This Apartment Shows How Light, Mirrors, and Neutral Colors Can Make a Small Space Feel Bigger Than It Is

Name: Patricia Weber with 30 plants and 25 crystals
Location: Berlin, Germany
Type of home: Apartment
Size: 538 square feet
Years lived in: 3 years, renting

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: After living in a tiny studio apartment during my studies, I was finally able to move to a bigger one-bedroom apartment with really nice views of trees, and it was also newly renovated when I moved in. It’s overlooking a cemetery, which makes the area really green and quiet but still close to the city center. It’s not the biggest space, but I love how it turned out, although I don‘t think I will ever be fully done decorating. I just love moving furniture around too much.

What is your favorite room and why? Definitely my living room. It’s the biggest space of the apartment so I was able to fit a huge couch and dining table and it even has a beautiful (fake) fireplace. I love whites and creams so pretty much everything is really light and I have two huge palms in there as well. I love every single piece in my living room, which is how it should be.

If you could magically change something about your home, what would it be? I would love to do a full renovation of the kitchen. Right now it has quite mismatched cabinets and I’m dreaming of marble countertops and a dishwasher! Oh and I really want a backyard to grow some beautiful hydrangeas. Editor’s note: Since Patricia first submitted her home, it looks like that kitchen reno dream came true!

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Cozy and light crystal haven.

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? A marble (of course, I love everything marble) little bistro table for my kitchen. Even though I have a big round dining table, I still have every meal sitting on my couch. Hoping I can change that with my new little breakfast nook. And I can‘t say no to crystals. I have several in every room, even the bathroom.

Which fictional character would be most at home in your place? Probably Monica from “Friends!”! I am very organized and clean. There is no junk drawer in my apartment. “A space for everything and everything in its space” is my motto for a clean and minimal place.

Any advice for creating a home you love? Don‘t follow every new design trend and create a home for yourself that truly reflects YOUR interests and needs. I love marble, crystals, and mirrors and have several of them in every room. And don‘t forget about lighting. I have 16 lamps in my apartment. I love them for their sculptural beauty. When I was moving in, the movers couldn‘t believe how many lamps and mirrors I have, but they brighten up every space and I can never say no to having a new one. Extra advice I got from a designer friend a few years ago also still applies: Put something black (a side table, a chair, or mirror) in every room. It will ground the space. It really works.

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