This Renter’s 300-Square-Foot NYC Studio Is Full of Unique, Rule-Breaking Ideas
After surviving multiple bedbug and mouse infestions, enduring the live-in boyfriends of roommates, suffering through winters without heat (due to both money and landlord woes), falling pray to package thieves, tolerating years of five floor walk-ups, and applying to the NYC Housing Lottery every three months for seven years, freelance art director, graphic designer, and artist Olivia Konys FINALLY won.
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“I like to think that my literal 1-in-8 million chance of winning the housing lottery was due to good karma,” begins Olivia, whose years of NYC renting hell ended three and half years ago when she moved into this 300-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment in Queens’ Astoria neighborhood.
"There is a lot more work that goes into installing a projector setup than you’d think," she admits. "The screen has to hang the perfect distance away from the projector, and they have to line up. The projector screen has to be the right width and length, too. That meant hanging the shelf the projector sits on at the right height and getting hooks of a certain size to hang the screen at the same height. I have an Apple TV hooked up to it so the projector can even act as my second monitor. But to do that, I had to get a unique short range, 1-to-1 very small Bluetooth transmitter that is also HDMI compatible from a random warehouse overseas. Otherwise, you’d have to turn around and point the remote at the projector above the couch, instead of at the screen in front of you. The signal is similar to a Wii remote. And my Wii does work with the projector, too!"
Olivia has been the first tenant to rent this newly built, surprisingly luxurious space — the unit came with heated floors, including the shower. “I never would imagine I’d live in a place with heated floors; they make up for all the hours I’ve lost sleep to a radiator clanging,” she quips.
While the market rate for an apartment like this is around $3,400 a month, Olivia’s rent is stabilized at $2,550. “As a single freelance artist in my 30s, my passion is also my career and life, which can become a very expensive gamble in NYC. I believe affordable housing should be an option for any life stage or profession,” Oliva writes.
This is still the highest rent Olivia has ever paid, (she says she was selected because she’s never earned a high salary), but admits that “eliminating the ‘what-ifs’ of city life caused by a revolving door of roommates and the time and cost of moving every year has finally given me the time, peace of mind, and savings to make a place my own.”
In just three and half years, Olivia has completely transformed the apartment, which was handed to her in a “completely millennial gray” state. She DIYed to personalize the space, including painting the living room and bedroom, building custom bookshelves, removing some baseboards to install cabinets, and a little drilling into the ceiling. And she’s added so, so much art.
“I live and create art in this space. I am a landlord’s worst nightmare because I love to customize everything,” Olivia admits. Nearly all of the art in the apartment is Olivia’s own, and everything in the space serves a purpose.
“The space is not very big, so all of the decor has a story or intention behind it. Some say it’s cluttered, but it is crazy to think that this is honestly everything I own. I like being able to see my tools — books, paint, and brushes, novelties that keep me creative and grant me ideas in passing.”
Before Olivia moved into this apartment — during those many trials and tribulations of renting in NYC — she used to joke that she was “the last roommate you will ever have — because if you live with me, you’ll statistically meet the love of your life and also move in with them in under a year.” She claims this happened with five consecutive roommates. “Now, I joke that if a future spouse moves in with me someday, hopefully they don’t own any furniture — but I have plenty of closet space to share!”
Resources
ENTRY
LIVING ROOM
- Record Player and SONOS Speakers — Big Reuse Thrift in Gowanus, Brooklyn
- Nickelodeon Alarm Clock — eBay
- Custom Oblong Coffee Table — Housing Works
- Deer Head Sculpture — Housing Works
- Lava Lamp — Home Depot
- Colorful Rug — Urban Outfitters
- Blue Velvet Curved Sofa — Wayfair
- Black Couch — Amazon
- Hanging CD Player — Astronord
- Sheer Curtains — T.J. Maxx
- Snake and YinYang Pillow — FRIENDS NYC
- Corduroy Reading Pillow — Urban Outfitters
- Barbell Brass Floor Lamp — Article
- Red Candlestick — IKEA
- Paint — Sherwin Williams “6510 Loyal Blue”
DINING ROOM/KITCHEN
BEDROOM
- Barbicide Jar — eBay
- Floating Shelves — Home Depot
- Curtains — T.J. Maxx
- Striped Rug — Nordstrom
- Over-the-Door Clothing Rack — Bed Bath and Beyond
- Glass Pendant Light — Amazon
- Ceramic Checkered Lamp — Amazon
- Black Candlestick — IKEA
- Vintage Brass Palm Tree Lamp — Inherited from a friend’s former roommate
- Paint — Rust-Oleum 206540 Chalkboard Brush-On Paint
BATHROOM
- 1980s NYC Lithograph — Housing Works
- Floating Glass Shelves — Temu of all places
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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