MICRO APARTMENT SURVIVAL TIPS

Living in a micro space can pose major problems.  As someone who lived in a 150 square foot apartment (which I later learned was a renovated janitor’s closet that the landlord illegally rented out) and a 225 square foot place after that, I know being strategic with the design is essential to having a functional home.  Here are a few tips that kept me sane in my tiny spaces:

–Go Clear.  Incorporating a piece or two of glass or acrylic furniture, like CB2’s Peekaboo coffee or nesting tables, can help the space feel less visually cluttered while still providing needed function.

–Get the Blues.  Since we are used to seeing light blue in large swaths, i.e. the sky and the ocean, that color has connotations of expansiveness.  Therefore, when you paint the walls of your tiny apartment light blue, it visually expands how big it feels. 

–Do Drapes.  Adding floor to ceiling drapes to your studio will draw your eye up and emphasize a small space’s asset:  its height.  Pick a panel that is light-weight and ideally sheer so that it keeps your home feeling airy and open. 

–Futon is Not an F Word.  Futons get a bad wrap.  But a great convertible sofa-sleeper was a lifesaver for me in my 10+ years of studio living.  The key to a comfy futon is not the frame—it’s the mattress.  So get one that is thicker than normal and purchase a cover that coordinates with your décor.  Then put under-bed rolling baskets, like Pottery Barn’s Jacquelyne Baskets, underneath to store your bedding during the day.

–Sconce Solution.  To keep your space from looking like a dark cave, you will need lighting but floor and table lamps take up valuable surface area.  Instead install wall mounted lamps on either side of the sofa and bed.  The plug-in ones are a cinch to install and drill into the wall just like hanging a picture.  Be sure to buy a metallic cord cover to conceal the unsightly plastic cord.  Lampsplus.com sells them for under $20.