A Family of Four Is Living in a Stylish, Extremely Organized 700 Square Feet

Name:Crystal Nielsen, her husband, and two kids
Location:New York, New York
Size:700 square feet
Years Lived In:2 years, renting

For a person living solo, 700 square feet isn’t allthat小。但试着适应four-tw的整个家庭o adults and two kids—and that same amount of space can turn cluttered, fast. Not for designer Crystal Nielsen and her family, though. Their home in New York is an example of not only how to make the most of a small space… but how to make a home fit your family’s specific design needs.

The apartment they rent comes with some stunning architectural elements, from beautiful wooden parquet flooring, the big crown molding, and the home’s beautiful light. Crystal has certainly had a great canvas to work with. But the task of decorating wasn’t without challenges. For instance, where do four people sleep when there’s only one actual bedroom? For this family, instead of splitting the bedroom in half, Crystal opted for a Murphy bed in the living room for a master bedroom that can be folded up. “First thing in the morning we just fold it up and it is tucked out of the way,” she wrote. “It is nice to have the extra floor space for the kids to play.”

While Crystal admits that with two kids, the closets can get messy, there’s no evidence of a mess when you look through the home’s rooms. From the simple color palette, to lots of baskets for hiding necessities, part of this family’s success in a small space is just being careful with what comes inside. “While living in small spaces it is important to be very strategic with what you choose to bring into your home. (This also applies to bigger homes, too!)”

My Style:Transitional

Inspiration:The biggest inspiration for our apartment stemmed from an art piece from@Christieadelle. The soft touches of pink and neutrals inspired other art pieces and neutral furniture to complement it. I also painted our dark accent wall in the living room to pull from the blue and green tones in the painting.

Favorite Element:My favorite design element of our home is the parquet flooring, the decorative molding, and the beams.

Biggest Challenge:The hardest challenge for us was figuring out if we should do a Murphy bed or try to split the kids room in half. We are so happy we went with the Murphy bed! We havelovedit. First thing in the morning we just fold it up and it is tucked out of the way. It is nice to have the extra floor space for the kids to play.

What Friends Say:We have had a few friends buy a lot of the same furniture we have after they leave our place. I am glad others find inspiration when they come to our small abode! Most of all I think people like that we don’t own alot of stuff; it is so refreshing to be in a space that doesn’t overwhelm you with clutter everywhere.

Biggest Embarrassment:Biggest embarrassment is when people come over and they open our closets and they are messy. I take pride in having a clean home but I also allow myself grace since I have kids and I want to allow them to be little and make messes.

Proudest DIY:My proudest DIY project were the shelves in the kitchen. We got scrap wood from Home Depot and brackets. Then had them mounted to the wall easy and cheap! (My kind of DIY!)

Biggest Indulgence:Our biggest indulgence was our sofa. We wanted a decent sofa for our living room that was comfortable and looked GOOD. So we went with a deep comfortable sofa from Four Hands; it took four months to get to us but was worth the wait!

Best Advice:While living in small spaces it is important to be very strategic with what you choose to bring into your home. (This also applies to bigger homes, too!)

For example, as much as I like dressers we chose to opt out of having one to have more bedroom space. We store all of our clothes and the kids clothes in our closets (you can see inside all our closets in myInstagram Story highlights).

PAINT & COLORS
Benjamin Moore, Newburg Green
Benjamin Moore, Chantilly Lace

ENTRY
Bench —Overstock
Mirror —CB2
Wallpaper —Chasing Paper
Rug —Zartique Rugs
Light Fixture —IKEA

LIVING ROOM
Habitat Sofa —France & Son
Rug —Boutique Rugs
Kensington Stool (Piano Stool) —Trove warehouse
Cooper Chair —Blu Dot
Picture Ledge —Minted
Wall Sconces —Lamps Plus
Murphy Bed —Breda Beds

DINING ROOM
Dining Chairs —Design Within Reach
Table —Lexmod
Pom Pom Blanket —Serena & Lily
Chandelier —Lamps Plus(out of stock but similar!)
Painting —Christie Adelle
Bench —Urban Outfitters
Vase —Pottery Barn
Plant —Home Depot

KITCHEN
Floor Stickers —Etsy
Hardware —D. Lawless Hardware
Dish Towel —Mae Woven
Shelves — (DIY)
Chandelier —Lights.com

KID’S BEDROOM
Rug —Esale Rugs
Perch Twin Bunk —Oeuf
Love at First White (Bedding) —Beddy’s
Oxford Pop Up Sofa —Room & Board
Helix Bookcase —CB2
Lambert Pendant Fixture —Hudson Valley Lighting
Floor Lamp —Hudson Valley Lighting
Large Baskets —Serena & Lily
Double Fixture —Lexmod