ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER

HOUSE TYPE: Apartment

PROJECT TYPE: Kitchen

STYLE: Bohemian, Colorful

SKILL LEVEL: DIY

RENTAL FRIENDLY: NO

New Yorkers are often grateful for any kitchen space they can get. A place with ample counter space is a rare find, and neat cabinets are, well, beyond hard to find. When Paulina Brown found her 25-square-foot Brooklyn apartment, she was “eager to make it her own,” she says.

“When I walked into this apartment and saw the high ceilings, the fresh white paint and the large arched windows, it was ‘love at first sight,'” says Paulina. She soon realized that her IKEA furniture and unimaginative, second-hand decor didn’t fit the light-filled space and classic architecture she had fallen in love with – nor did the gray and white kitchen, which looked a little too run-of-the-mill to fit in an apartment with such magnificent architecture. Paulina set about making the space warm and personal.

She spent a lot of time finding the perfect furniture and decor, but she also did some work in her kitchen to add a playful, eclectic touch.

First, Paulina found some extra space for a closet in the hallway, right next to the kitchen. “I got a nice little tension rod from Amazon and a linen curtain from Amazon and used those to hide my storage shelves, which I filled with a large number of fabric storage cubes that are the same color as the curtain,” says Paulina.

“I’m now a big fan of curtains with tension rods to hide things,” she adds. “For $150 total, you can hide all kinds of unsightly things in your apartment behind one big, long curtain. It’s a dream.” Paulina suggests spending a few dollars more on longer curtains so the wall doesn’t look like it’s wearing capri pants.

Second, before her renovation, the base cabinets in the kitchen didn’t match the white of the upper cabinets, so Paulina came up with a renter-friendly solution to make everything match. “The other DIY project I did to brighten up the very small ‘living space’ was to cover the bottom halves of the kitchen cabinets with white contact paper,” she explains.

She says this project was easily removable and only took one evening. It was her first time using contact paper, but she only had to watch a few YouTube videos to get the hang of it.

Her last major addition to the kitchen was a multipurpose table. She found an “elegant whitewashed wood desk with a tabletop inlaid with linen fabric and covered with faceted glass” in Park Slope, she says. She placed two matching table lamps on the table, which divide the space. The table is suitable for both eating and working.

“My tiny apartment has given me a passion for table lamps,” says Paulina. “I try to create little stations for different activities in my apartment, and small lamps are a great way to create cozy, defined zones.” I found her green lamps in a vintage store.

Overall, Paulina’s most important decorating tip—especially for an old apartment like hers—is to look for favorite used pieces. She calls herself a “thrift store decor evangelist” because she’s used all of her trinkets, Craigslist finds, and eBay purchases to create a space that’s perfect for her. To see more of her apartment, check out her living room makeover.

Inspired? Submit your own project here.

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