Mini Living:: Brit brand unveils concept apartment

The Mini Living concept space is said to address "one of the most pressing challenges of urban living - the shortage of attractive, affordable housing", and the 30-square-metre apartment is said to offer "a potential solution in the form of a modern shared-living concept".

The installation apparently forms part of a "micro-neighbourhood of similar apartments", and it is said to highlight the brand's expertise in maximising the usability of a compact space. As such it has fold-out shelving - including a kitchen bench, desk and stereo - that forms part of the walls of the apartment.

According to Mini, "the shelves can be opened out to give access to the various objects and functions" and "by opening out different shelves, the apartment’s interior space can be combined and reconfigured in many different ways, providing the appropriate backdrop for all sorts of spontaneous activities and unique experiences".

The walls of the apartment can also be opened up to create "sharable" living spaces, and the company says the apartment "blurs the normal boundaries between the private and the communal". Um, we think sharing cars could be scary enough - imagine sharing your kitchen with the creep next door...

"Mini has always been a quintessentially urban brand, a brand for the city, and this is also where a lot of our customers live," said Mini's head of brand strategy and business innovation, Esther Bahne. "We have to take a holistic approach to the city and think about solutions that are relevant to the needs of the people who live there. This is what the Mini Living installation is all about."

We know Mini has been criticised for pushing the brand boundaries in the past, but is home design something you'd like to see from the BMW-owned British brand? Tell us in the comments section below.

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