How to Live Large in a Small Space

Moving into a downtown studio apartment after living in the suburbs can be an adjustment. You may give up space, but the chance to live close to the center of contemporary living can more than make up for that. In most cases, you’ll be looking at a complete refurnishing to match your contemporary décor and a good design team such as Brooklyn-based Indigo2Ash can help with the transition.

To get an idea of what the process is like we interviewed two couples that have made the move. Everyone’s experience will be a little bit different, but maximizing space in a small studio apartment have some common themes. The key is to be a smart shopper and you have to be willing to adapt your tastes to match your situation.

Sonya and Jeff’s Experience

Sonya and Jeff are newly married and living in Brooklyn Heights. They recently moved from Southern New Jersey, into a small, but comfortable 150- square foot studio apartment. They invested in custom drapery and textile options that turned their studio apartment into their urban dream home. Here are their thoughts on the experience.

What do you like about Brooklyn Heights?

Sonya: We like being part of a movement—an influx of gentrification to the Brooklyn Heights area. We are fortunate enough to try living in a completely new neighborhood and environment. It’s a lot different from our huge two-bedroom rental in suburban New Jersey.

How would you describe the style and feel of your studio apartment?

Sonya: Tiny but sophisticated! Well, to be fair, it felt extremely small when we first moved, but now after all the furniture is in and it’s decorated, it miraculously feels larger.

What was the biggest design challenge you faced when designing this space?

Sonya: Making it feel spacious. The last thing I wanted was it to feel like living in a box.

Jeff: Coincidentally, Sonya and I both grew up in studios as kids and so this move was very personal for us. The challenge was making a small space feel bigger and more individualized, since we both really disliked growing up in cramped quarters.

What element did you begin the design process with?

Sonya: Well once we nailed down the color scheme, which was Blue-Gray, the first thing we chose was the sofa. We sat down with a professional decorator and talked about how we envisioned the room—we wanted one bold element—which in this case, was the sofa.

Jeff: The first furniture piece the designer suggested was a beautiful sapphire sofa. We fell in love with it. The fabric is silken velvet, which we were totally okay with, since we don’t have kids…yet. It’s become the apartment’s centerpiece.