Apartment Living Room Ideas: My Son’s Studio Apartment

Last week, I promised to share my son Evan’s studio apartment design with you. This was his first time living away from home. (And our last kid to leave the nest. 😢)

But I was happy for him and also excited that he wanted me to help him plan how to furnish his new place. 

His new apartment is a studio apartment. He chose to live alone because he is a freelance film editor and musician and with so much equipment, it would have been unfair to anyone sharing a space with him.

The “equipment” consists of a large 3-tier desk, 2 monitors, a CPU on the floor, floor standing surround sound speakers, a TV and TV Stand, Desk Chair, Keyboard, Guitars, turntable, and an album collection.

So, the desk ruled our space plan. (Get it? 😂 ) The first order of business was to photograph and measure the new living space. The total apartment including a hall with a closet, bath, and kitchen is 400 square feet. 

Here are a few pics to give you an idea. The apartment is clean and has nice oak hardwood floors which give it charm. The walls are a soft white. I love when this is the starting point because it’s like having a fresh palette to work with.

Below is our space plan which I drew in SketchUp. We discussed where everything would go and moved things around over a couple of weeks. This helped Evan to decide what to buy and what dimensions each thing should be. Of course, it’s changed while in the process which you’ll see in the after photos below. But changing things on paper is a whole lot cheaper than changing them after you buy them. Just sayin’.

Here are some other 3D views while “standing in the room”. You can probably tell how we arranged it with these views. And everything is drawn to scale.

Looking from the kitchen to the front door

Looking from the double closet doors towards the window.

Top view down from window wall

Now that we had a good idea of what would fit, it was time to shop. Of course, my son was on a tight budget and has always been careful with how he spends his money. He does his research thoroughly, which I admire.  

Since this is a studio apartment, Evan went with a queen-size sofa sleeper. It’s from Lazy Boy so we know it is a quality piece he can use for a long time. Eventually, when he gets a larger place, this piece can be used in a guest room/office if he would like. 

He also chose a rug and pillows to go with the sleeper. These pieces set the tone for his style for the room. And because the large desk is contemporary in nature, it fits in well with the new things he bought.

The ottoman has storage inside and holds his pillows & misc. during the day. The tray on top makes for a sturdy surface on which to set a drink or plate of food.

Of course, mom and dad offered a few “hand-me-downs”. 😊 And he already had some nice art pieces he wanted to incorporate. I think the white walls lend themselves well to art. To me, it has a “gallery” feeling to it.

As you can see, Evan used one of his guitars as art too. It’s hung with a very secure bracket over the sofa.

He used an IKEA bookshelf as a credenza and also to hold his extensive album collection. A great multi-purpose use for this piece.

The “entry” cabinet is actually a dresser and he found it on Wayfair.  

And here are a couple of after shots to put it all together for you. (Don’t let the wide-angle lens on his iPhone fool you. =0)

Need more apartment living room ideas?

• How about readymade drapery? Most store-bought drapes may work but if you find one that is a touch too short, ask your dry cleaners to add a border of a coordinating fabric to the bottom to make them longer. Ideally, you want them ½”-3/4” from the floor.

• Purchase new cabinet door and drawer hardware for a custom look at an affordable price.

• Use the Velcro type picture hangers for your artwork so you aren’t having to patch and paint later.

• How about peel-and-stick wallpaper? You can find them to resemble many textures such as wood, subway tile and even faux stone these days.

• And artwork doesn’t have to be expensive. A lot of online stores offer frames and mats that you choose to suit any décor.

• Install an inexpensive security system such as SimpliSafe if you’ve got things you’d rather not lose.

• Consider renter’s insurance as well.

That’s it for this week! I hope you enjoyed the tour and I hope it gave you inspiration for your own apartment living room.

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