Hi D&D’ers! Gabrielle from Savvy Home here again for another top 5. You may know that I recently moved into an apartment. Well actually, “moved” is a big overstatement because I have yet to spend a night at my new place. However, I must say it’s coming together nicely. Now that I’ve got a bed, linens and kitchen essentials, I might just make the move official tonight!

But enough with the boring details. What I really want to talk about are my solutions to get around the smaller space and awkward layout my apartment has gifted me. There are many ways to get around living in a small but functional space. In fact, Vanessa was talking about this just yesterday.

One person that embraced this theory the best in my opinion is ex Lonny editorial assistant Ellie Somerville who lives in a tiny Manhattan studio apartment with her boyfriend and her dog! Now that’s commitment. Her apartment is so perfectly well-organized and ingenuous. Somerville is the living proof that compromising on space doesn’t have to mean compromising on style!

Here are the top 5 solutions that applied to my little place, but that will hopefully come in handy in yours as well.

1. X-Benches: My living room is currently equipped with a nice three-seater sofa, a small coffee table and a few accent tables but it doesn’t have the space for additional chairs, let alone another sofa. So in order to create some extra seating and a more conversational space, I’m resorting to a couple of x-benches. They’re small, confortable, stylish and very versatile! I’m planning on getting mine from Ballard Designs: not too expensive and they come in a wide range of fabrics.

2. Room Divider: My apartment has one nicely sized bedroom, but with such an incredibly awkward layout, that I decided use it as a home office and walk-in robe instead. My bedroom is now in another smaller room that opens onto the living room, which is fine because I live alone. That being said, I still want to have the option to close off the bedroom especially when guests are around.

For this I’m getting an upholstered screen that will act as a room divider, and can be folded in or out as needed. The screen offers more privacy than a room dividing bookcase and looks nicer than curtains

3. Gallery Wall: This is not a space saving solution per say, but it’s a great visual effect for small space, especially if the ceilings are high. My living room ceilings are quite high, so a gallery wall will add the illusion of height and draw the attention away from the width and length of the room. It’s a great visual effect that can be achieved with inexpensive art and Ikea or vintage frames.

4. Brass Bookcases: Bookcases are a must for my living room. You will know if you’ve been following my blog how much I love them. That being said, bulky wooden bookcases would only crowd the space. However, brass and glass bookshelves are perfect for filling up a space without crowding it. Glass and lucite are great materials to use in small spaces.

5. Sconces: There isn’t exactly a lot of space on either side of the bed. But that’s not going to stop me from adding two incredibly tiny bedside tables because I love to be able to have a few things lying around my bed and not on the floor: magazines, books, glasses, candles… This leaves no space for bedside lamps so sconces are the perfect alternative to get the same cozy lighting as in a larger bedroom.

There you have it: a few tips that helped me get around my awkward apartment layout. What are your tricks to get around a small space?

Gabrielle | Savvy Home

Sources: 1. Nate Berkus 2. Miles Redd 3. Ellie Somerville’s Apartment 4. Claiborne Swanson Frank’s apartment 5. Miles Redd Apartment via House Beautiful 6. Kristen Buckingham 7. Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles 8. Palmer Weiss via Lonny

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