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...

Collect this idea When you walk through the door of your small apartment , do you feel that your space is as inspiring as the ones featured in our post 30 Best Small Apartment Design Ideas Ever Presented on Freshome ? If not, this is the post for you. We’ ve gathered dozens of examples of space-saving furniture for your small apartment to enhance your living space, organize your belongings and give your home the modern edge you’re after. Here are the four categories of space-saving furniture we cover: We also have some ideas for color accents to make your space your own. Before you add any furniture to your small apartment , take a weekend to organize and clear your place. Go through your closets and cabinets, and donate or discard anything you don’t need or haven’t used for some time. Once you’ve sorted all your stuff, give your apartment a fresh paint job or a good wall and surface scrub to freshen it up. Starting with a blank canvas is liberating. Now it’s time to personalize! H...

IN THE 1960s and ’70s, long before helicoptering emerged as a parenting style, adults had far less interest in looming over their children, frequently urging them to go play outside or downstairs. The netherworld to which these parents pointed was usually a recreation room or finished basement, clad insipidly in wood-veneer paneling and linoleum. Furnishings typically included a saggy sofa, a scratched ping-pong table and a built-in bar never used for mixing drinks; instead, the kids commandeered it as a make-believe store or a stage for puppet shows. Not even Dad’s novelty naked- lady martini stirrers lured him down once the children moved in. And the closest Mom got was to stand at the top of stairs and yell, “Supper’s ready! Wash your hands!” Perhaps these ratty rec rooms weren ’t worthy of House Beautiful, but the stints of physical distance they offered parents and offspring arguably benefited both in ways today’s airy cathedral-ceiling’d great rooms can’t. These days, peopl...

Sarah Lyon has lived in many gorgeous places, but her most recent move was back to a familiar landscape — the beautiful and bustling Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., a quick trip from her family’s hometown in Maryland. As a successful writer, blogger, and higher education professional , you’d think Sarah would barely have time to keep her apartment clean and entertaining-ready — but that’s certainly not the case. Now that Sarah’s in her first non-studio apartment, she’s combining her old favorite finds with some amazing new pieces to create the home of our dreams. Check out Sarah’s amazing artwork collection , her enviable Craigslist finds , and her totally relatable girl -crush. Name: Sarah Lyon, Communications Associate and Blogger Age: 25 Square Footage:  650 Rent or Own : Rent City, State: Washington, D.C. Congratulations on a big move! You’ve moved several times after graduating from college. What brought you to each different city? Although I went to college in rural...