Asked on Jul 26, 2019

How can I organize this room to be like a studio apartment (pic)?

Melissa Wedel
by Melissa Wedel

Hello!So I moved a couple months ago in with a friend for a while.Cool thing is I got the "master suite".It's huge!! Great views, huge walk in closet, a big bathroom with jacuzzi tub, glass shower and 2 sinks.Y(ipppeeee!! Lol)So since I am used to living alone I am wanting to make this bedroom into...like a studio apt I guess.I have a lot of things, just not sure where to put it all to make it look homey.Things I have to use:Red chairLarge old mirrorBrown ottomanFloor lampMisc hooks to hangRoom dividerIdeas?!!

Small corner where I currently have small fridge and drawers.....thinking of putting them in closet or bathroom instead and maybe putting chairs there...??

  11 answers
  • Mogie Mogie on Jul 28, 2019

    Curious as to the size and layout of the room in question.

  • Holly Lengner - Lost Mom Holly Lengner - Lost Mom on Jul 28, 2019

    I would definitely move the fridge and microwave. I get that you want your own space in your room, but are the fridge and microwave necessary? If they are, you should hide them somehow. I suppose the closet would be better than the bathroom, but if you microwave something smelly, it might stink up your closet. I would move the bed away from the window and add the nightstand to the side of the bed.

    You could put your dresser at the end of your bed which would give you a feeling of separation from the other side. Then maybe put your stand next to your bed, where the dresser is now and put tv on that... hopefully this make sense.


    • Melissa Wedel Melissa Wedel on Jul 28, 2019

      Hi Holly!

      First off, thank you so much!

      I do need to figure out fridge and microwave.

      Yes necessary bc I have bunnies and I keep their food in there.

      I did move micro and fridg to the bathroom.BUT I will add that altho I am not happy with where they are, the bathroom is very big. I know, still gross. Lol


      The bed by window I like because the view is so beautiful!! Love waking up and looking outside.


      The dresser at end of bed is great!!


      ???


  • Cutthroat Charity Cutthroat Charity on Jul 28, 2019

    My suggestions are these (assuming the jewelry area is where you craft jewelry & not where you store a big hoard of jewelry that you wear):

    1-bed: make the bed into a daybed by turning it to the side & putting some big bolster pillows (like those Boho ones in the picture with your ottoman) along the wall to double the bed as a sofa when not sleeping. Maybe use the crown looking thing & some soft sheets/sheer curtains or netting to drape along the wall & over the short ends of the bed like a canopy?

    2-kitchen: find/repurpose/recycle/make a 'bar cart' to act as the kitchen area. Something that can contain the fridge & microwave as well as the dishes you use, so at least 3 shelves.

    3-closet: change the direction of the clothes rod to occupy the hidden area that doesn't have the doorway & add some shelves under & over the clothes rod to maximize storage options. Then , inside the closet opposite the doorway create a dressing area with a small desk, your ottoman, & that beautiful mirror on the back closet wall & add some lighting, even a few strings of clear fairy lights would work here. Easy to pull the ottoman out for extra seating.

    4- jewelry area: turn it into the crafting area by adding another desk to create an "L" shaped desk unit & place the sewing machine on the second desk.

    5-bathroom: hang up your wall art. That lovely ledge at the back of the tub is perfect to hold a container with pampering products & a couple candles.

    Those are some things that I would do if my friend was ok with it. I hope these are either good ideas or inspiration for you & others who read this. Happy creating!


  • Laura Cooper Laura Cooper on Jul 28, 2019

    Compartmentalize. You have done a great with this in the jewelry area. You can do this by not facing everything toward the TV. Make your TV and chair a circle. Pull your bed out into the middle of the room. I would use the dresser as a divider and possibly put it back to back with your jewelry or the head of the bed. Find a little unobtrusive corner for your cook station.

