Small Spaces

Name: Anna Location: Oak Park, Illinois For a few long months after I moved into my apartment last winter, I dreaded coming home each night. I’d just lost a spacious dream apartment in a devastating breakup. I’d lost the sunny windows and the working fireplace. And I’d lost the man I’d planned to come home to for the rest of my life. “I live here now,” I repeated aloud as I paced the short hallway between my new living room and bedroom.

Name: Mark and Emily (and Kally the cat) Location: East Village; New York, New York Size: 330 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Emily and Mark’s East Village apartment may be small, but it’s bursting with light and color. They make small space living look easy — somehow they’ve managed to squeeze all the things that two people need to live (and work!) into 330 square feet, and still create a cozy, beautiful home.

Name: Shannon and Alexis Location: 13th arrondissement, Paris, France Size: 35 square meters (377 square feet) Shannon, an American expat who has made Paris her permanent home, writes a blog about what it’s like to live in the city. I met her during my sojurn in Paris last year, and she graciously agreed to give me a tour of her lovely home, a diminutive 35 m2 apartment on one of Paris’ most charming streets. From Shannon: I met Alexis in Italy back in 2006 during business school.

Name: Stanley Location: Washington, DC I live in a new studio apartment in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, DC. The apartment is 525 square feet in a modern design building that I have furnished with a mixture of Shaker furniture pieces and American folk art. I love the juxtaposition of the sleek architecture of the building with the colorful handcrafted art and furniture.

Name: Taylor Location: Upper West Side – Manhattan, NYC I moved into a studio apartment in August. It was a very nice space with good fixtures and great floors, BUT small for someone who works from home and needs the space to have clients come in (yoga & massage) as well as a home office to run my graphic design business. Not to mention.. actually live here and feel at home.

Name: Jack Location: Chicago, IL My apartment is in an amazing vintage building in Lakeview that used to be owned by the Roosevelt family. There is no lack of character, which is one of the best parts aside from great lakeside location. Although it’s a smaller unit (roughly 450 sf) as a result of the chopped up floor plans when it was converted to a rental building, it’s very efficient.

Name: Brigitte Location: Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, NY I moved into this space in 2008, so I’ve had a solid 6 years to settle in and make it my own. The look was initially far more minimal, but over time became increasingly dense and layered. I attribute this less to my design sensibility and more to my lack of self-control. Whenever I come across a unique piece of art or an interesting object I think, “I can find a spot for that!”.

Name: Matt & Annie Location: Boston My name is Matt. I live with my fiance, Annie, in the heart of Back Bay in Boston, Massachusetts. As a couple, living in a small space (405 sq/ft) can have its challenges. Both Annie and I have a passion for interior design. We worked hard to make sure our small living space was functional while staying true to our classic (with a twist) style. Our little abode has come a long way since we moving in and continues to be a work in progress. Thanks, Matt!

Name: Sabrina Location: Chelsea, NYC After 4 years of living in a dorm and renting light deprived apartments sharing with roommates, I finally am living in my very first home in NYC. I was blessed to find a cozy 450 square feet first floor walk-up studio in a prewar building in Chelsea. I love the 9 foot ceilings, exposed brick wall and natural sunlight from two large windows. I fell in love with the space as soon as I walked in, it felt like home.

Name: Emily Adams Location: La Mesa, California I live in a pocket of San Diego, California called Mount Helix. It’s a very quiet, peaceful and lush area with lots of trees and wildlife (including flocks of bright green wild parrots!). I live in a studio guesthouse attached to a very modern style, white stucco home, owned by a retired couple from the Netherlands. My unit is a mere 170 square feet (smaller than most hotel rooms in fact).

Name: Scott Diorio and his dog, Scrappy Location: Silver Lake- Los Angeles, California Size: 595 square feet Years lived in: 6 years; Rented As a native of Southern California, Scott grew up on a “steady diet” of skate and surf culture, with the beach, native elements and Latin culture in the mix. These are the aesthetics that play a huge role in the evolution of his apartment.

Name: Bridget and Robert Park Location: Ballpark District, Denver, Colorado Size: 800 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; rented Hailing from Seattle, these two newlyweds recently made the trek to Denver for a new adventure and grad school. After one year of living in the ballpark district of downtown Denver, a friend told them about an affordable housing program in the city that gave lower income households access to some of the city’s most beautiful historic lofts.

Name: Kerra Michele Huerta Location: Dupont Circle, Washington, DC Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; Rented Kerra Michele Huerta is the brains behind the event and interior design business and blog Apartment Envy, based in Washington, DC. She prides herself on the ability to bring a certain flair to small spaces, and nowhere is this more apparent than in her own 600 square feet in Dupont Circle.

