This Renter Finally Found Room for a Dining Table in Her 500-Square-Foot Chicago Apartment

Sarah Sabatino‘s Chicago rental apartment may only be 500 square feet, but she fits a lot of creativity in it — from working at her cozy window desk, to curating her open-air wardrobe full of thrifted finds (she’s actually a thrifting expert and offers Curated Thrift Bundles), to working on hobbies like etched mirror art, nail art, painting, and drawing at her petite but powerful dining room table.

She’s lived in this Ukrainian Village unit for four years now, and while it might be full of color and pattern today, it certainly didn’t look that way when she first began renting it. “Before I moved in all of the walls were gray and everything was a bit beat-up and worn-in,” Sarah writes.

“My home is a reflection of what I want to feel on a daily basis. Comfort is the most important thing for me. I need everything to feel cozy and welcoming,” Sarah writes. “I think having bright colors and living plants in a space is so important.”

“Furniture and homes that are flat and empty make me very uncomfortable. Homes should be a place that feel like a big warm hug where you can take a deep breath and feel inspired but also calm.”

On the biggest challenge: “I would have to say the size,” Sarah admits. “I have had three different sofas and have rearranged the space more times than I can count. I can only have a 70-inch sofa and finding a cute/comfy small sofa has been a real challenge. I recently just got a dining table because I didn’t think it was possible to have one in this space but I think living here for so long, I eventually figured it out.”

On her proudest DIY: “My limewash paint job in my bedroom,” Sarah writes. “I looked into the pricing of limewash and it was so expensive. I just used a good brush and plain ol’ house paint!”

On her favorite element: “The wardrobe area in my bedroom is also my favorite because I spent so much time thrifting my clothing and I love that I can display them almost like art. It helps me be inspired to get dressed every day, and my brain just works better putting together an outfit when I visually can see the options.” 

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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