  • Carla Champlin Carla Champlin on Jul 28, 2019

    I have made our rec room into a studio. I would mount the TV to the wall. Put the dresser in the closet. (DON'T squish the bunny!) Make a simple wood table to put where your dresser is and make that your kitchen space. I bought an actual kitchen counter top at Home Depot and set it on top of the table. Easy to clean and very sturdy. I think it cost $80 but it was worth every penny! Plus it looks better. Make sure the table is tall enough and wide enough to put the fridge under it and then make a shelf to put the microwave under it. Saves a ton of space and then you have a counter top for a Keurig or whatever and cooking room. I have shelves on the wall behind the shower curtains that you see above the table. (Yes. Shower curtains. I loved the look and it was even cheaper than fabric. I just hemmed them) The table is out about a foot from the wall so there is room for the appliances to vent and so I could hang the shower curtains in front of the shelves to cover them up. Much cleaner looking. Stores my food and serves as more storage. I also have a hot plate hidden away. When you run out of floor space it is time to start using wall space. If you are still out of room?? Time for a trip to the landfill. ;-)

  • S Davis S Davis on Jul 28, 2019

    Instead of having one picture on each I’d put both on the right side wall and mount the TV higher on the wall and have someone come in with L-brackets and as wide a shelf as necessary to securely hold the under TV media equipment up under the wall-mount TV. This will get those two pieces out of the way and clear the top of the dresser; making it possible to store more or “make pretty” the top of the dresser. That would be a start and allow you to see what else you could do. Some of the closet ideas here are great!

  • Mogie Mogie on Jul 28, 2019

    Look into furniture that will do double duty. There are bed frames that allow extra height under the bed for storage. I bought one a few months back that has 14 inches of clearance under the bed. The frame make so it is has more support for the mattress and you don't need a box spring. Look on amazon.com


    There are also couches where the seat opens up (on hinges I assume) and you can use the space under the seat for storage. Use an old chest or ottoman with storage as a coffee table.


    Recently put an over the door shoe storage unit in hubby's computer room. They are generally plastic and have see thru pockets. This one has 24 different compartments and hold a lot of cords and other computer stuff. The nice thing is that you can see what in in the pocket without having to physically take it out. Going to add one to the back of the bathroom door also.


    A shelving unit of some sort would help with organization too. Depending on where you want to put it the unit could be floor to ceiling or just floating shelves. If you have cabinets on the bottom perhaps you could put your fridge and pet supplies in there. They would still be in the room but out of sight.


    Any wall space in a small space can really free up your floor space. Put as much as possible in your closet. A dresser can fit in the closet and free up that space for other items. You might think about an organizing unit for the closet to maximize the space. If you put a bookcase in the closet that would give you room to store your shoes and jewelry. Maybe even the fridge could go into the closet.


    If you had a small cart on wheels anything that you don't use daily could be kept on that and wheeled into the closet when not in use. And if the cart had several shelves that would provide even more storage.

  • Myr Myr on Jul 28, 2019

    Hi, nice room!

    I suggest you to divide the room in two different areas: the "work" one and the the "relax" one. Reguard to the kitchen stuff you can buy some cabinet or hide everything (see the drawings below).

    I tried to figure out what was the misure of the walls but don't know if I was correct! So if you have enough space you can add a little dinner table.

    About the drawers you can move it in the walk in closet!

  • Rymea Rymea on Jul 29, 2019

    You might like a partition wall made from a couple of 3' shelving units. Cover the back of the units with a pretty fabric facing out so the shelving/storage would be unseen on the back side. You could put the jewelry microwave and fridge behind it. I can't tell where the entrance to the room is but I would probably try to position the partition so as to block the view into the bathroom.

  • Agnes Chrzanowska Agnes Chrzanowska on Oct 31, 2021

    Can you draw a floor plan ..it will be easier to advice

  • Chas' Crazy Creations Chas' Crazy Creations on Oct 01, 2022

    I have several organizing posts that might help you https://chascrazycreations.com/diys/how-tos/organizing/