This Design Trick Will Make Your Tiny Studio Look Way Bigger

Emily Bihl
Updated

If you’ve ever lived in a studio apartment, you know that defining different spaces is key. (Otherwise, you end up with work papers on your bed and your laptop perched next to the kitchen sink, and it’s not good for productivity or your sleep cycle.) But with space at such a premium, it’s not always easy to create separate areas without overcrowding an already-cluttered apartment. Enter the bookshelf hack. Using open shelving units to carve out space is our all-time favorite tip for studio living. Not only does it give you tons of storage space, but it offers a lot more flexibility when it comes to the layout of your studio. Even better? Chances are you already own a shelf that will work for this project. (KALLAX, we’ll never leave you.) And best of all, all that shelving gives you SO many styling options. #Shelfie, anyone?

1. Conceal and Reveal: Tinted and textured glass backing select shelves adds a little privacy and creates an even more custom room divider. (via French Fancy)

2. Color Code: With perfectly color-coordinated shelves like these, this room-dividing piece becomes an instant focal point. (via Brit + Co)

3. Retro Revival: Floating shelves feel very mid-century modern in this space and provide some much-needed separation.

4. Office-Approved: Need some work space STAT? This shelf sets boundaries and corrals all those less-than-display-worthy papers in modern white boxes.

5. Keep It Clean: Turning some bookcases one direction and some the other proves to be a clever trick for adding organizational elements to both areas in one easy move. (via Wnetrzarium)

6. Cube Farm: The cubes come to the rescue yet again, defining the zones for sleep and play with style to spare. (via The Everygirl)

Do you have a studio design trick that’s totally life-changing? Tell us about it on Twitter @BritandCo.