Richard Glance, AIA, spent a full year living in this newly-acquired 550 square foot Manhattan, New York studio apartment to determine how to utilize the space most efficiently. Three issues needed to be resolved: maximizing the space, creating sufficient storage, and providing flexibility - all at a budget of only $2500. He started by removing the partition that had formed the front bedroom. This bedroom commanded the best views. Then four moveable kitchen industrial shelves were placed with stacking cardboard file boxes to achieve both privacy and storage. With the shelves on casters, they were moved into position to create a sleeping area at night. To accentuate the length of the six-foot hallway, the end wall was painted flat black with contrasting high-gloss yellow stripes that converged at the center of the wall on the floor, and another stripe rising from floor to ceiling. This color was carried into the kitchen with a plastic yellow screen installed across the opening. With the light turned on in a the kitchen, a yellow light emanates from the space creating a sculptural "light box." The kitchen cabinets were re-faced with a self-adhesive plastic sheet material to make them appear as a high tech metallic. The actual cost for the studio transformation, minus the Alto coffee table and area rug was slightly more than $2,000. Richard and Karen greatly enjoy the compact but highly efficient space where they spend most of their weekends.