This 400-Square-Foot Boston Studio Apartment Uses Every Inch Wisely
Adrienne Breaux
·6 min read
"I consider myself a somewhat creative and aesthetic person but I still prefer to keep my style organized and simple. I like to travel and try new experiences whenever I can so I wanted my space to show that," begins Jacqueline Cipolla, who has rented this small studio apartment for a year and pays $2100 a month. Credit: Ian Hermsdolf-PlacidoCredit: Ian Hermsdolf-Placido
"Whenever I travel somewhere new, I think it's fun to bring home something (big or small) to display in my apartment to remind me of that experience. For example, I just got back from my first trip to Paris where I picked up a beautiful Architectural Digest magazine (in French!) that I now have displayed as a coffee table read." Credit: Ian Hermsdolf-PlacidoCredit: Ian Hermsdolf-Placido
Cipolla describes her home's style as "airy, light, colorful, sunny, bright, hygge. For some reason, I ended up taking a lot of inspiration from Pinterest boards and Instagram pages of homes in places like Norway, Sweden, and Germany, all of which tends to be styled in a way that gives off a feeling of being cozy, warm, and clean all at once (hence the hygge)." Credit: Ian Hermsdolf-PlacidoCredit: Ian Hermsdolf-Placido
Cipolla says that her whole apartment is basically just one room, but she particularly likes "the corner of my studio where I have a large colorful print hanging above the small, white dining table and chairs. It's a place where I often sit to work, drink coffee or eat." Credit: Ian Hermsdolf-PlacidoCredit: Ian Hermsdolf-Placido
"I love the way the sunlight hits at certain times of day and I just find it the most aesthetically-pleasing corner of my home. I am obsessed with the vintage Marcel Breuer dining chairs that I was lucky to find (for a steal!) on Facebook Marketplace last year," she continues. Credit: Ian Hermsdolf-PlacidoCredit: Ian Hermsdolf-Placido
"The size!" she explains of the biggest challenge in decorating her home. "It is a very small studio so I had to get creative when it came to storage and utilizing every space possible without making it feel overcrowded. I got a bedframe with hidden drawers underneath which has been a lifesaver." Credit: Ian Hermsdolf-PlacidoCredit: Ian Hermsdolf-Placido
"I also got this very thin storage cabinet (IKEA Hemnes cabinet) to go in the small hallway that has also been a lifesaver when it comes to storing shoes, makeup, hair tools, etc. and has simultaneously become a great place to hang a mirror above so that I have a place to get ready in the morning." Credit: Ian Hermsdolf-PlacidoCredit: Ian Hermsdolf-Placido
Cipolla says she collects "matches or lighters from restaurants or bars that I visit and keep them on display on my coffee table to have handy to light a candle. I love looking down at a magazine, or candle, or lighter (etc.) that I got from a trip and be able to look back fondly on that memory or experience." Credit: Ian Hermsdolf-PlacidoCredit: Ian Hermsdolf-Placido
Her proudest DIY in the apartment is the kitchen. "When I first moved in, I knew I immediately needed to do something about it because it was just SO white and ugly," she writes. "I wanted to make it feel warmer so I chose to paint it a shade of olive green. I also got some black and white peel and stick tiles from Amazon and got to work!" Credit: Jacqueline CipollaCredit: Jacqueline Cipolla
"I finished it with a wood floating shelf from Ikea to display some artwork and glassware and by changing out the old white cabinet knobs with black ones I got from amazon. The whole project was very easy and affordable and I’m so happy with how it came out." Credit: Ian Hermsdolf-PlacidoCredit: Ian Hermsdolf-Placido
"Don't rush the process!" Cipolla advises. "Finding the right pieces for your space might take time and patience (which I've admittedly had to learn the hard way) but there's nothing better than finding the perfect addition to your space after spending so much time looking." Credit: Ian Hermsdolf-PlacidoCredit: Ian Hermsdolf-Placido
"Just enjoy the creative process and know that if you don't like something, or if your style changes over the years, you can always change it or start fresh." Thanks Jacqueline! Credit: Ian Hermsdolf-PlacidoCredit: Ian Hermsdolf-Placido
“I moved into this studio apartment in Boston almost a year ago and it was the first apartment I’ve had on my own with no roommates, so I was very excited to finally be able to have full creative freedom of the decor!” begins Jacqueline Cipolla, who has rented this small studio apartment for a year.
“Some of the apartment(s) that I had previously lived in were very small and dark with little sunlight and decorated mostly with neutral colors and whites,” Cipolla, who shares videos of her apartment, neighborhood, travels, and more on her TikTok and Instagram, continues.
“I soon realized how important it was for me to get sunlight on a daily basis, so I was very happy to find this studio that had huge windows and got so much natural sunlight. I made sure to make this space as bright and colorful as possible and to really focus on all of the natural sunlight that comes in through the big windows.”
“Because it is a very small space, I made sure to utilize every corner possible without making it feel cramped or over-crowded. I opted for a bed with hidden drawers underneath to keep clothes and shoes instead of a large dresser that would take up a lot of space,” she explains.
“And because I really wanted to avoid the feeling of an all-white, cold and stark living space, I made sure to add colorful rugs, green plants, a colorful bedspread, and lots of mirrors to reflect the sunlight. I even painted my galley kitchen a warm tone of green and added peel-and-stick tiles to the floor,” Cipolla writes.
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