This 320-Square-Foot Bed-Stuy Rental Is Teeny, but Works
This 320-Square-Foot Bed-Stuy Rental Is Teeny, but Works
“The terrace is definitely the main star of the apartment, and what first drew my attention to the space,” explains freelance senior graphic designer and illustrator Julie Finn, who has been renting this 320-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment for one year. “I found my apartment through Instagram. I had shared a post stating, ‘I’m throwing this out into the universe. I am looking for a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn.’ A few hours later my friend shared with me a post of her friend looking for someone to take over his lease. I was in Colorado at the time, but immediately applied after only seeing the video. After living in NYC for over 10 years, I knew an apartment with private outdoor access was a rarity. I had been apartment searching for a few months, and desperately wanted a space that could be my next home for several years.”
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Julie says the biggest challenge with this apartment — other than it only being 320 square feet, of course — was trying to work with “an awkward L-shaped kitchen/living room,” she explains. “The room has a weird footprint, plus the cornered-off closet, outdoor access placement, and a random three-inch step in the center of the room made the configuration of furniture extremely limiting. The solution to working with these restraints was measuring EVERYTHING. I created a 1/4 scale digital blueprint of my apartment and tested every possible configuration in order for my space to successfully function as an office, living room, dining room ,and kitchen. I understand not everyone has the software to create an elaborate blueprint, but simply sketching out your space and moving trimmed Post-Its to represent your furniture can save you a great deal of time and manual labor.”
Resources
PAINT & COLORS
- Bedroom — Behr’s “Lavender Dream”
LIVING ROOM
- “Couch” Daybed — Hand-me-down from childhood
- Big Blue Pillows — Hand-me-down from mom
- Embroidered Pillow — Vermont antique find
- TV Stand — Walmart
- Desk — Facebook Marketplace find
- Green Desk Lamp — Albert & Sons Antique Find
- Large Ceramic Vase — Street find
- Curtain — Target
- Ceramic Pear — Anthropologie
- Orange Plant Hanger — Etsy
- Record Player Stand — Hand-made by Julie Finn
- Red Painting over TV — Brian Jones
- Stain Glass window charm — Hannah Hazel
KITCHEN
- 1960s Mod Bar “Kitchen Island”— New Jersey antique find
- Yellow Bar Stools — New Jersey thrift find
- Cow Vase — Vermont antique find
BEDROOM
- Small side table and large dresser — Hand-me-down from grandfather
- Large side table — Street find
- Decorative Pillows — H&M
- Rug — Urban Outfitters
- Embroidered Fruit Art — NJ estate sale find
BATHROOM
- Large Vase on Toilet — Ceramics by Julie Finn
- Small Vases on Sink — Ceramics by Julie Finn
- Pregnant Woman Print — Laura Callaghan
- Photograph of Grand Canyon — Julie Finn
- Cheetah Woman — Rachel Jo
- The End Painting — Baily Crawford
- Plush Strawberry — hxmachina
- Black Pen Woman Study — Julia Rothman
- Trans Collage — Jules Unknown
BALCONY
Thanks, Julie!
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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