A 176-Square-Foot Studio Feels Surprisingly Spacious, Thanks to 10-Foot Ceilings
It’s quite possible that artist and marketer Matt Martinez‘s rental apartment was once a garage space before it was converted into this utterly teeny studio. Whatever its former life was, it was definitely “all white and basically just a room” when he moved in two years ago.
“My apartment is actually a micro apartment,” Matt explains. “There are two other tenants within the home, but the home is completely separated into three units with zero access to each other and separate entrances.”
Located in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Venice, the 176-square-foot apartment hasn’t gotten any major renovations by Matt, but he has managed to fit in a lot of his personality and style, which he describes as “modern eclectic” or “maybe mid century eclectic.”
Matt says that everything in his home reflects him. “My apartment is filled with art my brother-in-law and I have done, as well as art that local artists have made, and also things and trinkets from local businesses,” he writes, pointing to his display table as a particularly potent spot for showcasing his personality,
(1) "Where the Wild Things Are print, my favorite childhood book."
(2) "A ceramic flower that was once hanging in my childhood laundry room, was found in a Goodwill by my sister, and we purchased matching flowers."
(3) "A cardboard sign that says 'Matt sucks' from when my friends in college sent me a picture of them holding the sign because they were sad I wasn’t at a party. I later had them all sign it."
On his display table, you can find a vintage lighter that says “New York, because my mom first lived there when she immigrated here, stickers me and my brother-in-law have made, a matchbox custom-made for my sister’s drink business, tickets from all my travels, bracelets from hostels I’ve stayed at, and photographs of friends and family — even the receipt from my first ever paycheck.”
Matt shares the home with his little dog, Rosaline, and pays $1600 a month in rent for his apartment. And while the space is obviously small, it doesn’t feel like his life or his personality has had to shrink to fit.
“A general rule of thumb is you should never let a design aesthetic override your personal taste. Inspiration is just that: inspiration. Your home should feel like you — not a “mid-century modern home,” Matt advises. “The way to cultivate that is let the design style inform things like placement, and let taste decide the item. Most of my stuff is thrifted, made myself, or found in passing.”
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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