5 Ways to Separate Your Living and Sleeping Spaces in a Studio

Carving out a distinct sleeping area in an open layout studio can be tricky, especially if you aren’t working with a lot of square footage. So we scoured our house tours high and low and uncovered some simple and affordable ideas for separating the living and sleeping spaces inside when it’s all essentially one big room. From hanging room-dividing curtains to forging a bonafide bed nook, here are five ways to score a proper sleeping zone inside your studio apartment.

Turns out you don’t actually need walls to have your own bedroom in your open studio. Take a cue from Heather Alexander and use a large bookcase, like this one at IKEA, as a room divider to create a defined sleeping zone in an open space, just like she did inside her 300-square foot New York City studio.

Never underestimate the room-dividing power of some well-placed curtains in your studio apartment. Case in point: Laura Lee Gulledge’s open layout Brooklyn basement studio, where she hung a pair of curtain panels from her ceiling to stylishly conceal—and define—her sleeping zone.

If you thought your dresser was too small to double as a room divider in an open space, it’s time to think again. Follow in Naimah Jennings’ footsteps and place a dresser between your sofa and bed frame to separate your living and sleeping spaces—and score some sofa-and-bedside storage—just like she did in her 370-square-foot California studio.

Nothing designates a sleeping zone like carving out an actual bed nook in an open layout apartment. Forge a distinct bedroom area in your studio with the help of curtains and a folding screen panel to close off the space, just like we saw in Natasha R. Johnson’s 500-square-foot Brooklyn abode.

When all else fails, you can always count on an area rug to distinguish a sleeping area from the rest of your living space. Lay an eye-catching area rug under your bed frame to designate a distinct bedroom zone like Jessica did inside her 515-square-foot Dallas, Texas studio.