BerkowitzSo, Peter set to work on building a tiny one-bed pod to set up in his friend’s living room, which allowed him to pay only $508 (£360) in rent. And he lives just down the road from the beach. Bargain! Well, sort of.
Peter started on this project three weeks ago and it’s almost completed, sharing photos of his cramped living space on his website.
He explained:
People are typically surprised that I would want to live in a pod, but I think they tend to underestimate how pleasant a pod can be if it’s designed smartly. It’s the coziest bedroom I’ve ever had.
Peter BerkowitzIt’s essentially like Harry Potter’s cupboard under the stairs, but Peter actually chooses to live here.
The 8×3.5×4.5′ pod cost $1,300 (£919) to build in total and somehow manages to include a fold-down desk, a slanted, cushioned backboard and LED lights for reading. It also packs in a storage space behind the blackboard for his clothes and books.
Speaking to NBC News, Peter said he got the idea from Japanese hotels which use sleeping pod booths.
He shares the three-bed apartment with four other people and although he admits his pod isn’t perfect- ‘if I had to make it again, I would make it taller’ – there are real positives.
Peter said:
It’s really like adding an extra bedroom to the apartment. If pods can provide an attractive way to add a bedroom to an apartment, I think they could help a lot of people out. What I kind of enjoy about it is how absurdly low my rent is.
With rising rent prices, could this soon become a lot more of a regular occurrence? We fucking hope not.
