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Katarzyna Kowalska is a civil engineer, a ceramicist, and a design and art lover, and lives in this recently renovated 355-square-foot compact apartment in a four-story apartment block designed by a famous Polish architect couple in the 1960s. “It is really comfortable to live in, especially because of the closeness of the metro station. My windows overlook the courtyard, where there are a lot of trees — it is a really peaceful view, uncommon in new buildings,” Katarzyna writes.
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But it’s not just the views that make this tiny home so endearing: the brilliant interior redesign of the small space plus Katarzyna’s collection of vintage furniture makes the space feel so much larger than it is. Katarzyna emphasizes that despite the small square footage, the home has everything she needs. There’s a “full-size kitchen, aesthetic bathroom, separate bedroom with wardrobe, TV and furniture to take some rest: couch and big Togo chair,” she writes. “I really like to be here, especially in the morning, when the sun is reaching the wooden kitchen fronts and white walls. I am a design and art lover; I really like to renovate furniture and the emotions these items give to me. I enjoy having a wooden table, which my mum bought me from the flea market (very cheap) and Bruno Rey’s chairs from the ’70s, which I bought and renovated on my own. I also enjoy my partition wall, which I designed with cooperation with the executive company — it is an element which separates the hall and living room and is a piece of art to me.”
Though Katarzyna is responsible for the fantastically one-of-a-kind partition wall and the perfect mix of vintage furnishings, she also worked with architects Kalina and Robert Juchnevic of blok585m2 to really maximize the small space. The couple met while studying architecture 15 years ago, and consider themselves academics interested in 3D modeling techniques and 3D printing, as well as being small-space experts in their own right. “We explore design possibilities in the context of small apartments — we have been talking about this on our YouTube channel since 2019. We talk about different design solutions using our own apartments as an example (the name of our YT channel derives from the size of our apartment).”
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Katarzyna Kowalska’s Style: I like vintage things and their souls. For sure I am not minimalist if it goes to style. I don’t have many items, but I like coziness and colors, it relaxes me.
Katarzyna Kowalska’s Inspiration: Pinterest and Instagram were a mine of inspiration and ideas for me.
Architects Kalina and Robert Juchnevic’s Inspiration: The building where the apartment is located is a great example of the post-war housing estate which, thanks to the architect’s efforts (Maria and Kazimierz Piechotkowie), was different from the socialist realism examples.
The architecture of the building and its interiors were an inspiration and set the direction for the interior finishing materials e.g. we designed terrazzo similar to that used in the staircases of the building.
We were inspired by beautiful vintage objects the owner has even before we started this project. We have to mention the iconic Togo armchair, a round wooden table, a set of Bruno Rey chairs (model 3300) from the 1960s. We were inspired as well by handmade ceramics that Katarzyna creates on her own.
Katarzyna Kowalska’s Favorite Element: It is hard to choose, but I really like the combination of sandy-blush kitchen fronts and maroon worktop with wooden edges. I am also a huge fan of my bathroom — I adore every element of this room.
Architects Kalina and Robert Juchnevic’sFavorite Element: It is a tough nut to crack… We love this apartment as a whole. But if We have to choose — we especially like the kitchen — this is not only a place to prepare food but also the main furniture in the living room. Oak veneer kitchen doors are imperfect perfection!
Architects Kalina and Robert Juchnevic’sBiggest Challenge: 1. It was difficult to keep balance between vintage items and newly designed elements — especially when the owner is a vintage lover. We “controlled” this balance using a detailed 3D model and creating a virtual apartment tour for the owner.
2. Openwork structure separating entrance zone and living room — we had probably three different concepts and no final decision but we were waiting patiently… in the end of the construction, the owner fell in love with Alexander Calder’s mobiles and we loved the idea of using this motif at first sight [in the entryway partition].
Katarzyna Kowalska’s Proudest DIY: I am a creative person, who is the happiest during the art process. Two years ago I started making ceramic cups and I have a pretty big collection. I like the small cup with strawberries and a pink plate (as a complete). It gives me an energy shot when I use it in the morning to drink my coffee.
Katarzyna Kowalska’sBiggest Indulgence: Kitchen furniture cost the most, but it was totally worth its price. If it goes to one item, the TOGO sofa was the most expensive, but I adore it so much!
Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it?Katarzyna Kowalska – My partition “walls” are totally unique — they divide space, but do not limit it. I have pretty much no spare space, so I have a washing machine in my wardrobe and the vacuum cleaner under my bed.
What’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice?Architects Kalina and Robert Juchnevic – Our advice is very practical. Provide as much storage space as possible. Then all the elements, even the very ordinary ones located in an open area will look like one million dollars. This can especially be said about small apartments… but not only small ones!
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Name:Fenella, husband Lee, two sons Finnian and Otter, and pugs Reginald and Joyce, (named after Fenella’s grandparents) Location: Brunswick East — Melbourne, Australia Type of Home: Townhouse Size: 1350 square feet Years lived in: Under a year, renting
“We’d been looking for a new place (to rent) for a while before we found this place,” begins designer and creator Fenella McGowan. “We arrived early and watched as what felt like about 30 other couples lined up behind us. I remember this one person in particular who was really trying their hardest to psych us out, but the minute my husband and I walked into the space, we just had a gut feeling that it was going to be ours! It instantly felt like home.”
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The house, which they have been renting for just under a year, is only 1350 square feet, but Fenella says it feels “deceptively large.” The downstairs features a bright and sunny open plan kitchen, living room, and dining room, all lit by an inner courtyard, which also does a great job of brightening the inner rooms upstairs, too. And tall ceilings on the second floor give an air of spaciousness to those spaces.
“I think what really sold it to us was just how comfortable the place made our toddler. He ADORES the space, both inside and out,” Fenella explains. And let’s face it, life is sooo much easier when the toddler is happy! He’s forever trying to lure people upstairs so they can race with him through the hall to our bedroom. Many of our friends have now fallen victim to this game — what can I say; he’s convincing!”
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My Style: Minimalist Maximalism, I guess?!
Inspiration: My inspiration changes from day to day. Our space is forever changing with us — what inspires me one day will change the next, but I can tell you what drives me to design our space. All I really try to do is create a fun, happy, nurturing space for my family to live in.
Favorite Element: My favorite element would have to be our blue Kroko coffee table. We really broke the budget on this item. It was made in Germany so the freight was almost as much as the coffee table itself, but I love it with all of my heart and think it was worth every penny. It provides such a presence to the space. His little face is so beautiful and there’s a storage unit in the middle making it functional! I’m still waiting for my son to name him but I can confirm he feeds him from time to time. I’m often finding grapes or blueberries in his mouth.
I found the Kroko via a DM on Instagram. Someone whom I’d never met sent me a link to Art Can Break Your Heart’s page saying that they think I’d love their work, and I did! I clicked on their website and fell in love with every single item! If I could I’d buy more items but I think we need a bigger space before I dare suggest this to my husband!
I do have to mention how fabulous Art Can Break Your Heart are to deal with. It was such a lovely transaction — I can’t recommend buying something from them highly enough! You wont regret it!
Biggest Challenge: The biggest challenge is forever trying to cater to my champagne taste on our beer budget! Haha. We’ve made some huge splurges on our big ticket items but aren’t afraid to go to IKEA or Target or wherever has a good deal for other pieces. I treat an interior as I would my wardrobe; you spurge on some items and go cookie cutter for others. It’s all about balance! That is, until I’m splash with cash.
Proudest DIY: Right now it would have to be the ABC poster I made for my son’s room — I really love it! He’s going through a massive alphabet phase so I was hunting around for something that would both suit his room as well as his current loves but was coming up short — so late one night I cracked open the computer and whipped something up myself!
Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? I think our home is unique in how we source our items and then subsequently style it. We don’t actively follow any trends or labels, so each piece has been chosen to complement its surroundings. I’d say the main thing we try to do in our space is have fun! On reflection, there seems to be a running theme of faces and animals?! If it makes us smile, there’s a good chance it’s coming home!
Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: As far as organizing goes, try and do it from the start and be methodical. Not the most groundbreaking advice but it’s tried and tested.
Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? I always ask my clients how they’d like to “feel” in a space. Do you want to feel “relaxed” or “happy” or ‘calm’ or ‘excited’. It’s a simple question but, more often than not, it gets you to think about how you’ll move through your space, and unveils hidden desires (be they textures, colors, patterns or items) that help you create your dream space.
