This 400-Square-Foot Studio Has Pinspiration Written All Over It

When Natalie Chong of Nest Design Studio received a call from a mother, asking the designer to decorate her daughter’s newly rented studio apartment, Natalie jumped at the chance. Sure, the 400-square-foot condo in Toronto’s Thompson Hotel would be a challenge to furnish and style (it’s a complete open space, with a major lack of storage), but Natalie embraced the opportunity to create a feminine retreat that would surprise and delight its lucky new tenant.

The first step in furnishing and decorating the tiny condo was to delineate zones: a dining area, living area, and a bedroom (all within the same open space!). Because the space is entirely open, Natalie also needed to ensure the zones felt cohesive. She achieved this with a shared palette of neutral tones: white, black, dove grey and hits of gold. The overall look is utterly dreamy, while still offering the renter an entirely practical space to enjoy.

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A modern tulip-inspired table from IKEA fit perfectly in one of the four corners of the studio. Natalie paired it with two wishbone-inspired chairs from Elte MKT and reflected the elegant-meets-California cool scene with a floor-to-ceiling mirror from Homesense. The mirror is the finishing touch on the dining area, and serves to open up what would otherwise be a plain, little corner.

The living area spans the entire back wall of the studio, starting with a couch and ottoman on one side that are piled high with mohair pillows, sheepskin throws and luxe throws.

Here you can see just how small the space was that Natalie was working with. A dresser in the living room provides storage while also acting as a mount for the television, and the ottoman doubles as a coffee table or extra seating for visitors.

Decorative baskets tucked under the ottoman provide additional storage for magazine and blankets, while an antique silver tray and Champagne coupes atop the ottoman give the living area a glamorous appeal.

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A Juju hat hung over the sofa adds to the dreamy quality of the space, thanks to its delicate array of textured plumes.

A woven hamper marks where the living room meets the bedroom and introduces a softer palette of colours and texture.

Natalie used black sparingly in the space, which allows it to pop when featured. Here, a little black lampshade paired with a gold and lucite base adds a sophisticated touch to the white and chrome dresser.

This regal bed was found at Restoration Hardware, and offers perfect elegant lines to blend with the feminine studio. A small black pedestal table fits snug beside the bed, and balances the pops of black in each of the zones.

Just like the little black side table, Natalie repeated other motifs throughout each zone, like the pop of gold in the mirror over the bed, and the feather print on the pillows. All of these little details add up to create a studio space that’s bright, beautiful and cohesive.

A look back from the main area towards the entryway shows off a gallery wall Natalie created to lend some colour and life to the wall opposite the kitchen. It leads to the entryway where a black door anchors the room and contrasts nicely with a glam-meets-industrial glass pendant.

With the tiniest stretch of wall space to work with, Natalie still managed to sneak in an entryway console with surface and hidden storage. She mounted a gold oval mirror above a floating cabinet (an IKEA hack with new gold hardware) and staged it with gold and silver accents. Hidden storage is key for Canadian entryways. When the cold weather hits, it’s vital to have a space to stash mittens, hats and scarves!

A small round stool topped with a sheepskin throw sits in the entryway. It can be used for taking shoes on and off, or tucked under the floating console.

Natalie’s design was well received by the studio’s new tenant, who was thoroughly surprised by her mother’s sneaky plans! Congrats to Natalie for pulling it off, and thank you for sharing this beautiful studio in Toronto.