What a great apartment! If it were me, I'd consider a nice rich (but not dark) color for the walls below the molding, and leave the 1/5 of the wall above the molding and the ceiling white. That will draw your eye up and give you a sense of height and space without having to keep the entire space plain.

A few squares of inexpensive glass tile can be attached to the center of the fireplace (either permanently or not) if you're looking to fill in the white space there. That'll also draw your eye to the fireplace without having to drastically alter the mantle.

What's the furniture layout?

It's adorable. Keep the "stuff" down to a minimum and designate zones that work for you. A grasscloth application on the FP wall would soften the boxish quality, methinks. Hang uniform rows of high gloss white frames with art you love, on one side, and a high gloss white built-in around your kitchen wall to stay organized and beautiful.

Just curious what furniture items you already own and whether or not an actual floor plan is available.

I'd try to make the fireplace the focus of attention. A floorplan would be great along with a list of what furniture must come.

No ideas for you, just a sense of relief that my studio apartment days are, I believe, over. It was ok when I was much younger, but now -- Not so sure I could cope. Best of luck!

What a great light filled space.

* I would change the frilled glass globes on the ceiling fan to globes that are simpler. (As far as rental ceiling fans go ... I'm jealous of yours.)

* Yes, a good floor scrub can go a long way. When I do mine with vinegar and water people often ask me if they have been refinished.

* Not in love with the kitchen color but not knowing the colors of any of your furniture, it is hard to recommend another color. Whatever you go with, I would pick a kitchen color to coordinate with the main room since there is such a continued view from one to the other. In ode to the historical vibe, I'd stay away from really vibrant, juicy brights.

Seems to have a nice amount of light so maybe a soft gray or sage color on the walls up to the molding (as the first poster suggested), that will highlight the contrasting white of the wonderful antique molding...perhaps complimentary soft gold color in the kitchen (the existing color, ew). Another option is to pic 2-3 shades of earthtones to use throughout, splashes of color can be on your furniture. Definitely highlight the fireplace and/or that section of wall with something special and unique. Have fun!

The wood trim, floors and windows are lovely! If it were me, I'd paint the walls a deep colour, replace the current light fixture with a Craigslist-purchased-then-repainted chandelier, put long flowy light curtains on the windows. I found great inspiration for our apartment by going through last year's color contest on Apartment Therapy (just google AT color contest 2009).

Also, here on AT you've probably read the recurring advice from house tour owners/renters: never be in a hurry to furnish. Find pieces you absolutely love, bit by bit.

Good luck! :)

@SherryBinNH - I though my days of studio living were over when I had my loft in Chicago... Then I moved to Manhattan. Sometimes location becomes more important than space. It was an adjustment, but I am quite happy in my 294 sq ft.

@BR, Congrats on such a cute and charming studio. The fact that the space has some original detail gives it character... No amount of square footage in a boring box can make up for that. Enjoy... Don't be afraid of dark colors, it puts an emphasis on cozy, and enveloping. I would clean up the wood floors and not worry about refinishing them. I agree to paint the wall up to the picture rail and have the ceiling a lighter color. Have fun with it.

Check out some of the entries from past small space contests!!!

There's sure to be something there for you!

http://contests.apartmenttherapy.com/2009/small-cool/main/category/teeny-tiny

It looks like the space around the front door is "indented" a little (sorry, couldn't think of a better word). I'd suggest painting that space a slightly different color than the rest of the walls to make it pop.

Very cute place! I would be interested to see a floorplan, and the finished result, as well.

Was just going to make the exact same comment as April J. It's a great apartment and congrats! Can't wait to see how it turns out (be sure to post once small-cool comes around!)

What a beautiful apartment! I wish I could have found something like this when I was living solo.

For the floor I recommend Hope's Floor Revive. You have to thoroughly clean the floors before you start, but it's by far the simplest method with good to great results.

I would paint the walls in your living room gray. You can do a light shade and leave the top portion above the molding white or go darker gray and paint the wall but not the trim/molding. These are some examples from AT.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/look/color-combo-jewel-tones-soft-grey-060563

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/roundup/clip-file-a-gallery-of-gorgeous-dark-gray-rooms-092384

Here's a post from AT where someone provided a lot of great sources for gray paint colors (scroll down in the comments section):

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/good-questions/good-questions-gray-paint-recommendation-007461

I would buy a fireplace screen to put in front of the fireplace which looks like it's not a working fireplace just to give it the appearance of belonging.

