Space 425 square feet | Rent $650
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Costa, a photographer and musician, first saw the apartment a few years ago, when a friend was living in it. He was splitting time between Chicago and Santiago, Chile, and when he decided to settle here on a more permanent basis he found that it was up for grabs. He liked the idea of having a small, affordable place that would be easy to keep up if he decided to travel again. He was also attracted by the unconventional layout–“I’m happy to have someplace weird, otherwise it’s boring,” he says–and the two skylights. “Light is important to me in my space–it affects my mind.” To make the most of it, he painted the floors white to match the walls.
Having parted with nearly all his belongings before heading to Chile, he was able to tailor his furnishings to the space. Conveniently, he had a few friends who were interested in modern furniture. He bought the mahogany-frame sofa, by Danish designer Peter Hvidt, from a furniture-collecting Swedish friend for $900. “I get a lot of his hand-me-downs,” says Costa. The same friend “loaned” him four Eames molded plywood chairs, and another provided an Eames-ish dining table to match. Someone else was throwing out a knockoff Eames recliner and ottoman.
