Small spaces can make big impacts. With some creativity and strategic upgrades, you can transform a compact apartment into a comfortable, efficient home. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the ways I maximized my 550-square-foot Manhattan apartment, added personal touches, and created a warm, inviting atmosphere. While I rent, that doesn’t stop me from getting out the tools and making the place work for me.
Upgrading The Living Room
When you’re viewing rental properties, look beyond their current state and envision what they can be. When I first saw my new living room, I thought it was pretty spacious but still felt cold and impersonal. With a few updates, I knew I could turn it into a warm and inviting space that makes both residents and guests feel right at home.
Refinished Hardwood Floors
Refinishing your home’s floors can make a major impact on its look and feel. In this case, I refinished my rental’s hardwood floors, which gave them new life. This choice added warmth to the room and created the illusion of more space by providing a strong visual foundation. The contrast between the dark floors and white baseboards further enhanced this effect, making the space feel modern and inviting.
Cost to refinish floors: $1,000
Built-In Bookcases
To make the most of the space, I added custom built-in bookcases around the fireplace. These provided storage without taking up any floor space. Using birch-veneer plywood and trim gave the project a polished, professional look while keeping costs down. Now, my books and personal items are elegantly integrated into the decor.
I had already eyed the recesses around the fireplace as perfect for shelving. Using a This Old House step-by-step article on how to build a bookcase, I designed and constructed a set of shelves.
Total cost for materials: $300
Electronics Cabinets
I needed to hide my electronics to keep the living room looking tidy, so I added doors made from salvaged window shutters to the lower cabinets. This not only keeps things organized but adds a unique, upcycled touch to the space. Now, the living room feels clean and uncluttered.
Cost of shutters: $150 (two pairs)
Re-Upholstered Chair
Breathing new life into secondhand furniture is an excellent way to furnish a small space on a budget. I found a secondhand chair at a thrift store and decided to re-upholster it. The new fabric fit perfectly with my color scheme, and now it feels like a custom piece. Re-upholstering is a great way to save money and personalize the space.
Total cost: ~$35 per chair
Painting the Rooms to Add Life to a Small Space
Paint is a DIY-friendly way to add some personality to your space—and that’s exactly what I did.
One Red Wall
Color can dramatically impact the feel of a small space. To add some personality, I painted one wall a bold red. This accent wall over the fireplace became the focal point of the room, bringing depth and warmth to the space.
Dark-Painted Entry
In small apartments, the entryway sets the tone for the entire space. That’s why I went with a deep, rich color to create a cozy atmosphere. It sets the tone for the entire apartment and makes the living area feel bigger by contrast.
Cool-Colored Bedroom
I chose a cool periwinkle blue for the bedroom to create a calming atmosphere. A vibrant piece of art adds interest without disrupting the room’s serene feel, and accessories in soft tones like gray tie everything together.
An Open Bedroom
My bedroom faces an inner shaftway in the building; it doesn’t get direct sunlight. Luckily, the living room windows face east. To capture some of the morning light, the building’s owner cut two windows into the wall, flanking the large double doors to the living room.
Shaftway Curtains Upgrade Underwhelming Windows
When dealing with less-than-ideal window views, creative window treatments can make a big difference. I used curtains and blinds to camouflage a window facing a dark shaftway in my apartment to maintain the illusion of an exterior view while providing necessary ventilation. Light, airy fabrics can help soften the space and give it a more welcoming feel.
Small Space Storage to Keep Goods Under Lock
I often have guests or subletters in my apartment, so I needed a way to store my stuff without having to remove it altogether. I’m lucky enough to have a very large closet in my bedroom, so I decided to put a lock on it.
I took a mailbox lock, which has an arm that flips down, and filed a notch in the arm. Then, I installed a strike plate on the jamb with a recess behind it. When you turn the key on the lock, the arm flips down, and the notch catches on the strike plate, locking the door from sliding open.
Small Kitchen: Before and After
Even in rental properties, kitchens often offer opportunities for improvement. This kitchen, while spacious, was dated and uninspiring, with orange laminate counters and dark cabinets from the 1960s. However, I was determined to transform it into a vibrant and functional space.
Before I even moved in, I followed a step-by-step guide on how to paint kitchen cabinets. I changed the hardware to hidden European hinges and modern silver pulls. Over time, I also replaced the old dishwasher with a newer one I got for $20 on eBay, and I picked a fruity green color for the walls and backsplash to play off the orange counters rather than trying to fight them. The result is a brighter, happier kitchen.
Making Room for the Refrigerator
The kitchen didn’t have space for a full-sized refrigerator, so I modified the counter and cabinets to fit one. This small change made a huge difference in the kitchen’s functionality.
I detached the orange laminate panel that stood at the end of the cabinets, then carefully cut off the counter with a circular saw. I finished the job with a handsaw and painted the end of the laminate the same color as the top. To support the ends of the counter, I reattached the vertical panel to the shortened counter. The new refrigerator hides my cuts. From the front, the counter looks as if it had been constructed at this length.
Arched Window in Kitchen
While updating the kitchen, I uncovered an original arched window frame under layers of paint. Restoring the galvanized metal frame added a historical touch that complements the modern updates.
Salvaged Stone Countertop
Creating additional work surfaces in a small kitchen can improve its functionality. Repurposing salvaged materials, like marble, to create a custom countertop is an eco-friendly and cost-effective solution that adds both style and practicality to the space. That’s why I added this stone countertop to my kitchen to use as a baking station.
Total cost: $140 for stone cuts and table legs
Built-in Kitchen Cabinets
I have a lot of cabinet space, but there’s still never enough. So I took advantage of a little recess in one corner of the kitchen to create a unique storage unit. I piled six IKEA Varde cabinets, which have flip-up doors, to fill the space.
I turned the first three upside down and bolted them together, then put legs on them. They sit against the wall as a freestanding piece of furniture, and their doors flip down. I mounted the other three to the wall directly above them so their doors flip up. The result is one tall cabinet that fits perfectly in its little space—room for serving dishes, wine glasses, and a bar. A combination of glass and wood doors breaks up the solid front.
Small Outdoor Space Garden: Before and After
Outdoor spaces, even small ones, offer enormous potential for expanding your living area. This overgrown garden, while initially messy, presented an opportunity to create an urban oasis. With some planning and effort, I knew it could become a cherished retreat.
Garden Under Construction
In the first year I had the apartment, I devoted a lot of time to the interior, neglecting the garden. But by the second summer, it was time to conquer the outdoors.
The previous tenant had thrown down some gravel right on the soil, creating a scraggly mess. There were also some narrow plant beds with brick borders around the perimeter—not wide enough for any lush plantings. I dug down 4 inches to add new topsoil and used metal edging to create a curved border for wider plant beds. Then, I dug out the entire center of the garden 2 inches, tamped down the soil, laid landscape fabric, and poured new gravel.
Total cost: $200, not including plants
Overflowing Garden Beds
Here’s my finished garden two years later. I added perennials, such as hydrangeas, astilbe, and roses, along the edges. Annuals fill the curved beds with bright colors, and ivy, euonymus, and yew provide green in the winter.
Furnishing the garden has been a flea-market affair. I acquired the chairs and the cast-iron table over several seasons, but the low tables I made from broken pieces of marble epoxied onto inexpensive plant stands salvaged from a friend’s basement. The broken edges on the marble complement the Secret Garden feel of the overgrown space. For a final touch, This Old House features editor Amy Hughes built the fountain from a salvaged urn.
The Herb Garden
I also added a small herb garden in containers. This saves space and brings the garden-to-table concept to my urban apartment, encouraging healthy eating and sustainability. I potted mint, basil, cilantro, nasturtiums, parsley, oregano, sage, thyme, rosemary, chives, and heirloom tomatoes.
Small space living doesn’t mean sacrificing style or comfort. With creativity, strategic upgrades, and a willingness to DIY, even a rental apartment can be transformed into a personalized, functional home.