Here's a couple posts from AT on decorating a nonworking fireplace:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/heat-cold/decorating-a-nonworking-fireplace-044653

and this one:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dc/ideas-for-putting-your-nonworking-fireplace-to-work-095374

It's a lovely apartment. I like the fan. I kind of like the blue in the kitchen too but you could paint it any color to work with the rest of the place. Not so sure about the chandelier in the kitchen. You could explore some kind of shade to go over it to give it a more modern look if that's what your going for. A couple years ago I made something using inexpensive chandelier's a a plastic waste basket from the Container Store for a restaurant.

These aren't the best photos but it gives you a general idea of how you could do something with the fixture you have if you want to:

http://www.zagat.com/Blog/Detail.aspx?SCID=39&BLGID=24926

This is the sort of space I'm looking for myself right now. I hope we get an update once you decide what to do. :)

Might want to check out these excellent past AT small space tours: Thomas Smythe's 180 Square Foot Home and A Collector's Tiny 178-Square-Foot Apartment.

Forgot one. Apartment #13: Patrick's Cosmo-Urban Studio Rental was also pretty outstanding.

Very pretty and bright studio. The thing that concerns me is that the door faces the fireplace, making it hard to put furniture in front of it. Since it seems to be a non working fireplace, I'd consider snuggling a table up to it for computer space.
And I suppose you have a futon/sofa for making your only room a living room/bedroom. I'd put it up next to the fireplace so that you could look out that wonderful, space expanding window and also put your TV on the opposite wall.That arrangement would allow for an easily moved coffee table of some kind.

If you put the sofa and coffee table arrangement with its back to the window, I can see several problems: Your back is to the fantastic view outside, the space would be broken up into small areas that would be difficult to walk through, and (if you watch TV) the TV would be on the wall next to the door to the kitchen. (making you stare at the kitchen while you watch TV. )

I find the blue in the kitchen adorable, and the chandelier just the kind of over-the-top a small space needs. If you can put a table under it, you have a perfect tiny little eat-in kitchen.

Please DO post the "after" pictures!! Please?

I would go with a saturated color, don't by shy. A deep lavender-grey or dark blue-grey would bring out the architectural details that are important in a small space and make your home feel more important. Fill your fireplace up with cut logs, birch for a little more sophistication. Its always good to bring nature into your design. Instead of refinishing your floors give them a couple coats of Minwax Tung Oil and it leaves even the most worn floors shiny and fresh. I just did it in my house. Good luck!

As far as the fireplace goes, I'd see what you can do about opening it up. Not for actual use, of course, but if there's just a panel boarding it up and you can remove that, a little bit of depth in there will really go a long way in making the place feel roomier. I had an apartment with two similarly unusable fireplaces. Once i ripped the boards out, a little paint and a custom wood insert turned one into the perfect entertainment center nook and the other into a small bookshelf/drawer unit.

No huge suggestions here, although I think with shadows and diffused light, follow the advice of the Swedes and go pale and grey. It makes the summer feel cooler and the winter more cozy. Seeing your apartment makes me long for my youth, as my first apartment was a studio and I still think it was the best.

my new place in chicago is roughly the same size (assuming the 350 sq ft includes the kitchen; if not, oh, i'm jealous of yours!). can't wait to see what you do with it!

DO NOT PAINT A DARK/DEEP COLOR!

it will make that room feel tiny. keep it bright, light and white, or go with a super pale grey.

also, do not make the fireplace the focal point of the room. it's in an awkward spot, right in the middle of a long, narrow room, and doing that would chop things up.

maintain two spaces...the bed area (to the right as you walk in the door) and the living/dining area (to the left as you walk in the door).

use rugs to "ground" and separate the two spaces...

keep your bed simple, clean, and inviting. a fluffy white down comfortor with crips white sheets and shams are perfect with a quilt or throw at the foot of the bed.

be careful not to go overboard with patterns...

use a palate that works together and furniture that doesn't "break up" your space...like whites, greys, natural wood tones, with pops of color.

but hey, that's just what I would do. we're all different. I prefer simple, clean, organic, organized, no clutter, no frills, warm, inviting, traveled, textural, with hides and brass, glass and canvas, woven jute and raw woods.

good luck, it looks like a very charming space.

