Studio Apartment

Since this is Mindy’s first time owning a home, she was as involved as possible in the renovation, like knocking out the old kitchen and taking off the bathroom tiles, all to build the minimal and modern small home of her dreams.

"I'm Italian American, lived in Rome for 10 years, and studied Humanities and Classics at university; these attributes reflect everywhere in my world," explains LeAnne Smith. "I love stone sculpture, architecture, pencil sketches, and gardens."

"Living in a studio means that I see everything all the time, so I really need to like everything that's there," explains Upper East Side studio apartment dweller Jamie Mandel.

Lisa’s rental home might only be 350 square feet, but the location is unbeatable and an “outdoor” space makes it feels much less smaller.

Erik works from home, and needed a bright, airy space that "inspired me while keeping me in a good mood (happy colors) but relaxed."

It was small, the kitchen was basically nonexistent, and the bathroom wasn't pretty, but Irene Shamas saw the potential in this studio unit. She worked with Luki Anderson of Studio Officina and EDR Construction to transform this small one-room apartment into a space that can be a living room, dining room, bedroom, office, and more.

Ana shares this tiny studio apartment with her boyfriend, and while there's technically only one actual room for the entire home, her simple but successful room-dividing solution helps make the space much more usable.

Aaron's favorite "room" is the entire apartment, "because it is a studio that has been designed with intention to give each area a specific use and vibe. Although it is one open space, each section serves a different purpose."

When Carissa and her husband moved to NYC from Florida, they had to downsize from a 1,500-square-foot home, so they "had to really process not only the functionality of objects, but also their significance."

Travel YouTuber and author Damon Dominique rents this small studio/loft apartment in Paris that he describes as "Sex and the City cocktail hour meets Parisian museum."

Tiffany and her cat, Jinju, have turned their small New York studio into a gorgeous home by mixing styles and creating a layout that gives her space for all of life's necessities.

Because Jung Hi Han's rental is just a large rectangle, she had to figure out how to arrange the furniture to make different areas. "I used an IKEA bookcase to separate my 'bedroom' from the entry, along with wallpaper to visually create a bedroom. I used the gallery wall in my 'living room' to separate that space, and the two Tara McPherson prints to section off my 'dining room,'" Jung Hi explains.

The dark, unpainted wood and the compact size of this little studio apartment gives the space the cozy, homey feel that Paige is striving for in their space. "I couldn't be happier."

Chandler and Lucy were living in California when they decided to move to NYC for the first time. Though they initially were looking for one-bedrooms, when their friend saw a great studio on the Upper West Side, they submitted their application and trusted that it would work!

Kayla works in HR at Apartment Therapy and has turned her home into her sanctuary. Working with a small space and budget, she used the color palette of her neighborhood to bring to life her gorgeous bohemian home.

Lucy was about to sign the lease on a Brooklyn apartment when she found her dream home in Manhattan. She switched gears and moved into this small studio during the pandemic, getting a big discount. She has thrifted and stooped many of her apartment treasures to create a stunning New York City home.

After working with designer Natalie Dubrovska from Dubrovska Studios, Bogdan and Mariia were able to hone in on what they love about design. Natural materials add small touches of peace and fulfillment to a home that blends industrial with coziness.

When Calvin moved into his Manhattan apartment, he recruited the help of his friend Colton Ackerman to bring his home to life. Calvin's home now is covered in fun murals that make every inch of the place a work of art.

At first, designer Linda Cava only meant to replace her 10-year-old bedframe. But then she swapped out a bedside table to fit the new bed's style, next decided to trade the old sofa for a larger sectional... and then a mix of paint updates, vintage furniture elements, and more made her small home feel completely refreshed.

The walls of Marty's Lower East Side Apartment are covered in photos and notes from friends throughout the years.

Michal Kolaczkowski and Trevor Kuhn have been renting this 300-square-foot studio apartment on New York City's Upper West Side for about seven months.

