7 Homes that Master Smart Storage, Organization and Style—at 400 Square Feet and Under

Your home’s size does not determine how stylish, functional, and beautiful is. That’s the sentiment behind all that Apartment Therapy does. And it’s on full display in these seven homes. Each one is 400 square feet or under, but they’re all impressively well-organized and good looking in a way that belies their smaller size. Below, find smart storage solutions, double-duty furniture, and other clever ways to make the most of a small home.

Joseph has taken a teeny one-room space and turned into not just a functional home, but a good-looking one, too. You can get a great sense of Joseph’s style from his first house call, but it’s in his video tiny tour that you understand what a smart space he’s created. In it, he walks you through the small-space solutions that makes his petite home feel much bigger.

This home is a great of an example of a wise and stylishly decorated small space. Jonathan Black‘s Chicago studio apartment—despite being a rental—is full of smart ideas for creating a custom home. For example, Jonathan removed the shelves from his closet, added curtains and lighting, and turned the area into a dressing room. And that’s just one of the ideas you’ll get from his house tour.

Renter Stefanie Kalbfleisch was on a tight budget to transform her 400-square-foot studio apartment into a livable space. “For the dormer windows, since the ceilings were lower, I found fabric shower curtains in a graphic pattern and hung them as curtains. Instead of investing in an expensive rug for my small living space, I found a heavier weight throw with fringe detail, and paired with a plush carpet pad underneath, it worked perfect as a rug. Since these items serve as double duty, I can always use them as they were intended in another space,” she wrote in her house call.

A beautiful home that works well is important to Ilse Paanakker, the founder of Habit House, a wellness tech startup whose mission is to help people create healthy habits. With only 280 square feet to work with that could be a tall order, but she does a great job in her small studio space, thanks to plants, purple, and a murphy bed. “Your home is the foundation for your healthy habits, take the time to make it a space that sets you up for success so you can live well,” she wrote in her home tour.  

Think you can’t possibly be a maximalist if you live in a small space? Jessica Marrazzo‘s 400-square-foot 1920s carriage house in Miami will prove you wrong. It just goes to show that even in a tiny home you can make room for the things you love.

In Olivia Garcia’s miniature 250-square-foot New York City studio apartment, keeping clutter at bay is exactly what makes it a functional home.

“Going into my senior year of college, I tasked myself with the design challenge of making my dorm room a happy, bright, and organized refuge that didn’t feel so much like a little white box, like most dorms,” wrote Elaina in her house call post. “I lived in apartment style campus housing,sophomore and junior years, with a kitchen, living room, bathrooms and bedrooms, but I decided to downsize back to a single, 120 square foot dorm room senior year to challenge my design capabilities.”

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