Back in the 70's, I shared houses with room mates, while in college. It was very popular in Seattle.
What ever happened to that idea?

I'd take a micro-apartment by myself over a big house with a bunch of people I barely know, anyday.

microwave/oven, and they can work really well.

Gah, designers have no imagination these days. I put a fully equipped kitchen, including a washing machine, 4 burner cooktop, 3/4 size fridge, the combination oven/microwave and TONS of cupboard space and counter tops into a studio flat less than 200 sf. All it takes is a little imagination and creativity. And I did it all with top quality goods from Ikea; you'd never even know it. I used all Ikea appliances which come with a 5 year warranty. Such a deal!

One big difference is that I mounted the cupboards flush to the ceiling so there is no gap. Raising the long versions of the Ikea cupboards up higher provided more space over the cupboards and cook top, and now there's no place to gather dust. I can't stand it when kitchen cupboards have a huge gap on top, makes me nuts. No one ever cleans up there and if it's used for storage, it just clutters up.

I also tucked a full shower, sink and toilet into the bathroom and its barely 3 feet wide. Sure, it's not handicapped accessible, but that's not required in France. We saved a huge amount of space by installing an instant water heater, it's only about 4 inches deep, by 1 foot x 18 inches. It works great! It's up high, out of the way and provides endless shower and kitchen hot water.

I used an entire wall of Ikea wardrobes in the main room incorporating plenty of hanging space, loads of drawers and even a desk area & shelving. Further storage was gained under the slide away bed, which was also from Ikea, converting to a sofa as needed within less than a minute.

Yes, it's very small, but how much space does one person really need? It's all about what you have and how you economically use it, as opposed to endless acres of open space. Yes, I love wide open spaces, but I really love designing small, compact and efficient, comfortable spaces. I always say 'you can only be in one room at a time'.... I like micro spaces!

But to each their own!

Julie

That is not an apartment. That is a hotel room. Many poor people in San Francisco have lived in single-room occupancy (SRO) hotels for years, generally without benefit of fridge or micro. Believe it not, some of the SROs are now marketing to millennial techies!