Expand the Living Room

This New York City apartment is a tiny, urban oasis brimming with style. The designers at LABLstudio chiseled out separate spots for sleeping, working, and entertaining by dividing the single room apartment in half.

They borrowed some of the bedroom square footage—which starts at the back of the apartment—to establish a larger living room with a small home office near the front windows. A wallpaper feature wall enhances the sense of separation between the bedroom and living room.

Try a Curtain Divider

Room divider curtains conceal a queen-sized bed and stacked washer dryers in this 450-square-foot studio by Benjamin Hall Design and Build based in Phoenix, AZ that can be opened or closed depending on the time of day.

Install Sliding Doors

The smart designers at Facet 14 Studio turned a nook in this New York City studio apartment into a private bedroom by installing sliding doors that glide on a built-in track near the ceiling.

Build a Temporary Half Wall

A temporary half wall divides the square footage in this Scandinavian studio apartment spotted on Alvhem Makleri. This is a particularly good idea for a rental where building something permanent is prohibited.

Add a Storage Divider

The interior designers at The Brooklyn Home Company combined weathered wood with custom storage to create some privacy for a bedroom in this New York City studio apartment. The bespoke room divider adds rustic character to the shabby chic living room.

Try a Bookcase Divider

Blogger Jackie Clair from York Avenue used an IKEA KALLAX shelving unit to divide her tiny studio apartment into two distinct living areas. The best part: the smart piece of storage furniture cost less than $110.

This particular furniture collection can be customized with add-on parts—drawers, baskets, and colorful storage boxes—that add personality while providing concealed storage.

Use Transforming Furniture

This smart, room-maximizing system created by ICOSA Design brought supersized function to a tiny condo in San Francisco. The unit combines a loft-style bedroom on top of a multifunctional room packed with transforming furniture. A favorite feature is the dining room table that folds into the built-in cabinetry. The wall facing the seated woman conceals a full-size Murphy bed for houseguests.

Add Secret Storage

Most of the furniture chosen by interior design firm Black & Milk for this 270-square foot studio apartment has a space-saving superpower. A secret cabinet conceals a wall bed that pulls down over the sofa. The mirrored wall on the right is—surprise—free-standing storage made up of five wardrobe cabinets lined up side by side. Not shown is a shallow console that opens up to a six-seat dining room table.

Add Under-Bed Storage

Plywood and a heaping dose of creativity turned this minuscule rental seen on Svenska Maklarhuset into a cozy studio apartment. The lumber was used to construct the piece of platform furniture with built-in storage drawers on the left. The unit separates the bedroom from the living room by lifting the mattress nearly three feet above the floor.

Use a Scrim

Interior design consultant Chris Nguyen from Analog Dialog used a scrim to divide this 450-square foot studio apartment. The thick gauzy fabric doubles as a giant projection screen for watching movies and TV.

Try a Built-In Trundle Bed

Making room to plop down a mattress—not to mention a sofa—in a studio apartment that measures barely 129 square feet seems impossible. But this renovation by Julie Nabucet Architectures pulls it off.

The custom raised platform doubles as a room divider and cleverly conceals a full-size trundle bed. When partially extended, the mattress doubles as a sofa. When it is time to crash, just pull the bed entirely out.

Define Space With Color

Painting walls different colors is one of the simplest and most affordable ways to create separation in a single room. Dove gray on one section of the wall creates the illusion of a bedroom in this Swedish studio on Alvhem Makleri.

Hack the Furniture

The couple who moved into this studio apartment featured on IKEA Hackers could not bear the idea of having a bed in their tiny living room. So they came up with an ingenious hack to conceal their mattress. Their project shares how to turn two PAX closet doors into a built-in room divider that glides across a ceiling track.

Because they wanted their living room to be as big as possible, the bedroom nook has just enough space to fit the bed and a little storage for clothing.

Use Vertical Space

Do you have high ceilings? Consider squeezing a loft bed over your kitchen. Doing so in this Swedish studio apartment featured on Fantastic Frank created space for a sizable living room. The stairs double as storage units.

Divide Space With a Desk

London-based architectural firm CIAO transformed this studio apartment with custom built-ins that smartly divide the open space. A raised platform and custom desk combo separates the bedroom from the central living area.

Use a Wood Screen Divider

The interior designers at Laurel and Wolf used furniture to split up the open floor plan of this 600-square-foot studio into three distinct sections.

A beautiful slatted wood screen separates the bedroom from the kitchen, while a rug under the sofa creates a little visual separation between the living room and bedroom.

Add Industrial Vibes

An industrial-style glass and black metal partition hides a bedroom in plain sight without blocking light or views in this studio apartment from Fantastic Frank.

Get Your Bed off the Floor

A bed perched above the sofa increases floor space for a living room in this Swedish apartment featured on My Scandinavian Home.

Hide the Bed

Styling the mattress like a daybed with pillows and throws turns it into a sofa during waking hours, adding more functionality to this itty-bitty studio apartment seen on Ludin Fastighetsbyra.

Put an Empty Nook to Work

A deep recess provides just enough space to position a twin bed in this studio apartment on Bjurfors. Placing the mattress on a platform with built-in storage drawers optimizes the little nook.

Hang Tie-Back Curtains

If you live in a studio that includes an alcove, nook, or niche for the bed, turn it into a feature by hanging inexpensive tie-back curtains that frame the entrance, like this light and airy Scandinavian space from Fantastic Frank.

Build a Cubby for Your Bed

A custom fabricated wood platform with built-in cabinetry by Jordan Parnass Digital Architecture incorporates the bed in this New York City studio apartment. The efficient piece accommodates a queen-size mattress, as well as plenty of storage and an integrated ladder.

Use Small Space Furniture

Furniture specifically designed for small spaces can help maximize skimpy square footage, as in this 270-square-foot studio apartment by Zukkini Interior Design. Living room furnishings include a shallow love seat and a small bistro set. A narrow bookcase on the left carves out a spot for a bed with a built-in headboard.

Install Pegboard Walls

In this tiny abode designed by Position Collective, a tennis net divides the dwelling into two distinct rooms. Classic pegboards are employed as storage walls, offering a sleek solution for keeping clutter at bay.

Use a Desk to Divide Space

Patterned wallpaper and a glass-top desk separate the bedroom from the living room in this chic studio apartment by BAM Design Lab, while splashes of turquoise harmonize the distinct spaces.

Try a Mobile Kitchen Island

If your studio apartment has a kitchenette that’s open to the rest of the space, a small kitchen island on wheels is a flexible solution for dividing space while adding extra counter space and storage like this sage green number from Becca Interiors.

Use Color to Define Zones

This NYC apartment from Most Lovely Things uses color to visually define zones in the compact space, from the half-painted wall behind the dining table to the area rug that anchors the couch. Using shades of orange and gold maintains a cohesive look throughout the space so that it feels energized but harmonious.