A 380-Square-Foot Brooklyn Studio Went from “Bland” to Colorful and Kitschy
Adrienne Breaux
·7 min read
WriterKim Narby has rented this 380-square-foot studio apartment for four-and-a-half years, and shares it with her dog, Georgia. Credit: Kim NarbyCredit: Kim Narby
"This was the first galley wall I put together and I am very proud of it! This art is from Thailand, Cambodia, and South Africa. The beaded flower in the vase on the table is something I bought while I was at Nelson Mandela's memorial in Cape Town while I was living in South Africa in 2013 — the year he passed. I'd been searching for somewhere to display it for a while, and then for my 30th birthday my parents' friend gave me this vase she made. It was a perfect fit," Kim describes. Credit: Kim NarbyCredit: Kim Narby
"When I was shopping around for this couch, I fell in love with the Dijon yellow fabric at West Elm. I haven't ever been a huge fan of velvet, but was convinced when a manager at the store told me he had three dogs and the performance velvet had held up over time. I carried swatches around in my purse for a week to show all my friends. Later, one of them told me they thought I was crazy for getting yellow, but once they saw it in the apartment they changed their mind. I had been envisioning this green wall when I bought the couch, and once I painted it, the space was completely pulled together." Credit: Kim NarbyCredit: Kim Narby
"Since I knew I would be getting a dog when I moved in, I thought up this bar shelf that would be out of reach of my future pet. Her crate (below the two baskets), serves as additional shelf space." Credit: Kim NarbyCredit: Kim Narby
"I knew early on that I wanted to have shelves on the wall," writes Kim. "Initially I had a bookshelf that my TV sat on, but this space wasn't big enough for it, and I was lucky to get very high ceilings in this apartment."
"My friend's boyfriend went to The Home Depot with me to get these boards cut and to purchase the brackets. I finished the wood with a sealant. This was a pandemic winter project, so I found myself in February in New York wearing a winter jacket inside with all my windows open as I painted layers of the sealant on the wood." Credit: Kim NarbyCredit: Kim Narby
"I'm lucky to have such a large kitchen for a studio apartment in New York; I'm additionally lucky that it's a galley kitchen, so it doesn't impose on my living space," Kim describes. "The most recent update to my apartment was this vinyl countertop paper, which brightened the entire kitchen. I'd recommend this to anyone, but definitely get a friend to help you put it on — I struggled to get it on solo, and there are some areas I'm unhappy with." Credit: Kim NarbyCredit: Kim Narby
"Don't worry so much about an overall theme; select pieces that you love and they will fit together," Kim advises. "Some of my furniture is more farmhouse, others mid-century modern, and I use wood of varying shades. It's possible that it seems disjointed to others, but the only person who needs to love your space is you." Credit: Kim NarbyCredit: Kim Narby
"When I went to IKEA to buy a bed frame for my first apartment, I saw this red HEMNES dresser and bedside table set. I coveted it for three years until I finally had enough disposable income to purchase them. For a long time they were my favorite pieces of furniture." Credit: Kim NarbyCredit: Kim Narby
"Exposed brick is as warm (visually) in a space as you'd expect, but old brick also sheds frequently, and doesn't keep heat in very well. I have a space heater I use for the winter months, and I'm frequently brushing brick dust off my dresser and pillows," Kim admits.
"I'd seen pictures of bathrooms painted a dark, forest green online, and I wanted something similarly shocking and unexpected for my bathroom. I went with a tangerine color, which I immediately knew I had to replace when I looked in the bathroom mirror and my face was tinted orange. I went back to Ace Hardware the next day and picked a pink color without even testing it on the wall; luckily it worked well, and matched a lot of the paintings I'd already hung up," Kim writes. Credit: Kim NarbyCredit: Kim Narby
WriterKim Narby, whose day job is at a tech startup, says this 380-square-foot studio apartment in Crown Heights was “functional and bland” before she moved in almost five years ago. “A couple lived in the apartment before I moved in, and there wasn’t much thought put into interior design. The priority seemed to be more economical than visual,” she begins.
"My favorite *part* of the apartment is probably my living room area," Kim writes. "The couch is the most expensive purchase I've ever made (outside of my college education and my recent car purchase), and it completely transformed the space. I spend most of my time on the couch — either watching TV, writing my novel, or reading. I love the combination of the colors and textures in that corner of the apartment — the green of the wall and the plants, the red pillows and table, and the yellow of the couch. The couch is also velvet, while the pillowcases are linen." Credit: Kim NarbyCredit: Kim Narby
Kim says this is her first time living alone, and admits that while the rent was “slightly outside” of her budget “at the time I signed the lease,” she says “it seemed worth the stretch. I’m especially grateful for that choice now because the building is rent-stabilized, so my rent has only gone up about $100 since that first year.”
"I organize my books by self-defined genres," Kim explains. "These ones pictured are on the bottom shelf for easy access — my queer section, the one I revisit most often. You'd think I'd have endless space for books, but I do run out frequently and try to cull my books once a year or so." Credit: Kim NarbyCredit: Kim Narby
To turn this studio into the “[b]right, colorful, organized, and kitschy” home it is today, Kim “painted, put up hooks on the walls, hung paintings, and put vinyl countertop paper in my kitchen.” She says the small home is actually the perfect amount of space for herself and her dog, Georgia. There is even a “dedicated work area, [a] table to eat at, and room for a full-sized couch and queen bed. Georgia arrived about six months after I moved in, and the apartment also allows her to have two different bed areas (we love options). She is also a big fan of having a snooze on the ottoman while I’m working.”
"When I first moved to New York I measured every bedroom I looked at to ensure it had enough space for this dresser because it was a non-negotiable. They don't seem to make this set in red anymore so I'm very glad I was able to get it when I did!" she writes of the IKEA HEMNES. Credit: Kim NarbyCredit: Kim Narby
Although Kim says she doesn’t really describe her style as maximalism, she does “appreciate collecting art and items from my travels. I spend a lot of time in my home, especially since the pandemic. I certainly have a lot of art that is queer in my apartment (not to mention books), but I think my space mostly reflects my identity as a New Yorker. Making a small space work efficiently, and not being afraid of color, is definitely a result of my having embraced New York culture, which allows for any type of style experimentation.”
“Most of my furniture has come from IKEA, Target, or Wayfair. You can dress up anything.”
Yellow sofa — West Elm
Wall shelves — DIY
Bed frame — IKEA. “[S]till the first bed frame I ever bought at 24 years old; the cheapest one IKEA offers. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to make things look nice!”
Red dresser — IKEA HEMNES
Red nightstand — IKEA
Thanks, Kim!
This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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