Tons of Small Space Organizing Ideas Make This 275-Square-Foot Studio Feel So Much Bigger
Name: Joseph Abbott
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Size: 275 square feet
Years lived in: 2.5 years, renting
This is one of the most successfully laid out, well-appointed tiny studio apartments we’ve ever seen. Under 300 square feet, Joseph has taken a teeny one-room space and turned into not just a functional home, but a really good-looking one, too. We first got a look at his home in a house call published earlier this year, but now we have a video tour of the small space, so you can see all the ways in which he’s made his petite Philadelphia studio apartment look and feel great.
“I specifically chose living in a studio in order to focus my finances towards enjoying the city and traveling,” wrote Joseph in his house call. “The other benefit of the studio is I can really curate a special space that feels at home in the already existing architectural elements I’ve lived here for about two years alone and have really enjoyed getting to know the city.”
Joseph’s self-described style of “modern, bohemian, eclectic, masculine, Scandinavian” is a perfect style for a small space. The layers of monochromatic, nature-inspired muted colors create a feeling of openness in the small space, along with adding interest and coziness. Even a design decision like the simple, industrial black shelves—which are mostly open—allow room for display without feeling too heavy. He wisely invested in attractive storage containers (you can see three on the shelves above); keeping them uniform helps keep the physical clutter at bay and keep the visual clutter to a minimum.
Something Joseph talks about in the video tour is the importance of having furniture that does several different duties. The petite sectional sofa is a few individual pieces that can be reconfigured as needed AND can transform into a sleeper sofa for guests. The TV stand is actually a dresser that provides much needed storage space. Even something as simple as the side table above can be many different things when moved around the room as needed.
Joseph is lucky in that is tiny studio apartment has this lofted bed space included. Getting the bed up and out of the way helps the rest of the studio apartment feel like a living room and not a bedroom.
Joseph explains in his video tour that plants purchases are becoming more and more frequent, and little pops of green throughout the small home enliven the space and add a wonderful feeling of nature.
