Small Zen family Hong Kong apartment - 45sqm/484sqft 

When he said, the world doesn't only lack on space but also imagination. I'd love to butt in "we lack money too".

I lived in HK for a few years and once lived in an apartment with the same under floor storage. It is just such a pain, a nightmare when it comes to cleaning. HK environment is super humid so the surfaces of each wall of the underfloor compartments gets moldy always!! The kind of closed storage space creates perfect warmth and humidity for molds to grow. When you clean you have to be on all fours to mop each of the moldy walls. It's back hurting! And just imagine the trouble to move the seat cushions and all the things aside just to open One compartment. Besides, dust fall in the grooves is difficult to clean too! If anyone think that kind of storage is a good idea, think again!!

Imagine spilling things into floor storage. I think hidden storage in the floor would work in bedroom but not in spaces that are actively used for eating/hanging around.

The maids room makes harry potter’s old room look luxurious

The design of the dining table, with standard height chairs for older people like the grandmother and with bar stools for the young couple, is amazing.

I really wish I could adore this design, lots of creativity and effort in solving the storage problem. But it seems painful to keep these storages clean with all the dust, mold, liquid, insects...that will fall down there. Plus I'm not sure how long the floor can last considering they're literal closet doors that 3-4 people step on everyday. The house also is too white, it doesn't feel home-like anymore. The maid room is :( another sad subject.

The concept is great but the execution is lacking; things are hidden but the overall feeling is cluttered. This kind of concept usually requires clean lines and minimal seams.

How does that maid room even work? If she sleeps there, where does she sleep? On the odd shaped platform? On the kitchen floor?

Good to see the maintaining of the second/ third class citizen approach to live-in maids. Where do they sleep and relax? On a table over storage and below drying clothes. Brilliant and so human.

this is a lovely and efficient design but as the others pointed out in the comments section, the living condition of a live-in maid in HK baffles me. they have that much space for the master's bedroom but a miniature for a maid? wow. i hope that's a utility closet instead of a living quarters of a housekeeper.

Viewers: We'd like to see small spaces for lower income families that are actually practical and somewhat achievable for us, please! NTS: Here's a space that likely costs more than any of you will earn in a lifetime where the maid sleeps in the cupboard and we'll brush over it like it's fine. Also, here's a tote bag we're selling.

The space feels more sterile than zen to me with the lack of contrasting textures and colours. Many comments about the cramped sleeping quarter for the maid. It’s a major social problem in Hong Kong where real estate prices are astronomical and families are often squeezed into tiny apartments, and maids are made to sleep in cupboard-like spaces. This is very common and this example is actually much better than most in that there’s a window and access to fresh air. Sad but true.

This looks like the Coastal Skyline, a relatively new apartment complex in Tung Chung (a newly developed area), HK. The cost of such a unit should be around USD $2400/sqft, roughly 1.2-1.3 million USD for the 45 sqm/484 sqft apartment. Just to give you an idea of HK housing price. Absolutely gorgeous view, design, and video.

How does the maid sleep? Hong Kong is known for small spaces and living conditions for live-in help is often inhumane. Hong Kong is notorious for mistreating help. It seems necessary to explain how live-in help live as well... It doesn't provide details of the maid's bed and that seems sketchy.

Space efficiency isn't everything. This appartment will have so many running costs, since every motor can fail and with so many gaps everywhere it will get really dirty after a while. Energy efficiency is also important and with so much unnessacary features (someone in the comments said the table in the middle does not have to be electric for example), the running costs are high and it honestly feels a bit like a spaceship. Very clean and elegant solutions, but not very comfortable and cozy in my oppinion and that is the most important aspect of a living space I think.

There is nothing zen about this design, except the name.

I am confused... Is it a maid's room or is it the maid sleeping in the laundry room, on top of the washing machine, storage, and under wet hanging laundry?

Cool design but maybe try not to feature designs that promote inhumane living conditions for unskilled workers?