If you have any friends who are artists, or even if you're a decent/skilled one yourself, I would say you should paint something in that slightly recessed spot in the fireplace covering. Anything that speaks to your personality and design sense, whether it's a French country lanscape, a mid-century abstract, or something completely weird and kitschy.

1) Paint the kitchen -- a pale grey or smoky blue or a fresh, pale (grassy not pistachio-ey) green, and add another shelf in that void in the shelving you in there, unless that's supposed to be for hanging pots and pans? The blue is a bit garish. I see where they were going but... It just calls attention to a sort of a weird, poorly designed space.

2) Monochrome: in the living room a slightly deeper shade of grey or blue, up to the top molding, per general consensus. Crisp white molding.

3) Silver silk drapes, hung very close to or at the ceiling, on both windows.

4) I don't think you need them but matchstick blinds if daylight is an issue.

5) put the bed down by the window at the end of the apartment. I dont think most people EVER put away a sleeper couch or futon unless company is coming over, so it may as well be a bed. I am presuming queen size but that's because that's my preference, with the head (and hopefully EXCELLENT headboard) against the wall where the door is. How wide is that room? Will there be room at the foot of the bed? It looks like the TV hook up is on the opposite wall.

6) Get a slim credenza -- if it fits -- for the wall at the foot of the bed for clothes. TV can go there -- it can swivel around to face the rest of the room. I dont like to watch tv in bed but in such a small place...

7) I would get a 4-foot round pedestal table for the middle of the room in front of the fireplace. 2 nice chairs -- upholstered. can be used as a desk or a dining table and, in AT parlance, a landing pad. Cover the void with zinc, or safety glass (a slightly greenish cast, with wire embedded inside, or a mirror) or! green (or some other color not black) chalk board paint and draw in a logs and fire! or the scientific formula for fire, if such a thing exists. I personally have no idea. I like this idea!
8) Get a smallish couch and arm chair. Couch should go with its back to the kitchen, and the arm chair at a U to it, back to the window wall. An ottoman to put your feet and drinks on. Maybe the TV down here too... The kitchen isn't much to look at so make the focus be on the windows, bed, round table.

9) Paint the door and door frame, and the fireplace mantel, glossy glossy black. Or a really deep charcoal grey (but only if the walls are grey). Whatever you do they should be the same color and they should be GLOSSY... so they speak to each other. They seem to be nicely lined up for this.

10) You should get two tall matching mirrors to flank the kitchen pocket doors? they will face the windows by your bed and will reflect the light around the room. And if you want to be all nate berkus about it, get two tall zinc finials to stand in front of the mirrors (perhaps on pedestals) or two orchids or two.. whatever . You get the picture. Don't get too many small bits -- justs a few well sized lovely pieces of furniture. Dont bring in ANYTHING that is not both functional AND beautiful. Repeat elements. If you get a nicely patinated apple crate for your books, get 10 and stack them all together.

So here's the result: you'll walk in and be faced with this welcoming round table piled with a few well chosen books that will gently nudge you either toward the sleeping or sitting area. Dont have a table with corners here! If you have guests over they will walk in and see it beautifully set with comfortable chairs. When you sit at the table you will feel like you have windows on three sides instead of two because of the mirrors. The kitchen will be non-offensive because it will read as a continuation of the living room... and consider a cowhide rug (maybe two -- one on either side fo the room) to continue the symmetry but break up the rectangularness of the room too. Fewer, better elements, repetition... this will make the space feel right.

Pay attention to linens and uphosltery on all pieces... make sure they coordinate (not necesarily match... in a small space you want only one or two focal points. Let the rest of the stuff blend together.)

