That I am a fan of Houzz is no secret. I look forward to the twice-weekly updates in my email, and always have lots to pin.
This week I pounced on the story of a Vancouver woman who has squeezed every bit of style and comfort out of her 450 square foot studio apartment. I’m always interested in these stories because, although I love to see homes with lots of technical fixes and built-in storage solutions, that’s not the way most people live. Studio apartments are often rentals, with restrictions as to attaching things to ceilings and bans on ripping out walls.
Megan Close of The Cross Design has separated the “bedroom” space from the “sitting room” space in her studio suite with a simple dresser from IKEA which she painted white.
In fact, a lot of her furniture is from IKEA, which keeps down the cost while pushing up the style quotient.
The dresser is topped with two vintage mirrors, which further blocks the view of the bed and gives Megan a place to primp.
The mirrors including the large one leaning against the wall in the top photo bring more light deep into the suite, and give the illusion of more space.
A DIY pallet headboard provides a solid mount for the lamp while hiding the wires (can’t open up the wall to hard-wire the lamp in a rental). Putting the lamp there means she just needs a small table beside the bed, and this delicate pedestal doesn’t take up too much visual space.
That “chandelier” also disappears into the background for a subtle whimsical touch.
See how she combines the IKEA sofa with the custom ottoman? A great use of her budget for the most style. That art piece on the wall is a flea market find.
Megan added an MDF shelf to her kitchen pass-through so that she can eat there, and she tucked another shelf higher up for some decorative pieces — all transparent or in matching colours to cut down on visual “noise”.
Read the whole story to see how Megan has made the most of the smallest space with an eye on the bottom line. It’s another example of creative design trumping tight restrictions.
The Lady Who Lives Down the Lane 