Personal development coach and self-help author Karen Salmansohn doesn’t just live and work in a 650-square-foot one-bedroom apartment, she also shares the apartment with her 9-year-old son. In order to make the living arrangement work, she’s made sure that every single inch of her small space was designed for organization and maximization. Karen’s tricks? A neutral color palette, multi-purpose furniture, and prioritizing how the space needs to function for her family.

“I am an author and designer and work from my home, so I really wanted a place that got a lot of sunlight and had a good flow between rooms, which felt separate from each other,” writes Karen. “This home offers all of this! When I’m writing I feel like I’m in a separate nook, with lots of sunshine, as this helps me to feel happy and creative.” Karen’s son has the apartment’s only bedroom, and it needed to act as a sleep space, place to do homework, and a sometimes-sleepover space. Karen needed the living room to not only be her bedroom at night, but also her office, her closet, her home gym, and more.

“When I was looking for a home, I really wanted a loft—but couldn’t find one in my price range. So I interior designed my home as if it were a loft, with lots of white walls, white Resource Furniture Murphy beds, and white tile floors (which look like bleached wood) with an occasional wall highlighted with Eskayel’s gorgeous artisan wallpapers. (Shhhh… don’t tell my home that it’s not a loft. I think it truly believes it is a loft!). I also love to cook for my son so I wanted a highly functional kitchen for cooking—and a big table to enjoy yummy family meals together. My home happily offers all of this as well!”

My Style: Bohemian chic.

Inspiration: I call the main room “the spa room” and my son’s room “the fun room.” I’m ALSO a big fan of ABC Carpet and Home’s artisan pieces, and the colors white, gray and teal.

Favorite Element: I love my Resource Furniture beds because they make my home feel twice the size. My living room is a living room by day. And my bedroom is a bedroom by night. And they’re both the exact same room, but I can instantly time travel from one type of a room to another type of room with the quick switch of a hydraulic moving wall. How cool is that? I also love my various Eskayel wallpapers, which are sprinkled throughout the apartment—including on the Resource Furniture Murphy bed’s backsplash in the main room. I love my big gray/white marble Knoll table (on wheels), which I use for dining and/or as my lusciously big desk when I’m writing my books on my computer. And I love my opalescent painting by my talented painter friend Steven Salzman.

Biggest Challenge: I love the color white—but I also have a young son—so I wanted to keep everything clean. How I overcame it? I got white tile floors for most of the apartment, which look like bleached white wood, but because they’re actually tile they are easy to clean! I got these at Home Depot. Plus, my young 9-year-old son is a naturally clean, organized kid. Although I’m not a big believer in astrology, it thankfully turns out my son is a typical Virgo when it comes to cleanliness.

Biggest Indulgence: The two twin Murphy beds in my son’s room from Resource Furniture. We decided to get the second one for a few reasons. We wanted a desk he could keep out with a computer on it. We also wanted to make his room sleepover friendly. Plus one of the Resource Furniture twin Murphy beds has ample storage space, which we wanted as well.

Best Advice: I love gorgeous scents. So I always have a candle going in the kitchen sink and bathtub, where it’s safest to put a candle. I love Byredo’s Bohemia and Amber Japonais.

• I used white paint and have many “highlight walls” with Eskayel wallpaper, like “Icelandic Mist” pattern in sea green, “Twinkle” in pool color; and “Nairutya” pattern in chalk color.

• Ito Queen Wall Bed with Reclining Sofa — Resource Furniture
• Large belize mirror in wood — Ligne Roset
• Poppin white cabinets — Poppin

• I have shimmering silver duvet covers and pillow cases, which I got at Barney’s before they closed from a company called Magniberg.

• Kali Board Twin Wall Bed with Desk and Upper Storage — Resource Furniture
• Kali Twin Wall Bed — Resource Furniture

• Gallerist upholstered bench — abc Carpet & Home
• Chairs in a gray and white fabric — Ligne Roset
• Chandelier with teal glass — abc Carpet & Home
• Gray/white marble table on wheels — Knoll

Thanks Karen!