The optimized storage is so overwhelming that it feels like just accumulating unnecessary items at this point! The design is stunning, but it would give me a headache to live in! I like small spaces for their purer and more clutter-free aspects.

This is a good mix between capacity and convenience. Making the floor storage and also a place to sit down thanks to a rising dining table is brilliant.

Never too small? Tell that to the live-in maid, sleeping in a laundry room under drying clothes. This is the first video I've seen on this channel that has made me uncomfortable.

Never Too Small recently did a series on possibilities for inclusive, humane, and sustainable living spaces. Now they don't see anything wrong about featuring an apartment where a human being is basically forced to live inside a utility closet, right next to the washing machine.

I rarely comment on any of your videos, I find all of them amazing! Obviously this one has lots of issues, especially the storage. But what I want to ask those who designed this is if they knew there will be 4 people living in this space... 5 including the grandmother who visits to take care of the kid. Seems like the aesthetics matter more than the usability of the space. Those who intend to watch this video would find it useful if they can see the dislikes first.

It breaks my heart that the maid is being denied a bed. She is human and she works hard, she deserves a soft bed to rest in after a long day. Why are people so cruel towards their staff? It really doesn't require that much money or effort to provide basic comfort like a bed to another human being. I used to live in the middle east and the maids there were being mistreated and abused too. One family proudly told me that they didn't beat their staff. While the family was living in great luxury, the maid was shoved in a mouldy room without paint and water dripping down from a leaking pipe on her mattress. She also only got ramen-noodles to eat, no fresh meat or vegetables, ever. I don't know how she could even survive on that diet. She had no days off, no weekends, and I recall many instances of the lady of the household calling her after midnight so she would serve her a bottle of water from the fridge that the lady was sitting next to anyway. The maid worked so hard and was so kind. She was not allowed to leave the house, ever, except when accompanying the family (not as a family member but so they could use her services as a nanny, servant etc wherever they went). I hope she got her passport back and was able to return home to her family eventually. So many never get to return.

NEVER too small? The maid would beg to differ. (If she is required to stay overnight in the "maid's room/laundry," her living conditions are inhumane; regardless of cultural differences.)

I appreciate how efficient this is, but it feels cold and impersonal, which doesn't make the space very welcoming. Just my opinion. Still, great job!

A lot of these interior design companies in Hong Kong keep pushing customers to have under floor storage as solution to lack of space. Not practical at all, not only is it difficult to clean (gather so much dusts) and if you have elderly visitors, small kids that are still learning to walk or people with disability they are such a hazard. I had them in our old apartment (rental) i couldn't stand it and it was a major reason that we moved.

This is definitely a very smart design and the white in the appartment makes everything look very clean ❤

So no chairs/sofa, just sit on the floors, and stick the maid in the laundry room. Does she even have a bed?

I was thinking, wow, this is amazing - until we were ever-so-briefly introduced to the cupboard/maid's room...😦😞

How can a minimalist house look so cluttered?

Minimalism is to get rid of the unnecessary things in your life. Hiding all the things in the cupboards under your feet and around you and then paint them all white is not minimalism. This house look like you build a smaller box inside a small box and people living inside has to do a lot of climbing and bending inside a smaller box. I feel sad to see things are more important than people living in this house.

2:28 Architect: we repurpose the kitchen area to be a future maid room with storage area 5:36 *shows a super-super tiny area where most of the space is ocupied by a storage cabinet* me talking to the monitor: how is that a room for the maid? is she gonna sleep standing up? on top of the cabinet like some sort of coffin bed?

Maybe it's my first world mindset speaking but in the maids "room", where's the bed? I know Hong Hong is a tight fit and their culture of having service at all times, but that's essentially the laundry room

THAT'S WHERE THE MAID SLEEPS?!?!

The storage under the living room is not a brilliant idea as Hong Kong is so damp and it might have mold growth for storage being underneath.

Not loving the concept the maid has to live in a tiny storage facility like an after thought.

Super hidden storage plus clean lines and creative spaces. So functional and precisely personalized. Bravo.

