How an Interior Designer Styled Her Tiny 495-Square-Foot Apartment
After many months of hunting for the perfect pieces, assembling furniture, flattening cardboard boxes, and enduring the blood, sweat, and tears of the handyman I hired, I’m happy to announce that my small apartment is finally fully decorated, and I’m ready to reveal it here on the blog.
When I first moved into this apartment, it was nothing more than a blank canvas. As a unit that had never been lived in before, it came with builder-grade finishes, very little personality, and a world of opportunity to make the space entirely my own.
As a designer who has been grinding away in this industry for nearly a decade—and as someone who has spent years renting—I never had the opportunity to fully express my own design style in a home. That all changed when I moved into my very own apartment.
In many ways, this experience was a dream come true. I finally got to shop for decorative pieces for myself, experiment with my own design ideas, and embark on the journey of finding the perfect piece for every corner of my home.
How I Styled My Small Apartment
The Design Intent
The design intent of this space was simple: to please myself. As a designer, my job is to please my clients, and don’t get me wrong—I love doing so. But pleasing myself for a change was an amazing, and admittedly, slightly challenging experience.
You would think that, as a designer, I would have a very clear idea of my own personal style. Well, yes…but it also means I’m incredibly particular. I knew I needed to nail this design, and nailing it meant being completely satisfied with my choices from both a functional and aesthetic standpoint. Both were equally important to me in my small apartment.
I wanted the space to feel open, airy, light, and bright, while still having plenty of personality.
Many people assume that small spaces mean sacrificing personality, when in reality, the opposite can be true. A smaller space can be an opportunity to be more intentional with every piece you bring into it.
I wanted the personality of this space to come from a mix of different influences and styles. Particularly places that are near and dear to my heart, such as the Balkans, where my roots are, as well as the many places I’ve travelled to as an avid traveller.
I also wanted to blend the contemporary style that naturally comes with a brand-new condo with vintage pieces, as I’ve always appreciated the juxtaposition between old and new.
Ultimately, I focused on how I wanted to feel in the space. I wanted it to feel feminine and joyful, a place where I could sit back and relax with some music and a nice glass of wine, or enjoy a cup of tea and a few cookies.
My Small Living Room Design
My approach to this design was to create a space where I could enjoy lounging and listening to music, while also being comfortable enough to relax on the sofa and work.
You may have noticed I didn’t mention watching TV. That’s because I don’t own one—I barely watch TV or movies. Yes, I know, I’m a little weird.
Anyhow, this space features a chaise lounge in place of a regular-sized sofa. When space planning this room, it quickly became evident that even most apartment-sized sofas simply wouldn’t fit. So, I hunted the market and found this piece, which is technically a chaise but functions very much like a sofa. In fact, it works surprisingly well when I have guests stay over.
The supporting pieces really infuse this corner of the apartment with personality. I brought in a subtle yet patterned blue denim rug, complemented by vintage chrome and burl end tables that come together to create my coffee table. Completing the ensemble is an MCM-inspired bookcase that houses my speakers—which I do, in fact, actually use.
The artwork in this space was a bit tricky. I didn’t want to overwhelm the small room, but I still wanted to bring in personality and needed artwork that could fill the apartment’s nine-foot ceilings.
For the living room, I decided to take a minimalist approach and further embrace the mixed-metal aesthetic by introducing brushed nickel wall art that subtly resembles records—a small nod to my love of listening to music.
Read more on my small living room design here: Small Living Room Layout: How to Fit a Couch and TV in a Tiny Space
My Dining Room Design
Favourite Corner: The Dining Room
My dining room has to be my favourite corner of the apartment. The pieces in this space absolutely excite me, and I simply cannot get over how beautifully everything comes together.
For a long time, I had been dreaming about having a Moroccan light fixture in my own space. The atmosphere these chandeliers bring to a room is unlike any other light fixture. I absolutely love the shadows and patterns they cast throughout a space, and I completely fell in love with this contemporary chrome version. I knew I had to have it.
Paired with it, I found an amazing second-hand dining table—a vintage Kartell Miss Balu table that is absolutely fabulous alongside these new sculptural dining chairs. The combination of the table’s vintage character with the contemporary, sculptural seating creates a beautiful contrast.
Another star of the show is the custom woven wall tapestry, which features a historical photograph of girls wearing traditional Croatian dresswear. This piece is incredibly meaningful to me, and my heart stops every time I look at it. It brings a sense of history, heritage, and personal connection into the space, making this little corner of my apartment feel truly like my own.
My Feminine Energy Bedroom
Small but Full of Personality
My bedroom is, yes, small. However, that didn’t stop me from creating the bedroom of my dreams, which is a little moodier and sexier than the rest of my apartment.
I wanted the bedroom to have a slightly different vibe from the rest of the space while still maintaining the overall design theme.
The bedroom became especially meaningful to me because the design grew from a really special artwork idea I had.
I took my grandparents’ old Yugoslavian passports and carefully disassembled them. Every page intrigued me because each one told a small part of their migration story. The pages were a beautiful dusty blue, while the covers were a stunning burgundy—two colours that, coincidentally, happen to be among my favourite colour combinations.
I took this colour story and played with it throughout the room, introducing those same tones into the bedding while bringing in a few shades of purple as well.
The result is a feminine colour palette that embraces me every time I walk into the space.
Designer Tips for Styling a Small Apartment
A small apartment doesn’t automatically mean it has to be unfunctional or unstylish. In a smaller space, there should be even more care put into space planning, sourcing the right pieces, and finding furniture and decor that not only look beautiful but also serve a purpose.
Adding style to a small space may mean having fewer items, but choosing pieces that have more visual interest, character, or sentimental value. Every piece should feel intentional and contribute to the overall design.
With the right layout, a few clever design choices, and a strong understanding of your personal style, I believe styling a small apartment can be just as impressive and impactful as designing a large space.
If you’d like to shop the items in my apartment, click here, or to see more photos of the space, click here.
Read: The Best Budget-Friendly Home Finds for Small Apartments
Click Here To Shop My Favourite Home Goods
Let’s design your space together, virtually.
