5 Things You DON'T NEED in Your Studio Apartment
Living Pretty Ep51 // 5 Things You Don't Need in Your Studio Apartment Layout
Trying to figure out your studio apartment layout? It can be a lot easier than you might think! Because there are some things your studio apartment decor simply doesn’t need.
Maybe you’re scratching your head wondering how to decorate a studio apartment, worried about how you’re going to fit your things into such a small space, and you just want to make your studio apartment cohesive. I get it!
Allow me to ease your mind in this video by telling you 5 things you don’t need in your studio apartment furniture layout so that you can focus on the decor that matters in your studio. If you’re looking for studio apartment decorating ideas, small apartment tips, and ways to simplify your apartment decorating process, watch on!
Video Transcript ↓
I’ve made some slight edits in the transcript below so that everything makes more sense in text form. But overall, this is almost a word-for-word dictation of what I say in the video. I’m a much better writer than this, I swear, haha.
Furnishing and decorating a studio apartment is so much easier than you might think - especially because there are certain things you just don’t need in a studio!
Really, a house or a large apartment asks so much more of you than a studio does. There’s more space to fill, more things to consider, more shit to buy… a studio, on the other hand, is like, “Hey girl. I’m chill. Let’s keep things casual.”
And if you’re about to move into a studio or if you've been living in one for a bit and you’re just not sure what to do with it, you might be feeling not-so-great about the space constraints that come with studio life.
You may be wondering, “what am I going to have to let go of in order to make this work?”
So in this video, I’m going to tell you 5 things you simply don’t need in a studio - and what you can use instead - so that you can live comfortably and happily in your studio without feeling like you’re sacrificing the essentials.
And if you’re new to my channel, my name is Steffi and I’m the creator of the interior style blog Moda Misfit as well as the online course Small Apartment Styling School. And you’re watching Living Pretty, the place for apartment styling tips!
And I wanted to let you know that I have a free guide that you can download today called the Apartment Styling Handbook!
It's a bite-sized roadmap for decorating your apartment so that you can create a space you love - without feeling like you're stumbling alone in the dark. Because sometimes you just want someone to tell you what to do to decorate your apartment, right? So download the FREE Apartment Styling Handbook for some extra help!
So here are 5 things you don’t need in a studio apartment!
1. You don’t need a dining table
I’ve been happily eating at my desk or on my couch for years. I barely even remember what a dining table even is. 🙃
Some people might think that’s kind of sad but I seriously beg to differ. Eating at your desk or on your couch is wonderful!
Because I don’t know about you, but I love watching TV. I’m a TV junkie. And I love watching whatever show I’m bingeing while I’m eating. It marries my two favorite things in life: food and television. What more could a girl want?
If you do want more for yourself, however, I have a dining room hack for you, which I explained in this video…
Basically, I use flexible dining in my studio, which means having a small table - a bistro table like I have works well - that acts as both an accent table and a dining table.
My table acts as an accent table the majority of the time, but when I want a dining table, I simply move it out in the open, grab a couple easy-to-move chairs from my entryway, and create a temporary dining space!
2. You don’t need a desk
Now, I have a desk. And up until Covid started a little over a year ago, I was a pretty staunch desk sitter. I sat at my desk for everything, from eating and watching shows - like I was just talking about - to working.
Then I got a laptop and my desk sitting has become pretty much a thing of the past. I now work almost exclusively from the couch because I can’t resist its cozy siren call, apparently.
My couch and I have basically morphed into one being at this point.
One thing I will say about working from the couch is I actually feel quite productive working there. I like being curled up with my laptop, a cup of coffee, and my cat Helo… typing away creating things.
And you might find that you genuinely work well from the couch as well!
But if you do need more of an upright working situation, you can create that without a large desk. Any surface will do, really. If you do have a dining table for example, you can make that your workspace. You can also use a C-table pulled up to an armchair.
Any surface can be your desk, as long as you feel comfortable and productive. Don’t feel like you have to have a full-blown desk in your studio!
3. You don’t need a full coffee table
Trust me, I love a good coffee table. When I first moved into this studio and I was shopping for furniture, I encountered so many beautiful coffee tables that tried to seduce me into buying them, but I resisted.
Because I just don’t have space in my living room area for a coffee table! I guess I technically might have the space, but it would have felt so crowded if I gone and bought a normal sized coffee table.
But the thing is, a coffee table situation of some kind, at least in my opinion, is a living room essential.
You want something to, well, put your coffee on, or any other beverage. And you also want to be able kick your feet up after a long day in your living room.
So my solution for this was to just get a small accent table at Target and use it as my de-facto coffee table.
Would I like more surface area for extra little decor accents like candles and coffee table books? I’m a maximalist, so yes, I would like that additional surface area.
But studio life requires us to compromise a little bit, so an accent table it is for me!
If you have a tight living room in your studio like I do, then I would search for accent tables and side tables when shopping for a coffee table. There are some really cute ones out there, and they save a ton of space!
4. You don’t need a TV stand
While a TV is absolutely crucial in my book (again, TV junkie here), you don’t actually need a TV stand for it.
Is a TV stand ideal? Yes. I love mine and I love that in this apartment I don’t have to repurpose something else to be my TV stand.
But in other much smaller apartments of mine in the past, I’ve had to get a little bit more creative.
So if your apartment is super tiny, there’s no shame in using a dresser as your TV stand.
This way, you’re making the most of limited space by doubling your entertainment area as clothing storage!
I happen to have a lot of closet space in this apartment, so my dresser can be tucked out of the way, but if I didn’t have that walk-in closet, you bet your ass there would be a dresser underneath my TV over there instead of that TV stand. It’s about making the most of limited space!
5. You don’t need dividers
And finally, if you’ve watched my YouTube videos for any length of time, you probably know what’s coming up next because I’ve ranted about this quite a few times.
You don’t need dividers in your studio. You just don’t. If you really want them, then great! But they’re not a requirement to create a sense of separation in your space.
Apartment Therapy even said that my studio is sectioned off really nicely, and again, no dividers in here. You just don't need them!
If you want my tips on creating separation in a studio without using dividers, I recommend you watch these videos of mine:
So those were five things you just don't need in your studio! Comment below and tell me - is there anything you think is just totally unnecessary in a studio? How do you get creative with your studio space? Let me know!
For daily glimpses into my studio apartment life, you can follow me on Instagram @moda.misfit!
And for regular doses of apartment styling tips and small space decor inspiration, subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the bell to be notified when a new video goes up every week.