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Name:Nina Haines (@nina.haines on TikTok) Location: East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC Size: Approximately 900 square feet Type of Home: Two-bedroom apartment Years Lived In: 1.5 years, renting
Nina Haines’ East Williamsburg railroad-style apartment is many things. It’s colorful; it’s cozy; it’s a personification of healing one’s inner child. Haines, who’s been renting the unit for a year and a half, has completed a variety of DIY projects, including painting her kitchen cabinets purple, adding marble contact paper to her countertops and refrigerator, and adding a squiggle-shaped painted accent wall. “There are colors and patterns and kitschy touches everywhere,” she says. “My friend once commented that it looks like Lizzie McGuire threw up everywhere.”
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And while this marketer, writer, creator, and the founder of the Sapphic book club, Sapph-Lit, has done plenty of work to make the space her own, she’s not done yet. “My home is a constant work in progress, I’m constantly adding and changing things around.” As she does with her online book club and its more than 6,000 members, Haines makes it a priority to create a sense of community in her home. “I love that it’s an unserious space,” she writes. “I want people to feel safe and joyous here, I want them to know that they are welcome to be themselves and be however they need to be in that moment.”
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My Style: Maximalist bisexual librarian from the ’70s and she lives in Copenhagen.
Favorite Element: My purple vintage media console from the ’70s via Dobbin St. Vintage Coop.
Biggest Challenge: There’s so much wall space! I’m in a railroad apartment with super tall ceilings and the main living area has no windows, so there’s a lot of blank space that I feel compelled to fill. I try and make little moments out of different sections of the wall: gallery wall, record wall, vintage glassware shelving, bookshelves on bookshelves on bookshelves, media center. I still don’t think it’s done. I’m still toying with what I want to do above my IKEA kitchen cart, and I think I want to add even more bookshelves above the two above the TV.
Proudest DIY: My kitchen — the before and after photos are absolutely wild to me. I painted the cabinets purple, added custom ceramic fruit knobs from Etsy, used marble contact paper to cover the countertops and fridge, painted the spice racks yellow, and put up shelves for my vintage glassware collection. It’s such a happy place to cook now!
Budget: $2K/month in rent – biggest splurge is my Floyd bed frame. I had a $40 wooden bed frame from IKEA for two years (it was BREAKING) and I told myself if I was going to replace it, I was going to get my Big Girl Adult Bed Frame. I saved up and bought it during their Black Friday sale.
Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? It doubles as my personal library — because of the work I do with my book club, I house over 500 books and have them all over the apartment. I’ve had to find a lot of creative ways to store and organize and display them. My friends come over and borrow books all the time, and I keep track of who borrows what so it really is quite like a library! That’s what sold me on the place originally, the built-in bookcase in my office/second bedroom.
Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: Furniture that doubles as storage is everything to me. Get all of the underbed storage, the cabinets, the sets of drawers, the bins. Storage can double as decor, too! Shelves to display vintage glassware is one of my favorite ways to fill up wall space.
Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? Take your time. It doesn’t have to all be done at once. Your home will feel authentic to you when you accumulate objects and DIYs over time — to me purchases mean more when they’re secondhand or vintage, because then the object feels more unique to me and my home. Nesting is a process! Enjoy the early stages of its potential.
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Name: Iris Miyasaki, owner of styling and organizing company, By Saki, with partner, Erin, and golden retriever, Miley Location: Seattle, Washington Type of home: Condo Size: 908 square feet Time lived in: 6 months, owned
We bought our condo in May 20222 and we fell in love with the asymmetrical layout of the space, and the neighborhood (Ballard). It’s our first home as our little family of three! Though we closed in May, we had two months to complete renovations so it was a quick turnaround. We redid our flooring (took out the ugly carpet), countertops, backsplash, and edited light fixtures and hardware. It got done in time and we were so relieved, especially with how backed up the supply chain was/is.
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Our Style: Minimal meets Scandinavian chic
Inspiration: I’m a Japanese-American LGBTQIA+ woman from Hawaii, as is my partner, so we wanted to incorporate a lot of culture into our renovations and decor. We chose flooring on the lighter end as a nod to bamboo and tatami mats you often see in Japan. Our couch is a gorgeous pretty pink that I knew was a MUST when we moved in. It’s feminine, bold, and oh so comfy — all key themes in our home. We also have imagery and art pieces of the female body to celebrate each other as queer women of color. The greenery from our houseplants and prints of local artists like Pegge Hopper refers to our island upbringing in Hawaii.
