A 550-Square-Foot NYC Studio Feels Much Bigger Thanks to Smart Layout and Planning

Apartment Therapy Submissions

published Apr 19, 2022

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Living room into bedroom — Credit: Christie Ward
Looking from the living room into the bedroom, separated by a custom glass divider.

Name: Christie Ward and boyfriend
Location: New York, New York
Type of home: Apartment
Size: 550 square feet
Years lived in: 6 months, owned

Credit: Christie Ward

View into our "bedroom."

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: We purchased this little studio in the West Village in February 2021 (in the midst of the pandemic!). Little did we know we would soon thereafter, in March 2021, be victims to a large apartment fire originating in our neighbor’s unit above us. This started us on a rewarding but sometimes challenging renovation project, which we completed in October 2022.

Credit: Christie Ward

View from our dining nook.

Because the space is only 550 square feet, we had to get clever with how we laid it out and utilized the space as best we could. I love to cook, and we wanted to make sure we had a proper dining area to invite friends over and entertain. We created this little dining nook in what was once a corridor to create a room within a room!

Credit: Christie Ward

The view from the kitchen, looking into the dining nook.

The kitchen was made with deVOL, in a custom color, “Light Blue” by Farrow & Ball. I love the use of color in my interior design projects, but wanted to make sure I didn’t grow tired of this one as I will be living with it all day every day. It’s a very subtle blue, but in the right light, it shows just the perfect amount of pop.

Credit: Christie Ward

The living room with one of our favorite pieces in our home, an artwork by LRNCE.

The house is full of objects we’ve collected over the years that remind us of places we’ve gone and our friends and family.

Credit: Christie Ward

Looking into the bedroom from our living room, which is separated by a custom glass divider we made with a local metal worker.

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Collected, layered, simple, colorful, and compact.

Credit: Christie Ward

Our El Mono Home glassware bringing some joy into our favorite space.

What is your favorite room and why? This is tough question given that this is a studio, but the kitchen. We created a workspace in here to give us the flexibility to work in several areas throughout the home. Also, as someone who loves to cook, this created a little perching ledge for my boyfriend to entertain me around dinner time. We have also filled our kitchen with our homeware brand’s items (@elmonohome), and it brings us so much joy!

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? My dining table, found on Craigslist for $200, from Pia on the Upper West Side. Thank you Pia!

Credit: Christie Ward

We curved the walls throughout the apartment to create soft transitions from the spaces.

Also, we recently started to make hand-blown Murano glassware, @elmonohome, and we have filled our kitchen with it. It’s extremely colorful and brings life to our everyday existence.

Any advice for creating a home you love? Make it your own and provide yourself with plenty of storage space.

This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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