I clearly love bossing people about when it comes to their decor -- hit me at
howtorunyoulife.blogspot.com if you want my laser focus.

pam h
howtorunyoulife.blogspot.com

small space thoughts here, but lots of places too in the blog:
http://howtorunyourlife.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-to-decorate-small-room-in-10-very.html

Beautiful floors and nice fireplace - what a great starting point! It feels claustrophobic to me, however, and I'd want light, light colors to make it feel airier. Maybe pale, pale blue on facing walls, and then light, celery green on the other facing walls? I'd want mirrors for sure - small and scattered - I'd want nothing heavy or chunky or clunky, to give the illusion of more space than there actually is. Softness and light.
The kitchen is a whole other chapter. I'm going to say pale butter yellow. Continue the dreamy, guazy feel. That's what I'd do, anyway. Unifinished wood, glass knobs on things. All very delicate-looking.
I'm looking forward to what you do with your new space!

Wood & White is a classic colour scheme, so unless you have a hankering for a particular colour on the walls just leave them be. Refinishing the floor seems like overkill for a rented apartment, so just give them a good hard clean. Spend the money that you would have spent on paint and floor sanding on a couple of pieces of good vintage furniture and at least one good painting.

I rather like the Tiffany box blue of the kitchen (and the odd chandelier). Install an extra shelf over the oven, and fill with white, blue, or white & blue crockery. Maybe a touch of orange if you're feeling daring.

Paint the panel in front of the old fireplace a dark colour and put a slim branched candelabra (like a menora) in front of it, to give the impression of fire without actually having one.

BR

Floors:
I agree about cleaning the floors with vinegar and water, I also clean my wood floors that way (about 1 part vinegar and 4 parts water).

Kitchen:
I love the color of the kitchen, especially with the white shelving and cabinets. I think it is a great focal point, it makes me want to walk into the kitchen and see more. Pair the turquoise wall color with Navy accessories such as linens, rug, and ceramics. I would also see if you can swag the chandelier to the left so that it is centered on the doorway as you look into the kitchen. If you aren't fond of the black color of the chandelier, try spray painting it silver. Adding shades will also help disburse the light more softly.

Wall color:
As far as wall color for the rest of your space, I would highlight the blue kitchen wall color by painting the main space a neutral color. I REALLY like grey. Paint the top portion of the walls (above the mouldings, which should be painted white) a slightly lighter shade of gray and continue the color onto to the ceiling. This would keep things less busy in the wall color department.

Fireplace:
Place a mirror on the floor leaning against the fireplace. Let's face it, you don't have much room so the mirror would help to reflect more light into the space. Keep the fireplace mouldings painted the same color as the other mouldings in the space.

Lighting:
Hang sconces on either side of the fireplace. There are great battery powered options available that look like bonafide hardwired electric fixtures. see them here

Battery Operated candles.net

If that isn't your style, try hanging a pendant light off to one side of the fireplace. Ikea offers options that can be plugged into a wall outlet. Just swag the cord off to the side. Either way... I don't think the ceiling fan should be your main source of light. I would remove the light kit entriely from the fan.

Window treatments:
Hang curtains from floor to ceiling, wall to wall on the wall opposite the kitchen. This will give the impression that the window is more centered and symmetrical than it is, making furniture placement easier. I like sheer curtains that are flanked by solid panels like linen or silk. Continue this look on the other window as well.

Gosh, I have lots of ideas for furnishings. Let me know if you want to hear them.

Good luck and congrats on your new space!

Michelle
Good and Glam

I just skimmed the comments above, but am I the only one who isn't going to recommend that you paint your new place? Anyway, I like it white. It's a great blank canvas. Or maybe I'm just saying it's okay to keep it white because we all know how tired you are when you have to move. I don't know if I'd have to energy to paint.

My best advice is keep stuff off the floor. The more bookshelves, floating shelves, containers, etc. you have to tidy stuff up with, the cleaner and more spacious your place will look.

I also second medusa12120's review above when she said to designate zones. This is genius - a great tip for big or small places. Really creates a lot of interest and makes a place feel very warm and cozy.

fantastic flat! i would paint walls/ceiling/ white, floor boards black and i would have only black and white furniture! the blue in the kitchen is ez to go!

so cute ! what a great space :)

Soooo...what did you do with the space??

This is such an informative post with so many creative ideas. I'm reading this post from 9.28.2010. Today is 3.18.12. I wish that the original posters would come back and show us their final results. Oh well, I guess at least we can still learn from the input from other posters contributions.