6 Clever Studios Make Multitasking Beautiful
These apartments with a combined living and sleeping area offer design and storage ideas for all kinds of homes
Inventive residents and designers have turned these one-room apartments into comfortable multitasking dwellings that emphasize function and style over size. See an idea that could work in your home?
2. A Brooklyn Studio Takes a Slatted Approach
Designers Lyndsay Caleo and Fitzhugh Karol used crisp whites, natural materials and warm tones to craft a serene retreat within 400 square feet. Mimicking the lath discovered in the building’s foyer, they built soft-gray textured wood paneling to provide a cozy sleeping nook.
The hue imbues the studio in Brooklyn, New York, with a sense of calm, and the slatted wood lets in light. The airy delineation of space provides the semblance of a bedroom and entryway without sacrificing the open atmosphere.
Read more about this studio
Designers Lyndsay Caleo and Fitzhugh Karol used crisp whites, natural materials and warm tones to craft a serene retreat within 400 square feet. Mimicking the lath discovered in the building’s foyer, they built soft-gray textured wood paneling to provide a cozy sleeping nook.
The hue imbues the studio in Brooklyn, New York, with a sense of calm, and the slatted wood lets in light. The airy delineation of space provides the semblance of a bedroom and entryway without sacrificing the open atmosphere.
Read more about this studio
3. A Boston Studio Embraces Maximalism
With its Baroque art and gilded lamps, the home of Deb and Skip Windemiller is a feast for the eyes. The sumptuous decor may make you forget you’re looking at just 400 square feet. Converted from a 19th-century governor’s house, the couple engaged TMS Architects to restore the residence on Boston’s Beacon Hill to its former glory.
Dark wallpaper provides a stage for the owners’ treasures and allows the room’s corners to recede into themselves, giving the illusion of more space. A luxe Murphy bed offers an excellent solution for the one-room apartment.
Read more about this studio
With its Baroque art and gilded lamps, the home of Deb and Skip Windemiller is a feast for the eyes. The sumptuous decor may make you forget you’re looking at just 400 square feet. Converted from a 19th-century governor’s house, the couple engaged TMS Architects to restore the residence on Boston’s Beacon Hill to its former glory.
Dark wallpaper provides a stage for the owners’ treasures and allows the room’s corners to recede into themselves, giving the illusion of more space. A luxe Murphy bed offers an excellent solution for the one-room apartment.
Read more about this studio
4. A San Diego Studio Opens Up
While some studio dwellers may crave separate rooms, sometimes that’s the last thing a tiny space needs. At 275 square feet, this diminutive beach studio in San Diego was further restricted by a wall between the kitchen and the living room. Designer Danielle Perkins took it down to create a more spacious feel.
The owners can either recline on their sofas or snuggle up on a window seat, which also provides plenty of hidden storage. Come evening, the side tables can be moved and the gray sofa folded out to reveal a cozy bed.
Read more about this studio
While some studio dwellers may crave separate rooms, sometimes that’s the last thing a tiny space needs. At 275 square feet, this diminutive beach studio in San Diego was further restricted by a wall between the kitchen and the living room. Designer Danielle Perkins took it down to create a more spacious feel.
The owners can either recline on their sofas or snuggle up on a window seat, which also provides plenty of hidden storage. Come evening, the side tables can be moved and the gray sofa folded out to reveal a cozy bed.
Read more about this studio
5. An Upper East Side Studio Does the Shift
What Jacqueline Clair’s apartment on New York’s Upper East Side lacks in size, it makes up for in stylish whimsy and clever design. She chose a clear chair to provide more seating without overwhelming the 350-square-foot space. Chic wall art draws the eye upward, making the room feel larger.
Clair also crafted micro zones to make the studio feel less like a bowling alley. At the suggestion of interior designer Darlene Weir, she shifted the position of her desk 90 degrees to help delineate the bedroom. A well-placed bookshelf full of bright decor completes the illusion of separate spaces.
Read more about this studio
What Jacqueline Clair’s apartment on New York’s Upper East Side lacks in size, it makes up for in stylish whimsy and clever design. She chose a clear chair to provide more seating without overwhelming the 350-square-foot space. Chic wall art draws the eye upward, making the room feel larger.
Clair also crafted micro zones to make the studio feel less like a bowling alley. At the suggestion of interior designer Darlene Weir, she shifted the position of her desk 90 degrees to help delineate the bedroom. A well-placed bookshelf full of bright decor completes the illusion of separate spaces.
Read more about this studio
6. A Vancouver Studio Divides and Conquers
Megan Close, a designer at The Cross Decor and Design, employed some sleights of hand to make her 450-square-foot studio in Vancouver, Canada, feel less like a big bedroom. She painted her dark wood dresser white and placed it between the bed and the living space to subtly define each area.
A breezy curtain provides further privacy and makes for a stylish divider. Close also added a spirited gallery wall and a rustic DIY headboard to draw guests’ attention away from the studio’s limited size. Two cleverly positioned mirrors add interest and depth to the otherwise small space.
Read more about this studio
Tell us: What design tricks have you used to make a small studio work better?
More
Could You Live in a Tiny House?
Houzz TV: You Won’t Believe Everything This Tiny Loft Can Do
Megan Close, a designer at The Cross Decor and Design, employed some sleights of hand to make her 450-square-foot studio in Vancouver, Canada, feel less like a big bedroom. She painted her dark wood dresser white and placed it between the bed and the living space to subtly define each area.
A breezy curtain provides further privacy and makes for a stylish divider. Close also added a spirited gallery wall and a rustic DIY headboard to draw guests’ attention away from the studio’s limited size. Two cleverly positioned mirrors add interest and depth to the otherwise small space.
Read more about this studio
Tell us: What design tricks have you used to make a small studio work better?
More
Could You Live in a Tiny House?
Houzz TV: You Won’t Believe Everything This Tiny Loft Can Do
Perched high above Barcelona, this 260-square-foot apartment boasts enviable views of the Spanish city. It was love at first sight for photographer Christian Schallert. With the help of architect Barbara Appolloni, he transformed the derelict box into a multitasking masterpiece.
Schallert’s appliances and furniture are hidden behind wall panels and can be brought out as necessary. For example, Schallert can press a panel to reveal a tiny kitchen and another to bring down the dining table. The studio’s flexible functionality provides Schallert with everything he needs without cluttering up the pint-size pad.
Read more about this studio