Woman Claims to Have the Smallest Bathroom in N.Y.C. — and You Won't Believe the Sink (Exclusive)

• Emily Bonani lived in a Manhattan apartment with what she claims to be N.Y.C.'s smallest bathroom, featuring a unique toilet-sink combo.

• Despite the initial shock, Bonani accepted the apartment due to its good location, price and her need for housing

• The experience inspired Bonani's creative work, as she's currently developing a show called Out of Order in which she interviews people in New York City public bathrooms

Where real estate is as precious as gold, Emily Bonani found herself living with what she claims to be the smallest bathroom in New York City in a now-viral TikTok.

Her tiny bathroom, only large enough to accommodate a single person, features a unique design: a sink attached to the top of the toilet, activated only by flushing.

"At first, I was like, ‘Oh, there’s no way. That’s insane,’ ” Bonani recalls exclusively to PEOPLE. “But then I kind of was like ‘Well, it’s kind of funny.’ ”

Bonani's choice to lease the apartment despite its quirky bathroom was driven by several factors. The location was ideal, the price was right and she was in a rush to find a place. Living in New York City prior, she was familiar with the area's notoriously tricky housing market.

“I was desperate,” she explains. “I told myself, ‘I’ll get used to it,’ and honestly, it was kind of funny. I do tend to choose things that are surrounding chaos sometimes.”

Related: $3,500 N.Y.C. Apartment with Shower Right Inside Entry Deemed ‘Worst Layout Ever’

However, living with such a unique bathroom setup presented daily challenges that required creative solutions. The sink’s design made it impractical for regular use, as water would spill over easily.

“I’ve actually never used the sink,” Bonani admits. “At first, I used the kitchen sink. Then, I just started using the shower. I would just turn on the shower and brush my teeth and wash my face every morning using the shower."

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The toilet-sink combination had its own set of quirks as well. “You can’t turn it off,” Bonani explains. “It just doesn’t turn off. It turns on every time you flush because that’s the mechanism. The toilet works. It just turns off whenever it feels like it.”

While this had become a norm for Bonani, having visitors over became an adventure in itself. Bonani's unique bathroom became a talking point, earning the nickname “Beni Falls” from her friends, which is a play on her last name.

“Every single person struggled with this setup,” Bonani recounts. “Especially in dating, I would show the apartment, and then when it came to someone asking to use the bathroom, I’d just go, ‘Yeah, I’m just warning you, good luck.’ I would always hear them in the bathroom saying ‘Oh my God!’ ”

Since sharing her clip on TikTok, viewers have been left in disbelief. “What surprised me is how shocked so many people were,” Bonani notes. “I knew it was crazy, but I still was like, ‘Well, surely it’s more common than I think.’ " Even professional movers, who have seen countless New York City apartments, were taken aback by the unusual bathroom in the comments.

Despite the challenges, Bonani's experience taught her valuable lessons about city living and personal priorities. “I will never take a bathroom for granted,” she says. “I feel so grown-up. I feel like a real adult.”

Related: N.Y.C. Apartment Residents Detail 'Deafening Crash' as Kitchen Collapses at 5 a.m. (Exclusive)

In an ironic twist, Bonani's fascination with bathrooms extends beyond bathrooms. She’s currently working on a show called Out of Order, in which she interviews people in New York City public bathrooms.

In the end, Bonani's experience only lasted three months, as she has since found herself an apartment with a normal sink and toilet. “Until you can get to a certain financial bracket, I always say, ‘Well, I can’t afford to not compromise something right now,’ so it’s like you just pick your battles. And, so I chose the bathroom as my battle.”

Read the original article on People