Apartment Choice

One of the biggest downsides to studio living is feeling like you live — and entertain — in your bedroom. But even though that might physically/technically be true, it doesn't mean you can't use design to make it feel like it's more than just a studio. These smart and stylish studios — all under 500 square feet — employ three of the most successful ways to make a studio apartment feel bigger than it is. And they're design tips that anyone can use (whether you have more than one room or not!) to make any room feel better. Choose double duty furniture Alee Ruggieri's 200 square foot Greenwich Village studio Alee's studio apartment is successful thanks to the powers of double- duty furniture . In the morning, her bed transforms into what looks like a sofa by a simple rearrangement of throw pillows. Placing it with a long edge against a wall (like you would a sofa), helps the illusion. Arranging the rest of the home's furniture around the bed/sofa makes he...

We've said it before and we'll say it again - small does not have to mean limited. Sure, when there aren't many square metres to work with, you'll likely have to make a few compromises but this doesn't mean downgrading the way you want to live in any way. It's all about finding the nooks and crannies, maximising the rooms and ensuring that each step is considered. Don't fill spaces with clutter, don't overreach and make sure you have a simple design theme in mind when decorating or buying furniture. This apartment, designed by Chantal Forzatti Architetto , is a perfect example of a small space that has been pushed to its full potential, all without taking it too far. Blending the Scandinavian and  classic design schools and playing with a few clever storage hacks , the result we see is as breathtaking as it is smart.   1. Opting for a loft is a great idea in a small apartment, as it obviously adds a lot of usable space. Chantal Forzatti architetto : m...

Architects: Francesc Rifé Location: Seville, Spain Year: 2015 Photo courtesy: Fernando Alda Description: “This dwelling is located at a key point of the city of Seville: next to La Maestranza bull ring and the Guadalquivir River. The owners of the flat, located on the top floor of a classic building, were aiming to achieve a more open space with more light. The dwelling is clearly divided between daytime and night-time areas. The latter includes two small bedrooms, a bathroom and an en-suite bedroom with a dressing room. The materials to be highlighted in both bathrooms are Calacatta marble and bleached pine wood . The day time area consists of an access, planned in glass and marble, a feature dividing the outside and the inside of the dwelling. Leading on from the entrance, there is a significant open plan kitchen finished in bronze and a living room, split up into two environments: on the one hand, a reading area with chaise longues and a sofa area facing the fireplace, with a te...

Whether you’re a business traveler staying for days or months in the city, or you’re a leisure traveler looking forward to a relaxing overnight stay , newly opened Citadines Millennium Ortigas Manila promises to give you an ideal home away from home experience. A 32- storey international serviced residence , Citadines Millenium Ortigas Manila is managed by The Ascott Limited in partnership with CDC Holdings. It is The Ascott Limited ’s seventh property in Metro Manila and their first in the northern part of Metro The property, which is divided into serviced residence s and condominium units, has close proximity to lifestyle establishments and offices. Casey Faylona, The Ascott Limited director for sales and marketing said, “There is a big market that is still growing mainly because of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and some of the major companies that are based here including business process outsourcing (BPO) companies. It is an emerging market.” Faylona added, “ Serviced res...

This article originally appeared in the February 2007 issue of Architectural Digest . It sort of makes you blush a little bit," the client says, teasingly, of the 2,700-square-foot apartment she and her husband share in New York's Greenwich Village . But, truly, blushing is the least of it. The living and dining area alone, with its 14-foot-high ceilings, arresting palette and mural-size art, is more likely to stop a visitor in his tracks. Which is just the effect they hoped for. "What's really cool about this apartment is that it's inspiring," she adds. "You don't get bored with it. It's cheery and exciting. The color and everything are invigorating." Having grown up in a similar environment—the vivid hues, the leopard-print fabrics—she couldn't imagine living any other way. In fact, she'd known "since I was born," she jokes, that, like her father before her, she'd one day commission Thomas Britt , the venerable New Y...

