Welcome to Curbed's first-ever Micro Week, five days' worth of stories, photos, and minuscule floorplans that celebrate the grand tradition of small-space living. We'll tour small homes, explore the city's smallest neighborhood, and so much more!
Listen, I know what it means to inhabit a shoebox. I once lived in a studio apartment so small that, when one sat on the toilet, one also could touch the oven. And a fridge? Forget about it. Who has room for a fridge? And, more to the point, the self-respect to, as a human adult on Planet Earth, require one in their home? Certainly not me, and certainly not the unfortunate future residents of these glorified hovels. Los Angeles can definitely be a tough town. These debasingly minuscule dwellings prove it.
↑ $225 Tiny Unfurnished Space (w/curtain for privacy) 4 Rent in my Small Apar (East Hollywood)
Now, while this "big enough for a sleeping bag" floor space surrounded by soiled sheets may look like the perfect permanent home, don't get too excited—it's "temporary ONLY for one to two months." But if you're "420 friendly" and willing to inhabit an East Hollywood studio apartment with a self-described "artist" named Parker, his unnamed half-brother, and two cats for only 60 blissful days, you'll surely create a lifetime of memories.
↑ $600 / 100ft2 - FILIPINO OWNED FURNISHED ROOM 4 RENT (FEMALE) (Eagle Rock)
Female or male, Filipino or non-Filipino, who wouldn't enjoy waking up every morning with a tube television staring back at them? I mean, I'd relish the opportunity to go to bed every night in fear, praying the "Big One" doesn't strike and cause a 200-pound idiot box to come crashing down on my head. But just because I'm not Filipino, I don't get the opportunity to live my dreams by living in Manny's "private residence"? Why, there oughta be a law! (Hey, wait—there is a law.)
↑ $560 LOOKING FOR FEMALE ROOMMATE (Hollywood/Melrose)
Poor Angelyne. It appears she's fallen on such hard times, she's resorted to renting out her living room. Now, granted, she doesn't "use the living-room [sic]" in question, but still. It'd be nice for her to at least have the option, should she choose to exercise it. Her loss, however, is your gain. For a mere $560 a month, you can sleep within spitting distance of the Pink Princess herself!
↑ $499 Furnished Living Room REAL BED Cross the ST of Trendy Grove Shopping (GROVE (CBS Television City))
Now, I don't know about you, but to me the only thing better than having unfettered access to the Grove's American Girl Café would be sleeping on a "REAL BED" across the street from it. Granted, said bed might be located in the living room of a seemingly uptight MySpace user who wants to know the weight of my pet, but it has"$1200 worth" of a "real mattress" sitting atop it!
↑ free rent free utilities and free Wi-Fi (females only)
Sure, we've all been in our share of financially and romantically trying situations. But the idea of sharing a bed and a "relationship" with a stranger in exchange for free room and board requires a level of desperation I personally cannot fathom. Although I must admit, the fact that said man and bed are located in the "beautiful San Fernando Valley" is a tempting selling point.
↑ $550 Furnished room with private bathroom for rent (Walnut/Rowland Heights)
This spartan and yet still somehow cluttered looking living space appears to have been left by a previous, presumably now-dead tenant—how else could one explain the Post-it notes and praying hands poster on the wall? Good thing the furnishings also include a bottle of free lotion—you're gonna need it, as you won't be able to have "overnight visitors."
↑ $1050 / 300ft2 - Quaint and Cozy Seaside Bachelor (Playa del Rey,CA)
Ever wanted to live in the "'million dollar' beach neighborhood of PDR Bluffs," but without the million-dollar price tag? Look no further! For the pittance of $1,050 a month, you can live in this "Spotlessly Clean" (the pictures speak for themselves) bachelor pad! Sure, it has "NO KITCHEN !!", but you'll be saving so much on account of not having to shell out a million dollars to reside mere steps from "the sand" that you can exclusively eat takeout!
↑ $645 Small Furnished Room for Rent (Burbank)
According to the owners of this prison-cell-sized room in Burbank, it's "cozy." In the parlance of Craigslist, "cozy" means "too small to sustain human life." Although it is, I must admit, a helluva deal. For a mere $645 a month, you get your own twin-sized bed, a plastic patio chair, two (count 'em, two) bathmats, and a bleak IKEA bookshelf. What inflation, am I right?
↑ $1100 Great Starter Bachelor Unit in Santa Monica (1224 Stanford St.)
I find the words "starter" and "$1,100" to be incongruent—after all, I'm 31 years old and the idea of being able to spend $1,100 on housing is as outrageous as the idea of affording dignity or decent health insurance. But if you're a "student" whose parents are temporarily paying your way through the hell that is this world, why not consider living in this bathroom-sized room? It comes with its own "hot plate combo unit"!
↑ $595 !!! COOL HOLLYWOOD FURNISHED DORM ARTIST HOUSING with FREE Laundry !! (HOLLYWOOD / W. HOLLYWOOD)
Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure the caps lock-friendly sociopath who posted this ad has a loose definition of "NICELY FURNISHED." To me, withered futons sitting below nausea-inducing art purchased from the side of the road does not a nicely furnished living space make, nor does a cramped bedroom room filled with sterile, uninviting bunk beds. They're asking $600 a month. For the privilege of sleeping in a bunk bed. For $100 less, you could be sleeping on a "REAL BED" across from the Grove, for God's sake. —Megan Koester
· Micro Week 2015 [Curbed LA]
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