Of the moves I've helped friends with, the worst are probably the ones to the East Village, a Manhattan neighborhood of often elevator-free six- and even seven-storey walk-ups. Trying to maneuver a couch up the impossibly narrow staircases one level at a time is like trying to solve a very heavy Rubik's cube. And once all the furniture's up there, the resident has another difficult task ahead of them: Trying to shoehorn all their stuff into the famously narrow and tiny apartments.

In short, the East Village is a prime location to flex those design muscles and come up with brilliant ways to make small spaces livable, yet we haven't seen many bloggable examples of this--until now: Check out this studio apartment done up by Brooklyn-based architecture and branding firm Jordan Parnass Digital Architecture, a/k/a JPDA.

The East Village Studio renovation addresses the client's desire for multi-purpose living space. While the footprint of the apartment is minimal, meticulously detailed millwork conceals extensive amounts of storage and shelving; thereby maximizing floor space. The aesthetic is clean and concise, while providing the warmth of a home and functional desires of the client.

If you look closely at the photos you'll see tons of intelligent details, like the treads on the staircase drawers that have grooves routed into them for grip, and the slightly reflective material on the wall unit in the living room, a subtle way of making the room feel twice as big without relying on the gaudy wall-o'-mirrors trick.

Check out more shots of the space at the link above.