How I Lived Comfortably in a 450 sq. Foot Studio: Small Apartment Living Tricks

Small apartment living is so much fun! It opens you up to be creative in how you lay out your space. Not only for function, but for style, too! After nearly a year of holding on to pictures, I’m so excited to share that I was featured on Apartment Therapy last month! It was so amazing to be given the opportunity to share my special studio apartment. 

Small Apartment Living

As a 30th birthday present to myself, I had my apartment photographed by one of my favorite interior photographers ever: Michelle Drewes. I’ll come out and say that I knew this would be the last place I lived alone. I treasured the idea of remembering the space where it was just me, even though I didn’t want it to be that way. My now fiance and I decided that we needed some space, and on December 1st, 2016, I was back on my own, and back paying for 100% of everything on a freelancers salary. I’d be lying if I said it was a bit terrifying, but I did the math and had a plan and it worked. 

This place is a testimony to me that I did it.

It’s also a reflection of the beauty and joy that can come from starting over. With that in mind, here are some of the pictures with tips on how to maximize your small apartment living.

Main Living Area

I was so grateful to have this wide open space in my studio. It made coming up with the perfect layout much easier. I opted to have my bed and settee on the same wall. A side table, rug and coffee table separating the spaces. I utilized under-the-bed storage bins and bags. The coffee table is actually a trunk, which was great for storing games and blankets. I strongly recommend functional furniture if you have a small space. Making sure everything has a place is the key to small apartment living and it will help you keep your space organized!

Closet

This closet was designed for maximum efficiency and it is truly a rare jewel found in small apartment living. I was able to have wonderful built-in cabinets and drawers as well as over closet shelving. Because the space was so large, I was able to increase the storage of the closet by adding an IKEA Kallax Bookcase for my jeans, handbags and accessories. I made this closet work to the fullest by making a few tweaks:

• Using shelf dividers to section off anything: jeans, sweaters, athleisure. In the picture below, I’ve used clear ones from The Container Store to keep my purses in order.
• Bins are the best! Labeled bins are even better! They are good for keeping any and everything organized, including towels, bathroom items and other miscellaneous items.

Kitchen

Studio apartments aren’t known for having large kitchens! It was important to me to still have a dining table, so I opted for a drop leaf table from IKEA. When I was not using the table, I could put it down and create more open space in the kitchen. It came with another built in, which held my cookbooks and barware. The cabinets held dishes and serving ware. If you don’t have built-ins, I’d recommend adding a Kallax shelf on one of the walls to maximize storage.

Thank you for checking out my space! Don’t forget to share your small apartment tips in the comments!

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Photos by Michelle Drewes