Small Spaces

Making the most of your few precious square feet in the Big Apple

Location, location, location. That is the simple formula brokers in NYC use to convince you to close on that tiny 300-sq ft apartment in downtown Manhattan faster than you can decide if you want to make reservations for Korean or Italian for Friday night. With stars in our eyes and our hearts in our wallets, those of us who end up here definitely aren’t here because of the great closet space (albeit our great wardrobes). And maybe, that might just be because many of us may live in apartments as big as a closet in a suburban home.

I recently re-decorated my space in an attempt to feel more homey since I’ve been in the same apartment for a while now. I thought if I had more large books on my coffee table and some plants, maybe I’d look like I have my shit together.

So, for my fellow small-space guys and gals, I’ve compiled a few tips on how I maximized my space and made a studio feel more like home. Here are a few visuals from my own precious small corner of the world.

Visually Separate Spaces

If you’re living in a studio or any small space, it may be hard to separate the kitchen from the living room (maybe since you had a fridge next to your dresser?). Separating the spaces based on visual landmarks or borders can help your mind separate them which will make each space in your studio a bit more meaningful. For example, I work from home a lot - both for my day job and for this blog. To help separate my living space from my “office” (aka, the corner of my apartment where I’ve shoved my desk against the wall), I have created a “separation” in the wall decor between my desk area which sits next to the couch. I’ve built up some wall shelves above the desk and filled them with decoration, while also putting up a series of artwork above the couch/”living area” that stop where the decorations for the “office” begin. This helps my brain distinguish the areas with more clarity so that I am able to switch from a working headspace to a vegging-on-the-couch-on-Netflix headspace. Another great way I have seen this done is through rugs. Different rugs under a dining area and a living area again can be great tactics to visually distinguish spaces within one large room.

Desk: West Elm

Artwork: Society 6

Shelves: Ikea

Wallpaint: Anonymous by Behr

Build Up

Get the most out of that wall space, girl

Building Up

Don’t forget to look up! When you have so little space, it’s important to take advantage of every inch of space that you can! Building up can be said for storage spaces and decorations. Bringing the eye up can make the apartment look more spacious, but also save some of that precious square-footage you’ve shelled out a pretty penny for. Go for tall storage such as bookshelves and dressers, or build wall shelves to house many decorations and personal trinkets rather than laying them out traditionally on coffee tables or lower surfaces.

Minimize Clutter

***shows the most cluttered part of her home***

Minimize the Clutter

I know, this is a tough one, and anyone who knows me in real life is probably rolling their eyes reading this right now. When you live in a small space, clutter and mess become way more obvious and apparent. It is easy to spot the one thing out of place when there aren’t too many places to look in a room.

Always go for storage space that can contain clutter (aka, hide it) and minimize the use of open or clear storage. I try only to use open storage for pieces I like to showcase - aka shoes and bags. I need to be able to see my shoe and bag collection so that I make sure I’m putting my rotation to regular use when I’m getting ready. Otherwise, stick to dressers and drawers and boxes that you can hide away as much clutter as possible so that even if you didn’t Marie-Condo the inside of those drawers, your apartment will still seem pretty tidy.

Clear Furniture

This one is an oldie, but a goodie. Clear, or “ghost” pieces create the illusion that there is no furniture there, and thus creates the feeling of more open space. The iconic acrylic desk chairs are always a great staple piece (albeit not as comfortable as the lunky, ergonomic chair I need to use for my back pain).

I wanted a large coffee table since I quite often eat on my couch whilst watching TV and wanted a space that could both serve those needs and hold a number of food and drinks if I had a few friends over. I found the large tiered glass table from West Elm a great choice because while it was quite large for the space, it was pretty much all glass and didn’t take up too much room visually. The 3 tiers also make it great to store decorations and other goodies underneath the top “table-top” tier where I try to keep it minimal and open to place food/drinks on if need be.

Coffee Table: West Elm

Tray: Target

Coasters: Amazon

Books: HomeGoods

Rug: Wayfair

Mirrors, Mirrors, Mirrors

Another classic small space trick, mirrors cannot be overlooked. Mirrors reflect light and also reflect the room (well, duh), again creating an illusion of a larger space. Plus, in New York, getting a place with good lighting is near impossible, so make sure you’re making good use of whatever light you can. I have yet to find the perfect mirror or placement for mirror in my current set up, but a good floor length mirror with some plants around it is a great place for a quick OOTD shot. You can even get a mirror-sticker graphic created with your handle on it for some good measure.

I hope these tips were helpful for you if you too live in your closet! Let me know what your favorite small space or decorating hacks in the comments!

Decorating in Small Spaces

Shop The Post