Ainsley's small rental apartment's size and atypical angles offered quite the design challenge: to fit in useful, cohesive items without feeling too cramped or cluttered. But she tackled the challenge beautifully and cleverly.

The entire home is full of historic architectural details, from original herringbone wood floors, original dog-bone tiles in the bathroom, mirrored cabinet in the kitchen, gorgeous crown moldings on the walls, and the high ceilings, which Jessica says make the studio feel spacious.

Alexandra Charitan is a travel writer and the features editor at "Roadtrippers Magazine." She's been renting this 450-square-foot studio apartment in D.C.'s Capitol Hill neighborhood for two years.

Hannah Herman actually worked on the design of her apartment building before she decided to move in, so she was already ahead on the creative challenge of furnishing such a small space.

Sarah Jackson, her husband Greg, and their dog Rex live in a well-curated apartment on Roosevelt Island, best-known for the tram that connects it to Manhattan over the East River.

When Bailey moved into an Upper West Side studio, she had to make purposeful purchases and decor decisions to fit all her favorite items in this very small space.

Mish, who founded design studio Tangerine Living, says this rental apartment was initially a very awkward studio with a tiny, unused upstairs storage room. But along with partner, Ryan, they redid floors, ceilings, doors, kitchen, bathroom, and decor... and all on a DIY budget!

Redzuan Idris' small flat features smart furniture and appliance choices so that the home feels much larger than it is.

Maitri Mody (@honeyidressedthepug on Instagram) grew up in Mumbai surrounded by colors and says she can't live in a minimal white box. "I moved into this apartment after separating from a 10-year marriage and starting off on my own. So, I wanted it to be happy, cheerful, and positive," she writes.

The moment sisters Farah and Vanessa walked into this studio apartment, they knew it was the one and put in an offer the same day! "It was the perfect space with a little balcony."

With the help of crafty family members, Skylar Pittmon was able to totally customize her teeny home with DIY furniture and storage that's as stylish as it is functional.

Gaby Neira and Chris Yera moved into their Upper West Side apartment almost a year ago. "Living in New York is expensive, especially for college students. We had to design the space with a small budget, limited stock availability across the city, and a two-week moving time constraint."

It was small, the kitchen was basically nonexistent, and the bathroom wasn't exactly pretty, but Irene Shamas saw the potential in this studio unit. She worked with Luki Anderson of Studio Officina and EDR Construction to transform this small one-room apartment into a functional and cozy home.

This 560-square-foot studio apartment in San Francisco's Lower Haight neighborhood is Dipa Halder's first solo apartment, and she's personalized this blank canvas with murals, DIY art, and furniture and decor that remind her of the colors of a sunrise.

Film fan Madison's Seattle studio apartment is smartly designed and filled with fun elements, like a “Honk if you’d rather be watching the 1999 cinematic masterpiece ‘The Mummy’ starring Brendan Frasier and Rachel Weisz” sticker.

Aurora Yim has used smart layout and small-space ideas in her Brooklyn studio apartment, like using a rug to visually define the living room area, creating the coziest sleeping nook with storage shelves and a very cool plant stand, and wielding mirrors to bounce light around the space, making it feel larger and brighter.

Coach and facilitator Erinne Brown has been renting this light-filled 451-square-foot studio apartment in Chicago's Printers Row neighborhood for two years now.

Melissa Chang's thoughtful (and smart!) furniture layout, her approach to collecting, and her experiences living even smaller in Tokyo have all contributed to a gorgeous, cozy, functional home, despite being a one-room studio apartment only 250 square feet large.

Rini has made this teeny studio apartment into a beautiful, functional home she's rented for 17 years.

Interior designer Nicole Arruda's whole rental studio apartment is proof of how much architectural interest and beauty you can add to a space with just a few details.

Thanks to light colors, smart storage ideas, and intentional dividing of "zones," Kristy Marhin has done an amazing job of creating a cozy home in just 230 square feet.

