Movin' on out.

High five to my friend who is moving to "The District" to become a hotshot attorney. He will be gone come August and is in the midst of planning a genius studio space outfitting it with Ikea....and for less than $300 (minus the bed). Here are some of his picks:Good luck, M!

Playing house.....

Can it really be? A tiny house. Where do you live? Where do you eat? Where do you sleep? Where do you do anything? Can you do anything? Let's find out.

This house, if you will, was developed by Richard Horden, and small living at its best (and worse). The homes are about 10-by-10 square feet and are made for two people. The homes, first launched in November 2005, are produced in Austria and available for purchase throughout Europe. It takes only 8-10 weeks from order to delivery, which is faster than many lead times on single pieces of furniture. The Micro Compact Home combines techniques for high quality compact 'living' spaces deployed in aircraft, yachts, cars, and micro apartments. Its design has been informed by the classic scale and order of a Japanese tea-house, combined with advanced concepts and technologies. Living in an m-ch means focusing on the essential . For $96,000 a cube (including delivery and installation anywhere in Europe), owners get a fully integrated interior teched out with everything from a flatscreen TV to a dining room table that seats five. In the future, solar panels and a roof-mounted horizontal-axis wind turbine generating 2,200 kilowatts of power a year will make m-ch models self-sustaining. Can less really be more? And does less have to be smaller. I am a proponent of all things larger (bigger bags, bigger cars, taller shoes...you get the idea). This house is smaller than my car essentially and has been touted as packing more utility. Maybe you can cook, can eat, and can sleep.....but can you do so comfortably?

Essentially this creation is the same size as a U.S. prison cell or mausoleum perhaps.....those are meant to punish people and house people's bodies after death. Do you really desire to live in something of the same size? Is it worth sacrificing space to sacrifice sanity?

FYI--Design specs:

No furniture required. The m-ch's space-saving interior includes:

1 Fire alarm and smoke detectors

2 Sliding table that seats up to five people

3 Two 7.5-foot-long Double Beds (a bunk above the dining table and a slide-out at floor level)

4 Shelves and drawers for storing clothes, bedding, cleaning supplies and, equipment, and so on

5 Control panel operates all electrical systems: heating, air-conditioning, TV, CD player, and LED lighting

6 Bathroom with a sliding screen that separates the toilet and the shower, plus a drying area for clothes and shoes

7 Kitchen equipped with a microwave, fridge/freezer, sink, waste unit, and double-level work surface