Michelle Tennant and Andy Knight had a few things on their wish list for their new home: a large kitchen, a spacious bathtub, a home theater, and a gym. That wouldn’t be a problem in many suburban houses, but the couple wanted to live in the Central district of Hong Kong. They ended up with a 309-square-foot micro-apartment, but with the help of Laab architects, they were able to cram everything in by making it transformable.
Prices are so high in the area that the transformation cost about the same as it would have to purchase an apartment with only 30 to 50 more square feet, according to the firm. Instead, Laab designed it so each area has multiple functions. The bathroom has four configurations: one with just the bathtub, another with the bathtub separate from the sink, so someone can bathe in privacy, a third with a second tier for TV watching, and finally a guest bedroom setup. “Achieving this level of flexibility in this area and others required over 30 design iterations and large amounts of experimentation,” according to Laab. The apartment also has smart features, like app-controlled Hue lights and an August smart lock for keyless entry.
You can see in the video how some of the transformations take place. Storage shelves lower from the ceiling, floor panels flip up, walls slide out, and bookcases swing open. When you think about it, it makes sense. When the bathtub is sitting empty, why not cover it up with a cushion and turn it into a couch?
It’s not just the couple that lives in the 309-square-foot space, though. They have three cats: Banoffee, Dumpling, and Tuxedo. Laab also designed with them in mind, including a catwalk around the ceiling, cat ladder, hidden litter box under the bathroom sink, food bowls stowed in the kitchen cabinets, and a hidey hole, so they can get away from their owners (and each other).
Few things ruin a quiet evening faster than a robot vacuum roaring through the living room. Most of us end up pausing the cleaning run, which defeats the whole purpose of owning one. Matic thinks it has the answer with its new Serene robot vacuum, and the big selling point is how little noise it makes.
The Matic Serene runs at 52 decibels even when cleaning at full power. To put that in perspective, Matic compares it to the hum of your refrigerator. It is available now for $1,695, which is $200 more than the original Matic’s current price.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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