Houzz Tour: New Jersey Studio Apartment With Amazing Shoe Storage
A fashionista downsizes for a better location without sacrificing style and function
Downsizing from a one-bedroom apartment to a studio in a more desirable building and neighbourhood meant this New Jersey renter would lose storage and a wall between her bedroom and living areas. She turned to interior designer Marina Cheban, who found ways to accommodate her client’s extensive wardrobe while keeping the space stylish.
After Cheban decided which furniture pieces would stay and what she needed to buy, she turned to organising everything to fit. Her goal was to make sure the apartment didn’t feel overly cluttered or packed with furniture.
“There had to be roadways in between all the furniture, so it wouldn’t look like a storage unit,” Cheban says. “By using clean lines and simple design, nothing overstuffed, it brings great balance to the room,” she says. “I use Lucite wherever I can,” she adds. Since it’s clear, it doesn’t break up the space. Extra-large mirrors also open up the room.
Bar stools: Kartell; mirror: Modani
“There had to be roadways in between all the furniture, so it wouldn’t look like a storage unit,” Cheban says. “By using clean lines and simple design, nothing overstuffed, it brings great balance to the room,” she says. “I use Lucite wherever I can,” she adds. Since it’s clear, it doesn’t break up the space. Extra-large mirrors also open up the room.
Bar stools: Kartell; mirror: Modani
The next challenge was to find room for the client’s clothes and shoes. Her previous apartment had a walk-in closet, and in a place before that, the client had a spare bedroom to turn into a closet.
One solution was a new bed with a mattress on a frame that lifts up to provide storage underneath. This offered a place to store off-season clothes. Cheban customised one of the existing closets so that it could store the client’s tops and bottoms, while a new wardrobe holds her dresses.
Bed: West Elm
One solution was a new bed with a mattress on a frame that lifts up to provide storage underneath. This offered a place to store off-season clothes. Cheban customised one of the existing closets so that it could store the client’s tops and bottoms, while a new wardrobe holds her dresses.
Bed: West Elm
Then came where to put the shoes and bags. “We had the wall space horizontally, but since the room is not that wide, we did not have the depth,” Cheban says. Another wardrobe would have projected too far into the room, making the space feel cramped and disrupting circulation.
Instead, Cheban found these customisable bookshelves at Ikea. “Who knew women’s shoes are the same depth as books?” she says. The units are shallow, so they don’t jut out too far into the apartment, and the shelves can be adjusted to any height. Glass-front doors open up the space while showcasing the collection. The cabinets are mounted to the wall so that they won’t topple. “It makes it look more spacious,” Cheban says of the cabinets in the studio. “Every single one of my girlfriends now has this system.”
Shoe cabinets: Billy series, Ikea
Instead, Cheban found these customisable bookshelves at Ikea. “Who knew women’s shoes are the same depth as books?” she says. The units are shallow, so they don’t jut out too far into the apartment, and the shelves can be adjusted to any height. Glass-front doors open up the space while showcasing the collection. The cabinets are mounted to the wall so that they won’t topple. “It makes it look more spacious,” Cheban says of the cabinets in the studio. “Every single one of my girlfriends now has this system.”
Shoe cabinets: Billy series, Ikea
The client had another concern common to studio dwellers. “She wanted the space to still feel like a cozy home and to have separate spaces,” Cheban says – to not feel as though she was sleeping in the kitchen.
To address this concern, Cheban designed the sleeping area to be as far away from the kitchen as possible – carving out a living room in the middle of the space. The sofa was the largest piece, so it was situated first. “Everything basically revolved around the sofa fitting,” she says. The sofa and credenza interrupt the space, making the sleeping area and eating area feel more distinct.
To address this concern, Cheban designed the sleeping area to be as far away from the kitchen as possible – carving out a living room in the middle of the space. The sofa was the largest piece, so it was situated first. “Everything basically revolved around the sofa fitting,” she says. The sofa and credenza interrupt the space, making the sleeping area and eating area feel more distinct.
New grey paint covers the apartment’s walls. “I love gray,” Cheban says. “It’s a great backdrop to art and goes with every other colour.” And if you love colour, she adds, it’s a lot less expensive and time-consuming to swap out accessories and pillows than having to repaint an entire room.
Cheban accessorised with blush-pink curtains and hot-pink design details. “Since this may be her last ‘single’ home, she wanted it to be really girly and dainty,” Cheban says. Inexpensive throw pillows dress up the neutral sofa, and some of the more expensive items, like a Jonathan Adler lamp and Kartell bar stools, can be brought to another space.
Cheban accessorised with blush-pink curtains and hot-pink design details. “Since this may be her last ‘single’ home, she wanted it to be really girly and dainty,” Cheban says. Inexpensive throw pillows dress up the neutral sofa, and some of the more expensive items, like a Jonathan Adler lamp and Kartell bar stools, can be brought to another space.
Other pieces in the apartment balance style with function, including the desk area behind the couch. “She loves handwritten notes, and she had all these really cute cards, so I purchased a shadow box at West Elm to display it all. In a home this small, you have no choice but to display your things. By putting everything in a pretty storage solution, it makes it part of the decor,” Cheban says.
Console table: West Elm; table lamp: Ralph Lauren
Your turn: Do you live in a studio apartment? Show us your creative living space in the Comments.
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Console table: West Elm; table lamp: Ralph Lauren
Your turn: Do you live in a studio apartment? Show us your creative living space in the Comments.
Browse more Rooms of the Day
Studio at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional woman in her 30s who works in Manhattan and loves fashion and shoes
Location: Hoboken, New Jersey
Size: 500 square feet (46.5 square meters)
Designer: Marina Cheban of Cheban Interiors
Cheban worked with the existing furniture since her client had just purchased a good amount for her previous apartment six months earlier. “She wanted to keep as many pieces as we could,” Cheban says. The designer was able to fit almost all the furniture, including the 84-inch-long couch, into the new space. (The dining table had to go.) “The room is longer than wider, so by making the TV unit the focal point, and facing the bed and couch the same way, we were able to keep it all,” she says.
Credenza: CB2; couch: ABC Carpet & Home