Small Studio Apartment Decorating Ideas

striped sofas by a fireplace

Thomas Loof

Designer Ellen O'Neill makes living in a studio look easy by purging her possessions, limiting her color palette, and arranging furniture into mini-rooms.

striped sofas by a fireplace

Thomas Loof

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Small-Scale Club Chairs

A pair of ebonized Parisian club chairs, a flea-market find, are perfectly scaled for a small room. The boldly striped Ikea pillows pick up on the geometry of the windows. The wire café parasol frame above the fireplace is from Bloom.

living room with lots of

Thomas Loof

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Studio Living

A high ceiling and wall of windows gives O'Neill's small space a light, airy feel. The one-room apartment is in a 1920s landmark building by architect Emery Roth. Ingo Maurer's Zettel'z 5 chandelier is O'Neill's "bulletin board," displaying notes, lists, directions, sketches, even a hat. Her cat, Miss, stretches out on the mantel next to angel vine topiaries. The faux-giraffe rug is from ABC Carpet & Home. Walls and ceiling are Benjamin Moore's Linen White.

wall with black framed photos

Thomas Loof

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Picture Wall

Ellen O'Neill clustered black-and-white photos and sketches on one wall: "It makes the hallway feel like a 'place' and not just a thoroughfare."

white reading chair

Thomas Loof

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A Cozy Reading Nook

At one end of O'Neill's daybed, a slipcovered reading chair, a table draped in a vintage linen sheet, and a caned folding chair create a tiny curl-up space looking onto the terrace and the city.

kitchen niche

Thomas Loof

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Kitchen Niche

There was no kitchen in the apartment — originally servants' quarters — so O'Neill created a petite but efficient one in a skylit niche. The desk chair is one of her "eclectic assortment" of vintage chairs and stools.

dog on day bed

Thomas Loof

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A Toile Tale

The daybed and screen were made by Martin Albert Interiors to fit the space across from the fireplace. Cowtan & Tout's chinoiserie toile, Siam, defines the area, and its sepia tone lends softness to the black-and-white palette. O'Neill's guests enjoy trying to figure out the toile's narrative. Her eight-year-old mixed-breed dog, Maude, only tries to figure out the most comfortable spot. The reading light is from a French hospital.

a globe with napkin holders inside

Thomas Loof

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Napkin Globe

A snow globe of ivory napkin rings.

daybed unmade

Thomas Loof

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An Undone Daybed

On the daybed, a morning's tumble of creamy blankets and milk-white sheets.

library of shelves

Thomas Loof

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A Library to Tuck Into

A mini-library in the foyer has reference books, DVDs, CDs, "baskets of unidentifiable cables, and chargers for electronic necessities."

view of paper chandelier from below

Thomas Loof

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Chandelier from the Center

The straight-up view into the center of the chandelier.

an easel with phtos

Thomas Loof

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A Curated Photo Collection

An easel holds photos of friends, gallery invitations, vintage portfolios.

A coat-rack with a tote bag

Thomas Loof

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A Repurposed Chandelier

Tote bags hang handily from a French iron coatrack that was once a chandelier.

brown desk with photos

Thomas Loof

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Daguerrotype Desk

A daguerrotype setter's station serves as a bar.

stainless sink with marble countertop

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Small and Stainless

The kitchen's miniature stainless-steel sink is set in a gray-and-white marble countertop.

office with mirror

Thomas Loof

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Miniature Office

A huge mirror leaning against the wall opposite the windows reflects light and adds the illusion of more space to the room. O'Neill's farm table–desk does double duty as a dining table when she entertains. Mirror and table from Laurin Copen Antiquest.