I found this to feel almost like a hospital than a home.

That stunning wide view and scenery of the mountain is to die for~

I like some ideas of the design. But I would not like the „antiseptic“ look. For me it misses a warm feeling. Real wood surfaces for example.

The amount of storage in this small space is incredible! The views from each bed brings such beauty and purest zen to both sleeping and waking. 👍🏼👍🏼

This genuinely took my breath away. Incredible work. 🙏🏻

So incredible! The fridge is so lovely with all the white interior. I’m so impressed by this design. The only thing I dislike is the bean bag chairs, but I get the concept. 💕

The electric table kinda scares me, what if my leg or a young child got trapped and it closed on it. Unless it has a sensor.

Never too small for all the stuff they have, but no room for the poor maid…

An awesome design overall. The white in most of the rooms still feels so warm. Every inch was maximized, such as functional space. Icing on the cake too, when the electronic clothes hanger just casually made its appearance..!

I am baffled by the idea of a live-in maid in such a small apartment! Especially, in a city like Hong Kong where there must be scads of great restaurants. This whole place looks like it would take 2 hours a week to clean at most. I'm also baffled by the remark that white is a "warm" color. It's something of a theme on this channel and well, it's not? It's not warm.

That’s one INCREDIBLE space. The storage under the floor, sliding door and the clothes horse - genius.

I've been thinking about such a table hidden in the "floor" as a space-saving design for a long time. Doesn't even have to be electronic. I think it's just such a convenient way to have a lot of open space that can be transformed into a dining space big enough to invite people over. Just, I was thinking of putting it to the edge of the platform/liftet floor, to give the possibility of just sliding in. Since my parents are not used to sitting on the floor and are getting older, it would grant them easier access.

I am just wondering where the maid sleeps or does she just hang out there in that corner?

This is absolutely amazing. Appeals to the minimalist in me perfectly. Everything makes so much sense with how it was made and how it was placed. And that view is gorgeous

One of the more artistic designs I’ve seen. It’s a beautiful example of what’s possible.

Bit concerned for the maid.

Glad I'm not a maid in Hong Kong.

the lack of back support everywhere 😣

But where is the backsupport for any of the chairs in the entire house?

Absolutely love this design and using the floor for storage! Looks very organized with all the things hidden/tucked away but still available to be pulled out, when needed. Great use of the small space, dividing it up to fit 4 people. No traditional couch but the beds look very comfortable.

I really like the outlook of the apartment, I like how open it is and how so much light can enter, it makes the whole room have an elegant vibe to it. One thing that personally took me back was the amount of hidden cabinets and storage units, particularily in the floor. On one hand, I am impressed with this architectural approach to the storage problem. However, on the other hand, I know for a fact that if I were living there, I'd get so fussed up over opening so many cabinets and constantly kneeling down to pick something up. Though some things I genuinely might implement in my own future apartment, like the lifted coffee table and using the floor as "benches", I think that was a very creative approach to saving space :)

I love your videos, but could the video editor please use colors for the floor plan that are easier to see? I find it really confusing to tell the changes made for the “after” layout. Also, is there someway English subtitles can be made more accurately? As an American who is hard of hearing, I can’t quite understand what the designers are saying, let alone when they talk with an accent. I hope these requests can be considered. Thank you

If you’re an architect or designer with a project we could feature, please share it with us at www.nevertoosmall.com/submissions Architect: www.sim-plex-design.com Thumbnail Photography: Patrick Lam Check out our book - www.nts.store Workspace by Never Too Small - www.nts.space Website www.nevertoosmall.com Instagram instagram.com/nvtsmall Facebook facebook.com/nvtsmall

The person who designed this space never had to clean a home. Also never worked as a maid. This is just not practical at all. But people with money don't have to think about it, because they are not the one who maintain it.

