Category: Products

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Minimalist Home Office Set Up

The LifeEdited 2 home office / guest bedroom is a classic in space efficiency. Apartment dwellers can work at a large stand-up desk with a 34-inch screen and two guests can sleep comfortably, all in one room that is just a bit bigger than a queen-sized bed.

What we used:

  • LG 34UM95 34” wall-mounted monitor
  • Wireless keyboard and mouse
  • MacBook & printer in the closet, connected via hidden cables running through the wall
  • LifeEdited-designed moveable sofa segments that assemble into a guest bed
  • New Concept Table from Resource Furniture (two of these, they fold down)

What we like:

  • It’s a potent home office
  • It has a minimalist feel to it — the messy bits are in the closet
  • Transformation to guest mode is pretty quick

Alternatives:

  • That 34” screen is *really* nice, but a 24” could also work well
  • You could wall-mount an all-in-one computer e.g. an iMac or curved HP Envy

This post is one in a series that describes our LifeEdited 2 showcase apartment. LifeEdited 2 embodies our green, space efficient, and minimalist principles. We view LifeEdited 2 as a lab for experiencing things that are consistent with these principles. The fold-down table described in this post was given to us, which we appreciate, but we would not have accepted if we didn’t believe in it.

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Stunning KBH Mirror with Brass Fittings

A well known way to create the illusion of more space in a room is to add a mirror. In LifeEdited 2 KBH Københavns Møbelsnedkeri’s stunning brass mirror does that and more. The brushed brass frame enriches the aesthetic of the apartment and matches the Plumen light fixtures.

Have a look at KBH’s site, they do really great work.

This post is one in a series that describes our LifeEdited 2 showcase apartment. LifeEdited 2 embodies our green, space efficient, and minimalist principles. We view LifeEdited 2 as a lab for experiencing things that are consistent with these principles. The product described in this post was given to us, which we appreciate, but we would not have accepted if we didn’t believe in it.

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Lithoverde Pre-cycled Carrara Marble in LE2

For most of the countertops and surfaces in LifeEdited 2, LifeEdited chose Lithoverde Bianco Carrara, natural stone composed of 99% post-industrial pre-cycled material and “infused with a soy-based poly-amid binder to create a tight bond,” making it great for wet surfaces. We used it for the kitchen counter, the backsplashes, the wall and vanity in the bathroom as well as the window seat in the office. Durable, smooth, and long lasting the Lithoverde Bianco Carrara really adds to the high quality feel of the apartment.

We love how it looks, how it works and the fact that it’s the greenest marble out there.

This post is one in a series that describes our LifeEdited 2 showcase apartment. LifeEdited 2 embodies our green, space efficient, and minimalist principles. We view LifeEdited 2 as a lab for experiencing things that are consistent with these principles. The product described in this post was given to us, which we appreciate, but we would not have accepted if we didn’t believe in it.

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Beautiful and Italian SMEG

Created with almost all recyclable materials, we love all of the SMEG kitchen appliances in LifeEdited 2. Founded in 1948, SMEG rapidly became a leading appliance manufacturer in post-war Italy, participating in Italy’s “economic miracle” of the 1950s and 60s, when, at one point, Italy became the 3rd largest producer of refrigerators in the world after the US and Japan. Today SMEG integrates technology with design to create detail-oriented products that are both useful and eco friendly.

For a small apartment like LifeEdited 2 it is essential to have kitchen appliances that are efficient, but also beautifully designed to blend into a subtle backdrop. Our 24″ Classic Built-in Speed Oven, 18″ Fully Integrated Panel-ready Dishwasher, and 24″ Fully Integrated Panel-ready Refrigerator, allow us to cook sophisticated meals in an eco-friendly manner while maintaining a simple, clean aesthetic.

The dishwasher is energy star rated, and all of the appliances have energy saving settings and features. The refrigerator is the right size for us to store enough food for big meals without wasting space and encouraging us to forget about what is fresh. Our favorite feature about the Fully Integrated line is that they are able to be built into cabinets, optimizing visual fluidity throughout the kitchen. As a final touch to our integrated appliances we added MadeMeasure vegetable tanned leather straps for easy use.