Name: Faye Location: New York City, New York My home is decorated very bohemian like. It’s very cozy and tiny! It’s a studio in Manhattan — 200 square feet. Most of my furniture is from Urban Outfitters, the garbage, or hand-me-downs. My favorite item is my rocking chair. I love to read books while sitting on it and I placed it by the window to get natural light while reading. Thanks, Faye! • Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy?

Name: Jamie Lyn, Founder of AX + APPLE (and her cat George Michael) Location: Los Feliz — Los Angeles, California Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented After her jewelry line AX + APPLE began to take off from Austin Texas, Jamie decided it was time to relocate to the West Coast. Lucky enough to score a gorgeous one bedroom Spanish style courtyard apartment, Jamie is enjoying Los Angeles and all its charms.

Name: Nicholas Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn A writer and college professor, I fell in love with this apartment immediately when I went looking for a place to live and work. It’s an awkward space—-living room, two very small interior rooms, kitchen with small toilet room and separate shower—but it gets tremendous light. On a budget, I mixed old family furniture and some key purchases on sale at a local furniture store, Organic Modernism.

Name: Maria Location: Brooklyn I lease a very tiny apartment in Brooklyn. A high ceiling helps add some air and creates an illusion of a larger space. I’ve managed to divide my 500 square foot room into four different zones: entry, bedroom, work & lounge, kitchen. My studio is decorated with flea market and antique finds as well as with accessories from Objects Reartiste. Thanks, Maria! • Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy?

Name: Jacqueline Rousseau Location: West Village, NYC Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 4 years; Rented After living in the UK for nearly a decade, Jacqueline returned stateside with a blank slate. To the envy of her friends and fellow New Yorkers like myself, Jacqueline settled into a sun-filled studio in the West Village. A white Ektorp lounge chair left by a previous tenant was the jumping-off point for what has developed into a very comfortable place to live and work.

Name: Kelly Stewart Location: Rampart Village; Los Angeles, California Size: 400 square feet Years lived in: 1 years; rent Kelly lives in a quaint stylish studio apartment in Rampart Village, where she has indulged her interior design know how. Taking note of all she’s learned working along side various designers mixing that with her own personal aesthetic, she has created a wonderful place to call home. It’s pretty awesome what Kelly was able to accomplish in 400 square feet.

Name: Alek Location: Sebastopol, California The Tiny Project is my attempt to live a simpler, more conscious, debt-free life, and in doing so helping to set and example and educate the community about alternative, affordable, more sustainable ways of living. Sick of the high cost of renting, and determined to own my own home, I recently completed an 8×20′ tiny house on wheels. I designed every inch of this unique home and did most of the construction myself as well.

Name: Alana Range, CEO of Radish Lab Location: Greenpoint; Brooklyn Size: 850 square feet Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented After an exhaustive apartment search, Alana landed a rare, sun-drenched railroad style apartment in Brooklyn with an impressive nine windows! As any New Yorker can attest, railroad apartments can either be a total flop or, as in Alana’s case, a huge success.

Name: Chelsea Park Location: Chinatown, New York, NY I remember thinking my 9×7 room looked a lot bigger when it was empty. Then I got my bed in there. Once I was done crying on the inside, I decided right then would be a great opportunity to stop hoarding and start making good use of my walls. I have a ton of books, so I hung several bookshelves and made the words the focal point of my room. Now it’s my happy little place.

Name: Joey Krietemeyer, Art Director at 1stdibs.com, Antoni, and one very well loved Fiddle Leaf Fig Location: Clinton Hill, Brooklyn Size: 600 square foot studio Years lived in: 3 years; renting Walking into Joey and Antoni’s studio apartment is not like walking into other studios in New York. They have managed to create a home that feels open and spacious, but still has distinctly separate living areas. Details abound that catch the eye without cluttering up the space.

Name: Whitney Leigh Morris, Graphic Designer, and Adam Winkleman Location: Canals, Venice Beach, California Size: 362 square feet (interior) Years lived in: 2.5 years; Rented Etc: Built in 1924. One of two original craftsman-style cottages on the lot. You may remember this beautifully renovated cottage from Whitney’s House Call. I was brought in to do a full tour of their space, and I was certainly not disappointed. Whitney and Adam have made living in a small space look like a breeze.

Name: Chris Apollo Lynn Location: Bouldin Creek; Austin, Texas Size: 650 square feet Years lived in: 2.5 years; Rented Chris Apollo Lynn always smiles when he speaks. A calming personality, he’s equal parts exuberance and enthusiasm, especially about the city of Austin and its community.

Name: Eric Marshall, technical writer Location: Clarksville; Austin, Texas Size: 600 square feet Years lived in: 8 years; Owned Fans of adorable, well-organized and refreshingly decorated small spaces that open out onto green, tree-filled natural wonderlands might want to brace themselves.