Lego-style 24 square meters apartment in Barcelona

When photographer Christian Schallert isn’t busy cooking, dressing, sleeping or eating, his small 24 square meter (258 square feet) flat appears to be an empty cube. To use a piece of furniture, he has to build it. Situated in Barcelona, Spain’s hip Born district, the tiny apartment is a remodeled pigeonhole loft (when Schallert first toured the apartment it was home to pigeons). Schallert collaborated with his friend, architect Barbara Appolloni, to come up with this unique design scheme, taking six months to complete. Christian says its design was inspired by the space-saving furniture aboard boats, as well as the clean lines of a small Japanese home.

The clean-lined apartment has each appliance and piece of furniture hidden away behind seamless wood-clad panels. By opening and closing these panels, the apartment can be adjusted to the needs of the moment. To sleep, he pulls on a leather strap attached to the end of the bedframe and rolls his bed out from under the balcony, his stairs become bedside tables as well as a sofa and additional seating space to eat when a fold down counter is accessed, and he can even swing his television out from the wall. To cook, he clicks a spot on the wall and a spring-loaded door opens to reveal an instant kitchen, with an electric stovetop, sink, countertop, microwave oven and even a small dishwasher. There is also a full-sized refrigerator and freezer, a small pantry and even space to store clothes and sporting equipment.

There is a 65-square-foot balcony, just outside the bed area, offering 360-degree views of Barcelona. Meandering up a flight of stairs from the small balcony, there is an additional terrace of 200-square-feet with an outdoor tub for two and a washer under a protective cover (he line drys his clothes). This is the ultimate bachelor pad, and since Schallert works around the corner from his home, he keeps all of his work things at his office. The small space forces him to be neat and organized, and since he travels a lot for work, it is the perfect space with little upkeep.

[Note: Christian recently moved out of his apartment after getting into a relationship and realizing while it's a great bachelor pad, it's not as ideal for two.] How cool is this space? Could you live in it? Make sure you view the video about the apartment below!

The panels and floor on this side of the unit are made of a mix of compressed wood and concrete called Viroc. The material has an industrial look but isn’t as hard as concrete. It doesn’t get too cold in the winter and works well in the summer too.

The shower glass cube and sink stay out of the way of the kitchen and bedroom modes.

The toilet is the only private space in this apartment, with a small window and built-in magazine storage.

Before the remodel: