178 Square Foot Studio

 

How inspiring is this 178 sq. foot studio featured in the New York Times yesterday?   This is the Brooklyn studio of Zach Motl, a young up-and-coming interior designer.  He's clearly a maximalist, and it totally works in this space--the carefully curated objects make the studio look complex and layered, not claustrophobic.  I live in a tiny NYC studio too, and I really liked seeing what he did to dress up the (unrenovated) kitchen and bathroom.  He painted the bathroom an inky midnight blue, and put green paneling on the kitchen backsplash.  These are great ideas for renters, because they're cheap, easy to install, and--this is important--easy to remove when you move out.

I really like the wooden tennis rackets on the walls. In the article, Zach says he sees them on the street all the time. I guess I should look more carefully, because I've never seen any!

 

The kitchen definitely makes the most of very limited space--notice the wine rack on the wall to the right of the sink.  Genius!

I really want to paint my bathroom now!  And little details like the potted orchid really jazz up an otherwise very utilitarian space.


All photos: Robert Wright for The New York Times