SF Studio Apartment Style: Making a Cozy Space into a Vibrant Oasis

The theme of this apartment design is: A fresh start is always an option; this room is for you! I saw that quote at the Museum of Ice Cream exhibit in LA in pre-pandemic times and it stuck with me forever after. I truly believe in the power of a fresh start or new beginning. When I moved to the city for my fresh start, I had high hopes for the layout and design of my new living space. With tons of help on the layout and elements of the design from friends, I put together a really beautiful pseudo-one bedroom arrangement where the living room area is separated from the bedroom area very naturally by IKEA kallax organizers and a rug that designates the living room space.

My room has a lot of elements that I am very excited about. The bedroom has a pseudo canopy that I achieved by hanging curtains in the window and using a tension-based curtain rod to hang flowy gradient curtains to separate the bedroom space from the kitchen (I got the curtains and tension rod from Amazon). I also put up artwork on the ceiling, which is a delight to look at from bed. Fairy lights adorn the flowy curtains and rainbow lights accent the Renaissance painting behind my bed. In the bay windows I have fractal stickers that shower the room in rainbows at sunny times as can be seen in the center photo below. Day or night, the canopy bed space looks beautiful and colorful.

Other elements of my apartment include the beautiful bay windows which I have decorated with fake sakura blossoms for spring along with floral fractal window decals to refract lovely rainbows throughout the room. I have a stunning rose chase next to the bay windows where I lounge, watch TV, and often write my blog posts. Next to the TV is my gym from home station with an iPad for Zumba/YouTube workouts, a yoga matt, a running belt, and my medals from 5K’s past. The TV has my homemade candles made from old wine bottles. The couch is Van Gogh-themed, his featuring starry night work as well as his irises and sunflowers in the form of pillows. Behind the couch is an art gallery of my paintings, many of them from paint nights. Fake vines and white sakura blossoms accent my gallery.

There are many loving details throughout my apartment, including an iPad on the fridge for recipes while cooking (or for kitty TV to entertain my beautiful tortie cat, Esmee). My bathroom is a full on spa experience featuring a TV and many lovingly organized bath and skin care products. My work from home space is setup on top of the kallax organizers that split the room. A fake wall of ivy helps to complete the split from bedroom to living room.

Overall, I’m super happy with how my apartment turned out and I really enjoy coming home to my beautifully crafted home. I think having a space that you truly enjoy to relax and unwind in is so important. And I’m grateful for the opportunity to have been able to put all the time, energy, and love it took to transform my space into something that truly reflects my style and personality. Cheer’s to the dusk of a global pandemic, and looking toward fresh starts in 2021!