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This 315-Square-Foot NYC Studio Uses Strategic White Decor (and a No-Drill Canopy Bed!) to Feel Huge
ABOUT THIS TOUR
HOME TYPE: Studio Apartment
LOCATION: Murray Hill, New York, New York
STYLE: Cottage, Traditional
BEDROOMS: 0
SQUARE FEET: 315
Writer Macey Phillips was looking for the right city. She had been in Nashville, Tennessee, and had her eyes on Charleston, South Carolina. “I really wanted to move, so I moved all my belongings into a storage unit in Charleston and stayed with some family while I looked for a place to live. It turns out, I wasn’t really loving Charleston — it’s a beautiful place but something felt off to me,” she begins.
But then a friend called Macey with a hot tip: A friend of a friend was looking for a sublet for their NYC apartment. “I asked for some more info, saw one video of the space and, with no idea how I was going to make it work, said yes!” Macey admits.
Macey says that “people always want to know how I hung the curtains, and I love it when I tell them I didn’t even use a drill and it’s completely renter-friendly!” Credit: Erin Derby
A couple of months later, Macey snagged her stuff out of storage and made the big move to the Big Apple. “I never saw the apartment in person until the day I moved in. It was the best decision I ever made, and a year later, I am incredibly grateful that this door opened for me,” she writes.
“My favorite thing to say when people ask me why I moved to NYC is ‘because someone offered me an apartment.’ NYC was always a dream, and this apartment made it a reality. So it holds a very special place in my heart,” she continues.
Because New York City can sometimes be an overwhelming place, Macey’s goal for her special place — this 315-square-foot studio in Murray Hill, built in 1900 — was for it to feel calm, peaceful, and cozy.
“NYC can be really overstimulating, and I wanted to come home to a space that felt the opposite,” she writes. “I have a lot of white and light furniture, and not too much on the walls. Also, because it’s a studio, it can feel crowded quickly. So I have tried to be really picky about what I bring in, and everything pretty much has to serve more than one purpose — stylish, have storage, and small.”
Related: Extended Tours: Brooklyn IndividualityResources
ENTRY
Large White Mirror — Nashville Flea Market
Library Card Catalog — Nashville Flea Market
LIVING ROOM
HYLTARP Love Seat — IKEA
Decorative Pillows — IKEA
Acrylic Ladder Bookshelf — Amazon
KITCHEN
MOSSJÖN Cabinets — IKEA
Shintenchi Rolling Kitchen Island Cart — Amazon
LOYALHEARTDY 2 Pcs Folding Stool — Amazon
BEDROOM
RITVA Curtains in Cream — IKEA
Brimnes Wardrobe — IKEA
Dresser — Facebook Marketplace
Chair — Facebook Marketplace
Brown Glass Door Cabinet — Facebook Marketplace
BATHROOM
Amazerbath Bamboo Shelf — Amazon
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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Further Reading
I Tried My Grandmother’s Technique for Cleaning Stainless Steel & I’m Never Using Anything Else
This Entomologist Has a Travel Warning: Always Put Your Suitcase in the Hotel Bathroom
My Mom’s 5-Step Cleaning Routine is Thorough, But it Keeps My Kitchen Spotless Every Day