The mini apartment experiment: living in 22 m²

The couple decided to take the opportunity to finally move in together. “Well, it’s been a bit of a running joke for our friends. We’ve known each other and been a couple for ages but we’ve never lived together,” says Marie. “It never really mattered,” explains Oliver, “but now we’ve decided to combine our two apartments and live together in rented accommodation in Berlin about 200 kilometres (125 miles) away.” Blum’s Requirement Research Department invited the couple to Austria to take part in an experiment.

“Of course, we’ll have less space than we’ve had up till now. I’m a bit worried we won’t have enough storage for everything we need in a tiny living area,” says the employee of a scientific research institute, revealing her concerns about the move. “That’s why we’re so excited about the experiment,” she adds.

Marie and Oliver meet Belinda Gasser from Blum’s Requirement Research Department. She is a member of the team that carries out kitchen surveys all over the world and is in charge of the experiment. “We investigate the needs of kitchen users in their own kitchens. The focus is on finding out exactly what their workflows and requirements are. Of course, our experiences can also be transferred to other areas in the home,” says the expert, explaining her field of work. “What we want to know, for example, is which drawers are opened and how many times are they opened a day? How fast are doors and pull-outs closed? And how many kilogrammes of storage items are kept in the various cabinets?”

Cameras captured Marie and Oliver’s experiences as they spent an entire afternoon in the micro apartment. “The objective is to show how you can implement innovative living ideas and create as much storage space as possible in tiny living areas such as our 22-square-metre apartment. But it’s also very important to feel at home,” says Belinda. The Blum experiment gives the young couple the opportunity to explore solutions in different living areas and try them out for themselves.

Oliver likes the fact that every inch of space is maximised. “Everything’s so nice and tidy. I could well imagine moving into a flat equipped like this in Neukölln,” concludes Oliver. “Yeah, and I could even imagine moving in with Oliver,” quips researcher Marie, who was a bit concerned at the start.