For our guide to buying a refrigerator for a small space apartment, follow this link.

This post is one in a series that describes our LifeEdited 2 showcase apartment. LifeEdited 2 embodies our green, space efficient, and minimalist principles. We view LifeEdited 2 as a lab for experiencing things that are consistent with these principles. The product described in this post was given to us, which we appreciate, but we would not have accepted if we didn’t believe in it.

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Minimalist Music & Movie System

We all want to listen to music and watch movies, but we don’t want the technology to get in our way. Thus for LifeEdited 2, we deployed a very capable but very simple system.

Our needs:

  • Play music from Spotify
  • Play movies from Netflix & iTunes
  • Allow guests to use the system without reading a manual
  • Energy efficiency in all of the above e.g. music can play without the TV being on

What we used:

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What we like:

  • Music sounds great!
  • Total cost is less than $1,000
  • No need for a big A/V receiver or subwoofer
  • To control it, all you need is the tiny Apple TV remote and a phone
  • Guests have successfully used it

Alternatives:

  • Rather than an Apple-centric system use a Google Cast system, or an Amazon-centric system, or a Sonos system, or a Roku system
  • Projectors can also be great for small apartments — less wall space taken up.

This post is one in a series that describes our LifeEdited 2 showcase apartment. LifeEdited 2 embodies our green, space efficient, and minimalist principles. We view LifeEdited 2 as a lab for experiencing things that are consistent with these principles. None of the products above were given to us.

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Kohler Water Conserving Fixtures

Thanks to Kohler, LifeEdited 2’s bathroom is beautiful and eco-friendly.

Our favorite feature is the brushed nickel Stillness Valve in the shower, which separates water pressure from water temperature, allowing users to save water every time they have a shower by making it easier to quickly get the temperature they want. In addition, the matching Purist Showerhead and Single Hole Bathroom Sink Faucet are beautiful, simple and high functioning. The Veil Toilet, which saves up to 12″ of bathroom space (and has a bidet!), adds to the LifeEdited 2 apartment dweller’s standard of living while reducing their carbon footprint by allowing one to stop using toilet paper entirely.

To learn more about official WaterSense water saving products, follow this link!

This post is one in a series that describes our LifeEdited 2 showcase apartment. LifeEdited 2 embodies our green, space efficient, and minimalist principles. We view LifeEdited 2 as a lab for experiencing things that are consistent with these principles. The product described in this post was given to us, which we appreciate, but we would not have accepted if we didn’t believe in it.

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We Love Our Plumen Drop Hat Pendant Shades with Warm, Dimmable LED Bulbs!

The light bulb market in America is ever-changing and complicated due to shifting regulations. Even though the U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 sought to enforce the phase-out of incandescent lightbulbs, setting standards which LED and CFL lightbulbs already met but which incandescent light bulbs did not, it has since been undercut by congress. While it is upsetting that incandescent light bulbs are still on the market in 2016, there have still been positive effects of the 2007 Energy Act on the lightbulb market itself. One such effect is that the cost of buying and owning LEDs has improved.

According to energy.gov, LED lightbulbs “typically use about 25%-80% less energy than traditional incandescents, saving you money.” In LifeEdited 2 Graham wanted to create a warm and uplifting aesthetic that was simple but not too “white box,” and with as much energy saving qualities as possible. One of the ways he added color and texture to the space was with the addition of Plumen LED bulbs with elegant brushed brass Drop Hat Pendant Shades.

Not only is the light produced by LE2’s Plumen LED bulbs an elegant soft yellow, but all of the fixtures are remote controlled via Insteon’s smartphone app. Insteon creates easy to use energy saving settings and encourages the apartment dweller to use only the lighting “scenes” that are appropriate for their needs. e.g. fully on for cleaning, only a few on dimmers for late at night, etc..