Favorite Element: ALL OF IT! I can’t think of a better feeling of “loving to come home.” I feel safe and secure here with Erin and Miley. Every space brings a smile to my face — that’s exactly how I want my clients to feel when I’m finished organizing or styling their home.
Biggest Challenge: The biggest challenge was making a relatively small space feel spacious AND cozy at the same time. The layout of our condo is asymmetrical so I had to play with a lot of odd angles. I overcame this challenge by creating zones in the home — even though the “living room” is basically one large room, I created a designated space for my office, the actually lounging/living room area, and a dining room.
What’s the most unusual, brilliant, or surprising tip/philosophy/idea for organizing small homes? The less you have, the more you’ll utilize and be creative with what you have. So yes, it’s not news but, less is always more. We live in a society of over consumption and it’s very overwhelming. I find when I have less, I appreciate what I have much more.
What are the biggest mistakes people make when trying to organize their home? They try to organize one section of a bigger space and think it’ll solve all their problems. Organizing is truly contagious so it’s quite impossible to just stick to one space. For example, someone will try to organize their “junk drawer” in the kitchen and will realize there are things in there that belong in the garage (like batteries or spare screwdrivers) or in the kid’s room (like random little toys) or in the office (like old mail and stamps). So eventually when that drawer becomes clear and organized, moving the misplaced items to their correct homes becomes another project, which then leads to realizing they need to organize the other spaces.
What’s an easy task you do (and that others could do) EVERY day to stay more organized? Everything is put away before you go to bed so every morning you wake up to a well-organized home. If every item in your home has a home, it’s very easy to put away once you use it and also locate when you need it.
What’s an item(s) someone can (and should) get rid of today? Clothes you haven’t worn in the past year or if it doesn’t fit you. Keep pieces in your closet that you love and make you feel your best! Getting dressed is one of the first things you do in your day and I honestly believe if you look good, you feel good, and that energy is infectious!
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Name: Alexandra Rodriguez (owner/steward), Ralph (dog/rodent hunter), Cooper (livestock guardian dog), Fozzy (livestock guardian dog), SquirtDiggity (Blue Heeler/herding dog) Location: Boulder County, Colorado Size: 2,000 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, owned
It might be hard to picture, but this thoughtfully put-together farmhouse was once a sad, gray, stained carpeted nightmare (think Woodstock circa 1975, velour textures and all). After working on a 100-acre hemp farm just a few miles down the road, a close colleague of Alexandra’s introduced her to the property. Beneath a canopy of old satellites, overgrown junipers, and fence lines on the verge of toppling over, Alexandra and her mother, Robin, saw a gem waiting to be restored to its ranchette glory.
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The single-story house here was built in the 1970s. Even though there was a major amount of gutting, updating, grading of the driveways, landscaping, and remodeling of the interior rooms, it has remained true to its original ranch style form. It is a simple space that is perfect for hosting guests without ever feeling too cramped.
You enter via the mudroom, which is in the middle of the east side of the house and opens up to the kitchen and living room. With windows on all sides, morning light pours in while drinking a cup of coffee and pulling on boots to go feed the animals. The previous owners were all stewards of the land. Some raised hogs and goats. Now, sheep rotationally graze the pasture. Moving sheep through the pasture brings fertility to the land, helping to regenerate soil, plant, and animal health.
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Inspiration: Nature’s seasons here in Colorado. Setting our mind and body clock to nature’s rhythm is peculiarly life-affirming.
Favorite Element: The 180-degree view from the living room. The living room was an add-on that lets in natural light throughout the entire day. The views of Long’s Peak (a Colorado 14’er in Rocky Mountain National Park), the animals out at pasture (especially while snow falls), and the flames of the fireplace create rejuvenating moments of deep appreciation for the land. This element of home is perfect for recharging depleted batteries.
Biggest Challenge: Coming from Charleston, South Carolina, we were spoiled with home decor studios and boutiques. It was most difficult finding adequate help being new in the area. It was in getting to know our neighbors that we were able to connect with expert tradesmen and women. Cultivating community is what helped to bring our visions for this home to life.
Proudest DIY: Renovating the barns, and kitchen. Learning to install new flooring, roofing, and building barn doors, were some of the more challenging DIY projects. Thanks to all of the friends that helped us along the way!
Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? Consume things that are viscerally appealing to you. In all cases: home goods, food, clothing, art, music, plants. Conscious consumption always seems to result in timeless style.
