Houzz Tour: A 550-Sq-Ft Studio Flat Gets a High Contrast Makeover
Dramatic dark painted walls and airy white linens come together in this Hollywood apartment
Moving from a larger and more expensive apartment down the street to a small studio was an undertaking that presented a few challenges to Degina, pictured here with her chihuahua Little One. “In the end, I found it to be very liberating to have a less materialistic life and to do without things I didn’t need or have space for,” she says. “With some creativity, planning and organisation, you can cut back on costs but still have what you want.”
Degina has worked as a freelance interior designer for more than 15 years and focuses on homes of less than 1,000 square feet. “I’m from New York, where most apartments are small,” she says. “Many of my friends here are in small spaces too. I saw a niche to be filled.”
Degina has worked as a freelance interior designer for more than 15 years and focuses on homes of less than 1,000 square feet. “I’m from New York, where most apartments are small,” she says. “Many of my friends here are in small spaces too. I saw a niche to be filled.”
“What sold me on the apartment were these gorgeous windows,” Degina says. The floor-to-ceiling arched windows are an architectural detail uncommon in most studio apartments. However, Degina lives in the historic Chateau des Fleurs on Franklin Avenue in Hollywood. One of many luxurious hotel apartments that sprung up in the 1920s to cater to Hollywood professionals, the French Normandy building was home to Olivia de Havilland, Joan Fontaine, photographer Man Ray and many other notables.
The dramatic style Degina chose for her studio, a break from her usual transitional look, pays homage to the building’s luminous past. “Right now most people want clean and contemporary,” she says. “For this apartment, I decided to highlight the elegance of the space, so I ended up with a softer, more feminine design than I normally favour.”
The dramatic style Degina chose for her studio, a break from her usual transitional look, pays homage to the building’s luminous past. “Right now most people want clean and contemporary,” she says. “For this apartment, I decided to highlight the elegance of the space, so I ended up with a softer, more feminine design than I normally favour.”
When moving, her first decision was whether she should work with the furniture she already had or start from scratch. “One of the biggest mistakes people make is to fill a small space with small furniture. That actually makes it feel smaller, so I ultimately decided to stick with my California king-sized bed and roomy sofa,” she says.
Two other pieces she brought with her from her old apartment are the small white nightstands that now serve as a coffee table. “The two tables give me more flexibility than one bigger table since I can move them around easily to gain more space when I need to,” Degina explains.
Two other pieces she brought with her from her old apartment are the small white nightstands that now serve as a coffee table. “The two tables give me more flexibility than one bigger table since I can move them around easily to gain more space when I need to,” Degina explains.
Degina took a cue from hotel room design when approaching her studio. “Hotel rooms don’t try to hide the bed. Rather, they make it the focal point,” she says. She first tried using bookcases to partition the room and separate the living area from the bedroom. “It really cut into the space too much. Once I moved the bed front and centre and got rid of the bookcases, the room really opened up and gave me enough wall space for the fireplace,” she says.
Degina changes the room based on the season or her mood by rotating things out of her closet. “Aside from the bed position, the room is constantly changing,” she says.
For that reason, she decided against an area rug in the living space, which would hinder easy movement of furniture. “As a designer, it was a really tough choice to make since I love textiles and was looking forward to having a rug here,” she says. “These are the kinds of choices that make life work in small square footage. I tell my clients to first make a checklist of what they need functionally. Aesthetics and organisation come after.”
Degina changes the room based on the season or her mood by rotating things out of her closet. “Aside from the bed position, the room is constantly changing,” she says.
For that reason, she decided against an area rug in the living space, which would hinder easy movement of furniture. “As a designer, it was a really tough choice to make since I love textiles and was looking forward to having a rug here,” she says. “These are the kinds of choices that make life work in small square footage. I tell my clients to first make a checklist of what they need functionally. Aesthetics and organisation come after.”
The painting on the fireplace mantel is by Degina. “My artwork is all mixed media consisting of spray paint and acrylic. As a former street artist, I started to bring spray-paint techniques inside on canvas and mixed them with my abstract art,” she says. “Metallics are in high demand, so I am usually layering in silvers and golds quite frequently. My Halcyon Collection has hints of gold.”
Degina uses matching table and floor lamps to augment the limited lighting typical of older buildings. Two potted mother-in-law’s tongue plants add a touch of nature to her neutral color palette.
Degina is a big proponent of neutrals. “Neutrals always work but they can still be bold,” she says. She often brings in colour with accessory pieces such as a pillow or artwork. “Last week I had bright pink peonies in this vase, but I normally don’t invest much in colour,” she says. Here, fresh white cymbidiums play into her neutral design.
In the hallway, two sleek white racks cleverly store stylish black shoes and dress up a plain wall.
The black-and-white colour scheme is carried throughout each space. “I don’t always recommend it, but it definitely helps to make everything feel more fluid and cohesive in a small space,” Degina says.
The bathroom features a black floral wallpapered accent wall. “All three rooms in the apartment have an accent wall,” she says. A
silver console from Target with an added marble top adds extra storage to the apartment’s only bathroom.
The bathroom features a black floral wallpapered accent wall. “All three rooms in the apartment have an accent wall,” she says. A
silver console from Target with an added marble top adds extra storage to the apartment’s only bathroom.
The kitchen is decorated on a budget with functionality as the main priority. The small eating area had to serve as a workspace as well, so Degina went with a white round table and black cafe chairs. The table is durable enough to handle work yet lightweight enough to be moved around easily. “I’m constantly updating the wall with new artwork so the table has to move in and out often,” Degina says. “Since I don’t entertain much, I didn’t want to spend a lot on furniture in this room.”
The two items Degina splurged on for this space were the sleek bar cabinet and the New Zealand wool rug.
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Tell us:
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Read more:
Kerala Room: A 341-Sq-Ft Bedroom Suite Channels an Elegant Vibe
Vadodara Houzz: Rusticity, Water & Sun Dictate This Home’s Design
Tell us:
What did you think about this home? Tell us in comments.
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Who lives here: Kristy Degina and her two Chihuahuas, Spike and Little One
Location: Hollywood neighbourhood of Los Angeles
Size: 550 square feet (51.1 square metres); studio with full kitchen and bathroom
“Black, greys and white are my colours,” says Kristy Degina, who works as a merchandising manager for Crate & Barrel. Degina also is a freelance interior designer for her company, franklinAve, which specialises in small-space design and original art and pillows. Her space is a reflection of her design philosophy. “I finally decided to live the mantra that I teach my clients: to live minimally, organise more and reduce spending,” she says.
In her Hollywood studio, the sharp contrast of colours brings drama to the petite room. “Don’t be afraid to go big and bold in a small space,” she says. “I see clients choose pure white for their walls. White is clean and modern but can feel sterile if it’s pure white,” she says. The colour she used is slightly off-white, “so it’s still modern but liveable and not hospital-like. It also helps to hide imperfections, which pure white tends to highlight,” she says.