Never too small some people seem confused by the maid's room, me included. Does an actual maid live there? Could you clarify that?

nice and clean... taking advantage of the high ceiling to use the floor as pseudo storage is also smart

Great... but won't work for me coz will never find my things scattered into so many storage. Probably need to stick a inventory list on the fridge 😖

It feels like in a boat with many storage slots.

One of the best apartment designs I have ever seen in my life

Many people are concerned about the ‘maids room’ in the comment section but a lot of people have pointed out that’s just where the maid conducts chores and not actually where the maid sleeps/lives very important context

This payment is light and neutral without being cold. The layout is clever, my favorite so far.

This apartment is way too small for someone to accumulate so much stuff. The storage solutions in this apartment feel overwhelming to me.

Very clever adaptation and innovative use of space, especially for a family that is amenable to having it that way. Love the clothes hanging rack. We have one similar to that but without electronic height adjustment. The kitchen bench/dining table is a great solution.

There are definitely great concepts here - the ability to close off the space for an additional sleeping area, a nod to traditional Japanese design with the ‘cavity’ table, hidden storage. But the amount of visual clutter is distracting - this place could benefit from clean lines and also the kitchen lacks functionality. Whilst they have all the appliances they don’t have an appropriate height bench space for preparation. I wanted to love it, but it was just poorly executed 😔

It does look so clean and perfect, but I'm afraid if I brought some milk tea or coffee and suddenly dropped it, wouldn't the liquid flow to the hole gaps of the floor storage?

I was just thinking about the poor maids room having to integrate storage as well. So small and doesn’t look very private other wise great for Hong Kong.

view to a forest, what a well organized home, we have a lot to learn with this ideas

It didn't give me a "light" feeling. There's way too much cabinetry. The design looks common, a bit dated unlike the rest of the houses featured in this channel.

Innovation is the true motor of development

I love the light in the bathroom. I really also love minimalism and the peace it brings to mind, but I never get why that excludes plants. I like that you can see that they really live there. And I would miss a cozy couch 😅

Very modern flat but too cold for my taste , the view is amazing 🤩

The view is so amazing !!

I think most of you didn't realise is that the maid actually sleeps in the maid room.

I'm surprised this is on never too small considering where the maid sleeps! It's not great...

This was freaking sick. Would love to live in a place like this

That view is stunning

while I think it's beautiful and clever in some areas, the kitchen has zero bench space - as the entirety of the island is too high from the kitchen side to be bench-height. I am also very curious who on this planet needs a maid for a 500 sq ft apartment. or maybe they meant just a cleaning supply closet?

The white and the unimpeded view! It is as if you can step on that wooded hill. Beautiful.

Maid's Quarters? Don't you mean Maid's 1/16th?

the design working perfectly with the windows is beautiful

That poor maid. Her life in that apartment must be awful.

This one is my absolute favourite. Awesome. Extremely intelligent and beautiful design and usage of the space! Thank you.

Beyond the floor storage problems, this one has such a hospital room vibe, feels impersonal. I think it helps frame the outside beautifully, but there are other ways to do that without losing personality.

this is not really zen. It is just more modernized design. The only zen part is the video's background music

Beautiful for a small family! Good desing

Please explain the maid room. It’s so inhumane 😠 no way the person filming/editing this video thought it was ok for a human to live like that

This is beautiful and cleverly done except for the maid’s quarter. That’s borderline inhumane. But that’s HK for ya

(Living in Hong Kong myself) I thought the hanger in the maid's room is a bit of a dick move. Fairly nice apartment otherwise.

the views are amazing! and im not just talking about the windows

All white! Looks beautiful but definitely hard to maintain!

Absolutely LOVE the innovative solutions for storage and saving space, and the clean, almost futuristic overall look! This may be nitpicking, but the only thing that really hurts my eyes are those very visible (almost exposed) LED strip lights all over the place. They could have, or rather should have, been more diffused so that individual LEDs aren't as noticeable. This can be achieved by deeper channels, or using more "condensed" LED strips with more individual LEDs per meter.

I would end up spending all of my time trying to figure out where I hid things.