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Design Dilemma: More Ideas for Successful Studios

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Climbing rents and higher home prices have made studio apartments particularly alluring these days. And why not? Studio have lots of advantages, including the fact that they are cheaper to rent, more economical to heat and cool, and don’t require lots of furniture.

Of course, making the best use of space in a studio apartment is a whole different challenge. How do you pack in all the required activities of daily living — cooking, dining, entertaining, sleeping and studying — into one small room?

Here’s how:

1) Think multi-functional.

If a piece of furniture can’t serve more than one purpose, then it doesn’t belong in your studio. Look for convertible pieces that can easily take on multiple roles. For instance, a daybed can serve as both a bed and a couch. Many murphy beds include a couch that pops out when the bed is put away. There are coffee tables that can convert to dining tables and ottomans that can be used for storage, seating, or as a coffee table. When possible, choose furniture on wheels that can easily be moved from one area and function to another.

In this Prague studio, a bed has been raised so that it may cleverly accomplish two things: not only is it a cozy space to sleep but it’s also a chest for storing clothing and linens.

Below, you can see that a portion of the space underneath the bed is used as a bookcase:

Pretty clever, right? In just a few minutes, the kitchen counter can be converted into a dining table:

Although the studio is tiny, a neutral palette in light colors lends the entire space a feeling of airyness.

2. Seek to create zones by creating visual partitions.

In this studio, the owners have hung a curtain which visually separates the living area from the sleeping area. Below, old windows have created a division of space for a dining room:

Almost anything can work to create a partition of space, from a tall headboard to a bookcase to a dresser. Even erecting a partial wall can do the trick. Like this:

Or this:

Many studios already include partial wall divisions in the form of niches that can work as tiny bedrooms. You can close off the niche more completely by hanging an elegant curtain:

3. Use small-scale furniture.

When you’ve got only one room to work with, you obviously can’t fill that room up with massive pieces of furniture. So look for lighter furniture pieces that are smaller than the standard size. Instead of a full-size couch, opt for a two-seat settee or perhaps just a couple of chairs. Choose tables and chairs with visible  legs, so that you can see the floor space underneath.

If you look closely at the room below, you’ll notice a couch has been replaced by two chairs which take up less space because they are armless. The legs of the chairs are visible. The work station area includes only a small desk without drawers and a very light ergonomic chair. A small bedside table actually connects to the bed and takes up very little space. Another option might have been a portable table that could stand in as a bedside table or a coffee table.

4. Make use of built-ins.

Here’s another view of the same San Francisco studio. A built-in closet with mirrors is a clever way of creating storage while expanding the entire space and bouncing light around the room. Any built-ins should reach straight up to the ceiling to take advantage vertical space and call attention to ceiling height.

5. Kill the clutter. 

Although we left this one for last, this may be the most important golden rule for successful studio living. Everything should have its place. Collections of art and objects are always nice, but should be carefully edited and pared down. Think streamlined. The studio below includes art and accessories, but collections are kept under control.

In the Oregon studio below, there is lots of warmth and personality that shine through in art and vintage furniture collections that have been very carefully edited: