Furnishing
So, maybe you already found your perfect studio. The next question is, how are you going to furnish it?
I see so many studios that look just like a storage unit – a bed here, a dresser there, junk strewn about. Just because a studio is the cheapest property in the city doesn’t mean it has to look like it. I’ve not only seen hundreds of beautifully decorated studios, I have helped furnish tons of them through my now-famous Pinterest page. I know exactly the right pieces that will make furnishing your studio a breeze.
Already have furniture? That’s fine. Just like with every new place you live in, there will be pieces that stay forever, some that you’ll want to replace, and brand-new pieces that will finish the space.
True story: when I bought my first studio, I didn’t buy any new furniture; everything was the same tired old stuff from college, but I made it work. As soon as I decided to rent out my furnished unit, I spent thousands of dollars on decorators and new furniture for my tenants, and you know what? The place looked amazing and I regretted never having had the time to enjoy it.
Now, you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to make your place look like it’s been professionally decorated. Take some of these furniture suggestions and check out my Décor page to give your studio that polished, professionally designed look that will leave all of your friends speechless.
Hallway
If there’s one thing that studios lack, it’s storage space. Even if you have a small coat closet by the front door, it’s going to get stuffed quickly, and with more than just coats and shoes. For this reason, it’s essential to have this shoe cabinet from Ikea; not only does it hold up to 12 pairs of shoes/winter accessories/pet stuff, it’s also narrow and takes little hallway space. The added bonus is that it also serves as a welcoming console for you to put your keys and mail. Dress it up with a large mirror on the wall, a small plant, and a candle/incense burner or tiny lamp.
If there’s no coat closet at all, you only need about 2-3 feet of wall space for a coat hook/drop zone area. Wayfair sells all kinds of hall trees and hooks with floating wall storage, which is an intelligent use of normally ignored space.
Living Room
My favorite loveseats/sofas/chairs and coffee tables are those that stand on legs instead of sit entirely on the floor; this creates a little more airflow and helps the space feel less blocky. West Elm and Crate & Barrel specialize in small-space furniture, but they certainly come with a hefty price tag. Here’s a tip: buy your seating at Ikea and switch out the standard, cheap legs for whatever legs you want at the Prettypegs website. Throw in a couple of accent pillows, a light blanket, and boom – it looks like you spent serious cash on your couch.
My favorite coffee tables are the ones that double as storage options, particularly the ones with a lift-top. If you know you won’t have too much clutter, perhaps opt for a glass-top or completely clear coffee table for transparency, or go for a set of nesting tables. Image courtesy of Monaca Brown Designs Co.
Dining Room
Since I’m a big believer in the dining room as the main socializing space, I’m especially partial to maximizing this space over others. For this reason, my favorite suggested tables will seat four instead of two; bistro tables (seating two), while very space-efficient (and admittedly kind of darling), are barely large enough to hold two salad plates, and you can forget about extra space for a centerpiece/candle/salt and pepper shaker. The only bistro table I recommend is the Ikea Bjursta table that can expand to comfortably seat four. If it’s just you most of the time, the two-seater set-up is perfect.

Room Divider

However, if you want a quicker solution with much less assembly, you can stack a couple of Kallax shelf units together for a similar (but bulkier) separation.
Bedroom