Though just 500 square feet, Jacqueline Clair's studio apartment is a bright corner unit with tons of windows, and features lots of ideas for maximizing a small space.

This apartment was a white-walled, blank canvas before Robb Wexler moved in. "This gave me the chance to completely transform the space into something very personal, which tells my story."

Kevin Coleman shares this 642-square-foot, "Geometric Minimalism" style studio apartment with his dog, Langston.

...including an IKEA bookshelf built into a wall!

Content creator and small studio renter, Imani Keal, is on a mission to get people with small spaces to paint them black.

Tynan wanted this small studio to feel like a "1950s honeymoon suite, a cocktail lounge, a powder room, the Playboy Mansion, a 1960s TSA terminal, and a little gay space station in the clouds."

The only thing that came in Julie Gordon's rental studio apartment was a small stove, fridge, and three cabinets. But after some major TLC, a few great peel and stick finds, and lots of patience, she's turned this shoebox-sized into a cozy, beautiful, and organized home.

Thanks to collaborating and facetiming with her bestfriend everyday, Christine was able to DIY furniture, create an enviable bed loft/home office setup, give an ugly kitchen a renter-friendly facelift, and create a stunning home that feels much bigger and more expensive than it actually is.

Maleeha has dreamt of living in New York City since she was a little girl, and renting this 400-square-foot studio is making her dreams come true!

Lizzie Gill, a mixed media artist, and her husband remodeled this 1990s-era, run-down barn. It's now their full-time home, a studio apartment and art studio.

Franco Cheng renovated this small Toronto studio apartment, completely upgrading the kitchen and bathroom, and creating a neat bed alcove where a built-in mirrored closet used to be.

Sure, the shower is in the kitchen, but there's also a sink on top of the toilet, a bed loft with walk-in closet below, and plenty of other smart small space ideas to steal from this ultra cozy and comfy tiny studio apartment.

Geneve Lau may only live in 350 square feet, but it feels much larger and is very organized and comfortable.

Courtney and Jules rent this 248-square-foot studio apartment in New York's West Village... and they've done an amazing job creating a functional AND beautiful home.

Creative director Willow Rothbart's style in her small Los Angeles studio apartment's style is a mix of industrial, minimalist, and a touch of transitional.

When Carley first moved into this small studio apartment, the "backyard" only had a picnic table and a chain link fence. After a trip to Lowe's and a few hundred bucks' worth of lumber, she built a fence and crafted the perfect outdoor living space.

When longtime New York City resident and Francophile Meghan Donovan moved to her new apartment last August, she knew right off the bat that she wanted to create her own slice of Paris in Brooklyn.

Heather has spent the last 14 months redoing every inch of this small rental studio apartment on a budget.

Even though this Denver studio apartment is small, it feels like it has distinct rooms like a bedroom, dining, office, and living thanks to a good layout and the use of open and closed storage.

Karst started with a neutral blank canvas when he began renting this tiny studio, which he's filled with plants, thrifted finds, and cool murals.

This tiny 350-square-foot studio loft with laid-back vibes and tons of windows sits on the top of a tall building, glistening in the sky.

Living in 380 square feet required Danielle to ditch her walk-in closet, live minimally, and get creative with DIY projects to make a small home beautiful and functional.

And it's positively PACKED with clever budget decorating DIY ideas!

Instead of using heavy or bulky room dividers, Abigail was able to maximize all 415 square feet of her tiny studio apartment and create an entryway, living room, dining room, bar, bedroom, and office!

The biggest challenge was mastering the layout of a studio apartment and figuring out my storage situation. Using underbed storage for cameras, photo supplies, and out-of-season clothing saved the day!

Painting was a budget-friendly way for Angie Eng to elevate her studio apartment, helping to keep the "rooms" aesthetically separate, but still fluid.

Both uncluttered AND colorful, Faith Roberson's small studio apartment has brilliant storage ideas in the kitchen, bathroom, cabinets, drawers, and even the shower. She also has an amazing DIY art piece in her kitchen that may inspire your own project.