apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


How To: Make Room(s) in your Studio Apartment

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A modern curtain like this one made from interlocking hexagons by designer Hiroshi Tsunoda (YankoDesign.com) makes a divider that allows light to pass through but provides privacy.

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Making your studio apartment feel like home isn't always an easy task. I spent months before moving into my one–room abode researching ways to seperate my bedroom into it's own seperate space. It took a little trial and error, but I finally found a solution using an open–back bookcase as a partition. Now I couldn't imagine living any other way!...

 
 

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My favorite method to partition spaces is to use open back bookcases, such as the one up top and the ones in the slideshow above. A back would take up a lot more visual residency, and not allow any light to penetrate. I also like the fact that there's no installation or drilling into the walls required, and if you're in an athletic mood, you can rearrange your furniture from time to time.

- Ashley White

(This is the second of four posts by Ashley that we'll be posting over the next two weeks)

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Comments (21)

Using the Expedit (and open-backed bookcases like it) as room dividers strikes me as a fairly well-worn path. I'm not sure it's worth an entire post. Great picture find though... love the idea of using a graphic cutout curtain as a divider. Know if there's anything similar available retail?

posted by JH4285 on August 20th 2008 at 9:30am
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"it's own seperate space" should be "its own separate space".

posted by gordon on August 20th 2008 at 9:45am
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If beverage cans still came with pull off tabs, you could do a pretty good version of that screen by building one out of lots of them. The MOMA gift shop has handbags made of them, so they must be in use somewhere. DIY, green and cheap!

posted by Taureg on August 20th 2008 at 9:47am
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Hmm. I say, look through the slide show before you complain. There are some lovely pictures of room dividers Non-IKEA as well.

I say - good post!
~k

posted by kdear on August 20th 2008 at 9:51am
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I have pretty high standards for what I spend my time on, online, and this meets them - this example isn't anything special, though I enjoyed reading it, but the topic quality is great... oooh I sound like a boring old fart, I'll log-off now!

posted by yeti3a on August 20th 2008 at 9:56am
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Good ideas, all of these. I think it's helpful to remember that on any day, new people are discovering AT and other sites, so they may not know the inventory of earlier postings; on that note, it seems important to re-visit familiar "how to" posts every so often.

posted by krister on August 20th 2008 at 10:56am
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Love it. I'm currently looking for a 1BR, but these ideas are making me consider a studio as well now!

posted by Sarah1083 on August 20th 2008 at 11:07am
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Amen for not drilling holes in walls. I think the biggest obstacle for me when it comes to improving a room is a reluctance to put holes in walls. Perhaps it comes from so many years living in places that I don't own (and therefore have to repair when I leave) and a distaste for permanent fixtures. In a world where we live mostly without paper, you would think that there would be more ideas like this for improving a room without having to destroy something in the process.

I like the bookcase because when you need more privacy, you can fill it in with books (and an excuse to go to Borders!)

posted by asdf3001 on August 20th 2008 at 11:20am
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LOVe those Ideas...especially the first one!

posted by linda@LimeintheCoconut on August 20th 2008 at 1:08pm
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excellent post!

posted by jesscon0202 on August 20th 2008 at 1:43pm
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I really liked the post, and the ideas. I have a "country rancher" and am casually "hunting" for some old (free) barn louvers - join two with hinges and you have a nice divider screen. I have also used an old louver-style closet door pair. If you have a closed-back bookcase you are using for a room divider, another idea is to staple or tack a piece of pretty fabric to the flat side - you can change it when you move it, or with your mood...

posted by mommie2ajw on August 20th 2008 at 2:41pm
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I struggled with this very issue when I moved into my loft. The biggest problem was while I wanted something flexible, I didn't want to hang something from the ceiling because mine are something like 15 feet high. I ended up getting the Ricci divider from Crate and Barrel which happened to match the woodwork in my kitchen (and it was a ever so slightly damaged floor model so it was cheap!).

Just wondering, is there some reason why people with grammar issues can't just email the poster instead of commenting? That's drives me nuts lately.

posted by charlenemcbride on August 20th 2008 at 4:06pm
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Cool. I'm into both notions...and both are making some wheels turn as I am about to move into a tiny studio apartment. Thanks for the thought food.

posted by B-way on August 20th 2008 at 4:35pm
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I was in EQ3 this weekend and what I liked most was the near ceiling height black fringe hung on curtain rods to create rooms within the store. Now i'm obsessed with finding something similar for my apartment because it was of course just part of the fixtures and not a product they sell.

posted by Kinky Gazpacho on August 20th 2008 at 10:50pm
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I like the divider in image 5, but it doesn't name the company. Did I miss something? I could probably find some floor-to-ceiling poles at a hardware store, I suppose.

Anyone know the company?

posted by 1stnest on August 21st 2008 at 2:56am
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http://store.dvider.com/

posted by charlenemcbride on August 21st 2008 at 3:02am
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A couple of ideas I´ve been considering lately (as I live in a studio myself): making a wall using old windows, the big, pretty type with lots of small panes.
And then the one I´m going to realize now, as a divider between my living area and my bed: an acrylic glass wall, which I´m going to hang from the ceiling. I will have it in pinkish red, but other colours would look great too.
Not the cheapest option, though.

posted by katiaG on August 21st 2008 at 4:10am
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charlenemcbride: In this case, I don't believe there's a way to email the poster as she's trying out for a position.

In addition, though it may not bother you, typos like the ones mentioned above (as well as several in the slideshow, such as "theres no installation" instead of "there's no installation", and "using the back or the couch" instead of "the back of the couch") detract from the professionalism of the poster, and thus of the site, something I don't imagine AT wants. It's not like anyone is out here correcting your grammar, just that of the person representing (or hoping to represent) the site.

I liked the slideshow pics and details - I just want more careful proofreading.

posted by theseboots on August 23rd 2008 at 6:21pm
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Thanks for the great tips on working with a small apartment! I work with La-Z-Boy, and we have a great room planner on our Web site that helps you figure out different ways to set up your furniture in any size or style of room space.

posted by LaZBoy on August 26th 2008 at 7:37am
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I definitely like the first idea! I lived in an apartment where we drapes!

posted by haleyjen on August 26th 2008 at 8:12am
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Yeah, I'm a firm believer in the old bookshelf-as-divider idea -- it's worked wonderfully in my last several studio apts, and is much more functional than a screen or curtain (I admit, I don't have the patience to clean those regularly, so they get gross). My biggest success with this method has been using a shelf to create the illusion of an entryway into my studio. Gives me a place to put my keys and bags, but also stops visitors from immediately invading your tiny living space. :)

posted by k8lane on August 26th 2008 at 9:43am
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