Rutenberg NYC agent Tatiana Calvo has just closed on a Windsor Terrace apartment at $100,000 over the asking price. The two bedroom unit #2R at 543 16th St. a block from Prospect Park has an open chef’s kitchen with granite counters and stainless steel appliances , two full en- suite bathrooms and a balcony. TATIANA CALVO Calvo listed the apartment (pictured top) and $1.099 million and said her first two open houses were “jam packed.ˮ The offers came flooding in and, Calvo said, everyone left the table happy. “I received $100,000 over asking because I priced apartment 2R fairly ,ˮ said the agent. “The seller was making what he wanted, and the buyer wanted to secure the apartment. The building is solid, and the apartments themselves are timeless.ˮ Alex Lavrenov of Compass brought in the buyer and the sale closed at $1.2 million after 39 days on the market. B RONX Spuyten Duyvil 2575 Palisades Ave. #5H $195,000 Sponsor studio and one bedroom with windowed custom kitchen with quartz...

Simply put, this elegant shingle style home is the poster child for curb appeal. Consider the setting on a secluded cul de sac against a backdrop of lush greenery in the heart of Beverly Farms — gorgeous. And that’s just from the street. By Barbara Forster / GateHouse Media ADDRESS: 4 Chanticleer Drive, Beverly BEDROOMS: 6 BATHROOMS: 4 full; 1 half LIVING SPACE: 4,367 sq. ft. PRICE: $1,195,000   Simply put, this elegant shingle style home is the poster child for curb appeal. Consider the setting on a secluded cul de sac against a backdrop of lush greenery in the heart of Beverly Farms — gorgeous. And that’s just from the street. Then a brick paver walkway flanked by the ideal amount of green lawn (right-sized for quick mowing) leads to a broad rocking chair verandah . Yep, picture perfect. Then the door opens … What appears is breathtaking: a magnificent foyer with gleaming hardwood flooring and incredible custom woodwork . Lavishly detailed double arches with keystone...

Share This: Modern Studio Apartment %20-%20http://www.yliving.com/blog/decorate-modern-studio-apartment/" target="_blank"> Modern Studio Apartment %7C%20YLiving" target="_blank"> The stakes are high when decorating a modern studio apartment . After all, when every function needs to happen in a single, compact space—from sleeping to cooking to entertaining—even one poorly placed or scaled piece of furniture can throw off the balance of your modern living room or modern dining room . To avoid common missteps we called on Iain Halliday, of the New York- and Sydney-based architectural and interior design firm Burley Katon Halliday . A veteran designer who has detailed everything from studios to vast homes, Halliday offers modern living room ideas for smart small-space design. YLiving: What are the major challenges when decorating a studio apartment, and how can they be addressed? Iain Halliday: It’s important to understand that in a studio many thin...

Furniture Robotic ? http://www.pymnts.com/news/retail/2017/is-the-future-of-furniture-robotic/"> Furniture Robotic ?&BODY=I found this article interesting and thought of sharing it with you. Check it out: http://www.pymnts.com/news/retail/2017/is-the-future-of-furniture-robotic/"> As Americans — particularly younger Americans — are becoming increasingly urban , they are needing to learn to think differently about space.  In New York City, the average studio has only 550 square feet, while the average one bedroom clocks in with a not-exactly- cavernous 750 average square footage . In San Fransisco, the figures are similar — and in most of the nation’s top cities, 750-850 are considered about the norm.  Somewhat less expensive markets have somewhat larger apartment homes on offer — 1,000 or so square feet tends to run at more the norm. We should note that apartments are getting smaller — in 2009, the average NYC apartment was around 1,000 square feet. Compare that...

When the Japanese client of Adrian Wu and Stephanie Wong , partners at SW Design, purchased his 1, 305 sq ft apartment , it was the last one available in the Mid-Levels complex. Situated on one of the tower’s highest floors, the three-bedroom, two- bathroom home offered exceptional views of Victoria Harbour and the cityscape beyond, as well as ticking other boxes such as location and space. However, it was also the deve­loper’s show flat, so he had to buy the prop­erty along with all of its contents. He could simply have moved in with his belongings, but he felt the interior was too decorative for his tastes. So he enlisted the help of the husband-and-wife architec­tural team, who had worked on a project for a friend of his. “Our brief was straightforward: our client wanted to make strategic changes so the apartment would fit his sense of aesthetics and functional needs,” says Wu. “He likes a very clean, minimal look without clutter, so most of the show-flat shelving, fabric panelling...