How to Maximize Space In Your Upper West Side Studio Apartment

Living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan means you’re near Central Park and a slew of famous museums. Since the area features some of the most sought-after properties in the city, you can expect rental prices to match. Renting a studio apartment is a great way to live in your desired neighborhood on a tighter budget. Small space living isn’t for everyone, but if location is important to you, you can find a way to make it work.

Functional Furniture

When you don’t have much room, everything you put in your apartment needs to serve some function, if not two. Think of ottomans that feature hidden storage compartments or that can double as a small side table, or even a seat in a pinch, and beds with built-in shelving or drawers underneath. If you’re looking for modern style, functional furniture, there’s a Design within Reach studio on Columbus Avenue, between 76th and 77th streets.

Storage Solutions

While functional furniture can help you hide away stuff you use on a daily basis, if you have a lot of stuff that you don’t use often, it might make more sense to store it off-site. For example, you might love to ski or snowboard, but you probably don’t need to make room for those items in a small studio apartment. Instead, rent a unit at a place such as Manhattan Mini Storage to keep all your extras, until you need them. The storage facility is open every day of the year, so you have easy access to your belongings.

Cleaning

In a small space, it’s easy for a small mess to quickly turn into a big mess. To make a studio more pleasant to live in, you want to stay on top of your cleaning schedule. That not only means keeping clutter to a minimum, it also means keeping on top of dusting, vacuuming and washing the dishes. If time isn’t on your side, or you hate cleaning, you can always hire a cleaning service to do the dirty work for you. Along with offering eco-friendly dry cleaning on the UWS, Next Cleaners provides a green housekeeping service, so your studio can stay tidy without the use of harsh chemicals.

Coping with a Smaller Kitchen

Most Upper West Side studio apartments come with a kitchen that may be smaller than what you’re used to, which can stifle your culinary creativity. The neighborhood is home to some of the country’s fanciest restaurants, such as Per Se, but sometimes, you want a more affordable dinner option. If you want to try and make the most of your small kitchen, try grocery delivery, using a service such as Seamless or Instacart. Make the most of the limited space in the room by hanging the things you use regularly, such as skillets and pans, from a pegboard or hooks. Just double check with the landlord before you attach anything to the wall.

The UWS of Manhattan puts you in the heart of the city. For many, living in a small space is a sacrifice worth making to live among the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple.

Photo Credit: Attribution CC BY-ND 2.0 / Flickr / The Lake Central Park/ Simon Gibson