When we think of IKEA, we think of furniture we have to put together ourselves, relatively low prices, and delicious Swedish meatballs. If you have kids, there’s probably a good chance that you also think of the kids toys. One of the most popular toys at IKEA is their large stuffed shark called Blahaj.
IKEA has brought Blahaj to life as the fictional real estate agent trying to lease a completely real and not at all fiction apartment in Japan. The apartment is filled with IKEA furniture and decor arranged to maximize the compact space of the rental unit. You see, this is no ordinary apartment. It is only 107 square feet plus a sleeping loft.
While 107 square feet might not sound like much space, and it isn’t, it turns out that if you know how to arrange the furniture, and if you use innovative space-saving furniture like what’s sold at IKEA, it can indeed be the perfect size apartment for one person. There’s even room to have a friend spend the night.
The price of this innovative apartment is truly the best part. IKEA is only charging 99 Japanese yen per month. That’s the equivalent of approximately 86 cents in U.S. dollars, less than $1 per month. That’s an amazing deal especially considering it comes fully furnished.
In order to advertise the tiny apartment, IKEA created promos showing off the space with the life-size Blahaj shark seeing the space first-hand. He seems pretty excited about it and is ready to rent it to one lucky applicant.
Watch the video below to take a tour of this tiny apartment with Blahaj and see it transform from a tiny empty room to a completely functional apartment.
IKEA currently only has one tiny apartment for lease, and the lucky person who rents it will sign a lease that is set to last until January 15, 2023.
It is not clear if IKEA plans to create and rent out more tiny apartments or if this will be the only apartment. Either way, it’s certainly inspiring to see what they did with such a tiny space. We’re not sure how we feel about having to climb the stairs to and from bed every night, but for the price, it’d be worth it.
Would you ever consider living in an apartment that was only 107 square feet? Does this tiny apartment inspire you to maximize the space in your current home or perhaps downsize?