A Tiny Studio Turned Into a Proper One-Bedroom Thanks to an IKEA Fan-Favorite

Studio apartments often require some sort of furniture or rug to distinguish and separate areas from one another. (For instance, a Walmart bookshelf divided the living and sleeping spaces in this New York studio.) When interior designer Matilde Cascella moved into a 450-square-foot Greenwich Village apartment, she was faced with a similar challenge. 

“The apartment felt dated and like it was all just one small room,” she said at the time of the House Tour. Because it was a rental, she wasn’t able to install a traditional flex wall to create a private bedroom, but that didn’t stop her. Instead, she looked to a beloved IKEA classic to achieve her goal. 

“I had to find a renter-friendly way to build a wall to separate out my room,” Matilde explained at the time of the House Tour. “I was also on a budget, so I couldn’t afford a true temporary wall so the bookshelves were the best solution.”

So, Matilde used four IKEA BILLY bookcases (plus two extenders) to create a wall that carved out a proper sleeping area. Suddenly, the apartment went from a studio to a one-bedroom with ultimate privacy. She used a curtain between the units to act as a door. Each bookshelf was only $109, and did more than just create a wall. 

Matilde purchased the configuration with three shelves on the top half of the bookcase and cabinetry on the bottom. (You can customize the BILLY bookcase using the tool online.) The shelving made the bookcases look like they were already built into the wall and gave her so much more storage space, which made a world of difference, given that there’s only one closet in the unit.

Using bookcases as room dividers isn’t exactly novel, but what makes Matilde’s special is how they look like they were original to the unit. That’s in large part because of how she attached wallpaper to the back of them, further emphasizing that it’s a real wall. 

Instead of applying the wallpaper directly to the bookshelves, she first nailed particle board to the back of the bookshelves and then attached the beige, almost textured-looking wallpaper to the back. Now, she’ll be able to remove it one day if and/or when she moves, or she can put a new pattern over it if she so desires.

“I am so grateful that I was able to create a separate sleeping area so that I can host people in my living area and not feel like I’m staring at my bed,” Matilde wrote at the time of the House Tour. Unsurprisingly, the bedroom area became her favorite spot in the apartment, and it looks like the coziest spot to unwind. 

If you live in a studio and don’t want the permanence (or price!) of a flex wall, consider grabbing a set of IKEA BILLY bookcases. You can easily turn your one large space into a one-bedroom with ample privacy. There’s a reason why it’s one of the most-written-about IKEA products at Apartment Therapy. You won’t regret it!