To learn more about how to save energy and cut costs, read this article about when to turn off your lights.

This post is one in a series that describes our LifeEdited 2 showcase apartment. LifeEdited 2 embodies our green, space efficient, and minimalist principles. We view LifeEdited 2 as a lab for experiencing things that are consistent with these principles. The product described in this post was given to us, which we appreciate, but we would not have accepted if we didn’t believe in it.

 

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Hunter Douglas App Controlled Honeycomb Shades

In building LifeEdited 2, we aimed to create a high quality of life within a small space. The cordless Hunter Douglas Honeycomb Shades helped us do this. With big windows on both sides of the apartment, it is important to have blinds that are easy to operate such that the apartment dweller can tune their space to the particular light, noise and temperature of the city. The cellular honeycomb shape of the shades effectively keeps out light and noise pollution while also looking elegant. The Honeycomb Shades are also constructed in such a way as to keep the apartment cool and shaded on hot summer days and warm and insulated on cold winter nights, helping to cut heating and cooling energy needs by a lot. For example, upon leaving one could put the apartment in blackout mode to prevent hot summer sun from baking the apartment while out for the day.

The Honeycomb Shades are intelligent too. They can be controlled with an app on your smartphone or via their attractive “pebble” remote. We love being able to adjust the blinds with the click of a single button. Their PowerView Motorization technology allows us to make settings that are specific to our apartment and our schedules. Late and early in the day the sun beams into the LifeEdited 2 office, so Graham has a partially shaded setting for those times of day in particular. Plus, because the blinds can be used from the bottom up or the top down, they are great for letting light into the apartment while also preserving privacy. Finally, being battery operated they are much easier (and cheaper!) to install than wired blinds.

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LifeEdited 2

 

****THIS APARTMENT IS FOR SALE. PLEASE VISIT THE CORCORAN SITE FOR MORE INFO.****

LifeEdited 2 (LE2) is a prototype for apartments in future LifeEdited buildings. It allows dwellers to live a big, happy, smart, green, and simplified life in a 350 sft apartment that functions like one twice its size. You may have already seen it on the cover of the November issue of Dwell.

LifeEdited began in 2010 when Graham Hill, founder of popular eco website TreeHugger, crowdsourced his 420 sft New York City apartment. It demonstrated the “less but better” lifestyle by creating a beautiful apartment with the functionality of a much larger space. LifeEdited 1 (LE1) seats 12 for dinner, has proper sleeping quarters for 2 guests, a great home office, a home theater, and is extremely energy efficient. With its own TED talk, two NYT features and coverage by most major media outlets, it has become one of the most widely published apartments in the world.

Completed in 2016, LE2 is smaller than LE1 but amazingly manages similar functionality. It graciously seats 10 for dinner, hosts two in a guest room, and has a great home office. Our approach to achieve this:

See set of 25 official LE2 photos here or download a zip of web resolution photos here. Or download the high resolution photos: part1, part2, part3.

 

****THIS APARTMENT IS FOR SALE. PLEASE VISIT THE CORCORAN SITE FOR MORE INFO.****

 

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A massive thank you to all that helped make this a reality:

Design: LifeEdited, Architect of Record: Guerin Glass, Build: Composite Fabrication, Expeditor: J. Callahan

Extra special thanks to Andrei Butusina, Catalin Sandu, David Friedlander, Andrew Skey, Karolina Wydra, Scott Glass, Shawn Ruddy, Jorge Faz, Bill Byers, Casey Martin, Leah Solomon, Jayson Halladay and the Resource Furniture crew.

Big thanks to Dwell, Sean Sliger, Joanna Sjostrand, Adam Finkelman, Francesca Michel, Lloyd Alter and the TreeHugger crew, Lawrence Hudson, Wing Deng, Sokol Hoti, 150 Sullivan’s board and Paul Brensilber of Jordan Cooper, and others, without whom the project would not have been possible and whom we’ve somehow forgotten to include! 🙂

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