Ways to Make the Most of a Small Space Studio Apartment

Ways to make the most of a small space studio apartment is not an easy task for anyone. But hey, I’m always up for a challenge, especially one that involves design. So a while back when Madeline decided to move into a small studio apartment in a beautiful part of Brooklyn with gracious brownstones and tree-lined streets, I got to work figuring out how to best use the space and not have it feel crowded.

The apartment building was built in 1900. It is one room, which is, of course, what makes it a studio apartment. We’re not sure what the actual square footage is, but we estimated the apartment to be around 400 square feet. Because it is an older building, some quirks are nice and give it some personality. A small entryway is more of a hallway, but at least it’s where you can hang your coat and bags. Then, there’s a small dressing area off the entryway, making the studio feel a little bigger for a tiny apartment. The ceilings are ten feet high, and the natural light in the apartment is amazing. Vertical space does make the room feel larger than it is. She looks out onto the gardens of some beautiful homes on the next block. We found a cushion from Target that she can use on her fire escape to drink her morning coffee while reading.

One of the challenges with small studio apartment design and open floor plans is that you have a single room but want to create different areas/distinct areas. You want to create the illusion of more space. And I think that’s exactly what we did, getting the most out of every inch of available space.

The living area

In the living room of the apartment, we put the rug in the middle and the sofa facing the wall. We hung a gallery wall with a television; for the most part, this is where all the art is in the apartment. It’s in the center and very much a focal point. We took art from Madeline’s childhood, such as an underwater photograph of her swimming in The Great Barrier Reef, a Jane Mount original painting of her favorite college books, and several other pieces that are all part of her story. It makes the living space feel like hers.

We added a small shelf from Ikea under the gallery wall to hold a few things without taking up floor space. We again used the bench (also from Ikea) as the coffee table. A narrow bench takes up much less space than a proper coffee table and serves as extra seating for dinner parties and book club meetings. It’s important to have a few multi-functional furniture pieces in a studio apartment layout.

The sleeping area & small workspace/home office

We naturally put the bed in the corner furthest away from the kitchen. The downside is that it’s the first thing you see when you open the door. In a studio apartment, these are things that cannot be helped. A Murphy bed would be perfect here, but since we knew she wouldn’t be here for a long time, we opted for a regular queen-size bed. For the bedding, we chose this stonewashed organic cotton blanket and linen pillow covers from Garnet Hill that blend into the overall design of the studio space. Simple, no pattern, and no wall art hanging in the “sleep” zone. And there was just enough room for a small side table beside the bed. 

We used the small Ikea desk from her last apartment. It fits perfectly and is the best way to create a workspace since she works from home a few days a week. Having a separate workspace from the kitchen area and table is nice.

The dressing area

The dressing area is a perfect bonus nook that makes her apartment feel slightly bigger. It does not have any electrical outlets and not even a ton of wall space since the bathroom door is on one wall. The entryway has an opening into this space, and it opens into the main room. But we did manage to squeeze in her tiny tall dresser from her first apartment into one corner and then her beautiful Mid-Century dresser, which was a gift from Diane Karmen. We used Clare paint in the color Dirty Martini to add a little drama to this space. There’s just something about painting a wall (or even a partial wall) in a rental that makes it feel personal and like you are staying for a while. We use a battery-operated lamp for a little extra lighting. She later switched it to a cordless rechargeable lamp.

What we love about using Clare paint!

I’ve now used Clare paint in three colors for four different projects. Each time, I can say that we have been so pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to order samples and have paint and supplies delivered to your door a few days later! The quality is exceptional; the paint goes on evenly with one coat, and there’s no paint smell! It’s a great way to make the space feel personalized.

The tiny kitchen

The kitchen is the tiniest you’ve ever seen, with almost no counter space—not even enough to have a small dish rack, which is important since there is no dishwasher. To save space, we used a roll-up dish drying rack. Another space-saving idea is to use a small magnetic knife rack. Her spices are in these jars, and we used Ikea organization pegboards with shelves. We would have loved to paint the cabinets, but we added simple new hardware for now.

Space-saving solutions

The biggest challenge with a studio apartment is that there is no storage space or a separate room. So we did buy this small kitchen cart from Ikea for food prep and extra storage on the bottom for pans. The middle shelf holds a small microwave. She loves the Always Pan from Our Place. it’s perfect for when you don’t have a lot of space. The Always Pan replaces eight traditional cookware pieces with one pan. She has dishes, bowls, and drinking glasses as well. You can also get the entire set as a bundle. The challenge is you have to find the perfect spot for everything.

Open shelving is part art and part necessity

One of the first things you have to deal with in small-space living is where to put your “stuff.” In this case, it was that and more. Like where to put books, dishes, and silverware (there’s only one tiny drawer in the kitchen). The cabinets hold food storage and a few other things. There just wasn’t enough space, and we didn’t want the room to feel cluttered.

As soon as I saw the space, I knew we needed open shelving for built-in storage. We first looked at Ikea but could not find enough shelves and brackets in stock, so we ended up at Home Depot. We prefer what we found at Home Depot, which is so budget-friendly. We used these 4′ shelves that are 10″ deep with these brackets. I gave Madeline a few options and said we could spray paint them, but once Mad saw the brackets, she knew it was just the simple look she was going for. The total cost for four shelves and 12 brackets was about $100. We later added one more shelf for Madeline’s growing collection of books. 

The top two shelves held books organized somewhat by color, plus a few other things. The bottom shelf is more functional than the display, but we love how it looks! Madeline has a fondness for vintage Pyrex (who could blame her), and it’s perfectly mixed in with her dishes. Did you spot the disco ball planter? Read Madeline’s article in Apartment Therapy on disco balls here!

The dining table

This is an Ikea drop leaf small table that’s perfect for two. With the leaves up, it can easily seat four. She plans to move the table behind her sofa when she has people over. She can easily move the sofa toward the wall a bit, take the bench and use it for extra seating.

The bathroom

The bathroom is dated but has nice light, and the tile is white and black. We repurposed her white shower curtain from her former apartment and added twinkle lights. We used these large amber bottles for shampoo and conditioner and added a plant. A plant or two makes everything better, right? 

Natural light and window coverings

Madeline looked at quite a few apartments that had very little natural light, which was a total deal-breaker. When Madeline saw this apartment, I thought the high ceilings and the light flooding the space were two things that won her over immediately. For window coverings, we wanted something minimal yet providing privacy. We also didn’t want to spend a lot. We used roller shades from Ikea. They come in several sizes and work perfectly!

What we bought new and what we re-purposed

Madeline did buy a new queen-size mattress. She went with a very simple bed frame from Ikea. We used a stool from Serena & Lily as a night table. We used the Ikea sofa she’s had since high school in her little California suite and then her bedroom in New Canaan with a sunroom. The rug is an over-dyed rug we used in New Canaan for a short time and then gave to Madeline for her previous Brooklyn apartment. It’s a faded red, which somehow works with the velvet pillows she’s had in her last three apartments from West Elm. The bench, coffee table, dining table, and chairs were also moved from her last apartment. 

We purchased a round mirror, a kitchen cart, blinds, a spice rack, and open shelving for this space. Everything else, including her tiny desk, was repurposed. A few things, like the full-size bed and a lamp, went to Patrick’s apartment, which happens to be two blocks from her first NYC apartment. So that concludes our tour! I hope this gave you some space-saving and repurposing ideas for your small-space living.