One of the most common dilemmas we encounter from our clients is when they have very specific style preferences they have no idea how to incorporate into a modern condo interior design for small spaces.
In this blog post, we’re going to share with you how we used our Space-Planning service to help our client transform her functional but blah studio unit into a modern-looking condo that truly fits her personality and preferences.
Our client's unique condo challenge
Let’s talk about the unique challenges that our client brought to us about her studio condo unit. It’s in a great location, is a good size for her lifestyle, and she has functional furniture pieces that kind of addresses her needs.
Her problem? Somehow, the small space doesn’t fit her own style and personality…and as such, doesn’t feel much like home.
She outlined her problems for us, as follows:
- She didn’t really feel the need to heavily renovate, so she had to make do with the condo unit’s existing, builder-grade finishes (kitchen cabinets, flooring)
- She wanted to keep her queen bed and work desk, which were suitable for her hybrid-work lifestyle. She however knew how much space they took up.
- As the condo kitchen is very small, she purchased a kitchen island with wheels, in the hopes that she would be able to cook and entertain. But as it was the wrong size, she ends up just pushing the island against the wall, and hardly even uses it.
- Due to her penchant for all things British, her mom brought her a really cool refrigerator from Smeg with a Union Jack design. While it’s an incredibly unique piece, it stands out too jarringly in a basic-looking condo.
- Apart from all things anglo, our client also loved collecting Japanese kawaii-cute items (like stuffed toys, pillows, and plateware), had a vinyl record collection she wanted to display. Oh and she loved pastel hues and wanted to incorporate that into her condo’s color palette.
- The lighting fixtures that came with the unit were not sufficient for her needs, especially at night.
- She also needed to keep her expenses to a minimum, as she didn’t want to blow a big budget on a place that she knew wasn’t yet her forever home.
How we approached space planning for a small condo unit
When we tackle projects like this, we first start by taking down measurements of the space. For most of our eDesign projects, we have our clients send over their condo unit’s measurements. But when these spaces are within our location, we often do a site visit (for an additional fee) to take down measurements ourselves.
Maximizing functionality and style in a compact space
Here are the important information we need to have before we begin creating plans for any space, particularly compact spaces like condo units:
- Room or space measurements: end to end, wall to wall, corner to corner. This includes measurements of any and all architectural or built-in features, like doors, windows, and cabinetry, as well as heights from floor to ceiling.
- Measurements of any existing furniture that we need to incorporate into the design. This is very important especially when working with small spaces like condo units and tiny homes.
- Photos of the space from all possible angles. At the very least, we take down photos from all corners of the space, and also take pictures of ceilings, flooring, awkward corners, if any. This helps us have a reference whenever we’re designing something for our eDesign clients.
- Condition of walls, flooring, ceiling, lighting, cabinetry, and furniture. This helps us determine if we should recommend light refresh or upgrades to your space, or if you really need to do a heavier remodel job.
We also asked our client to answer a comprehensive questionnaire that takes down all her needs, wants, likes and dislikes. After answering the questionnaire, our client went on an in-depth discussion with us via Zoom, so that we could really dig into deeper detail about everything she needs and wants for her condo. This way, we are really able to come up with a modern condo interior design for her small space—a space that she can truly call her home.
Making the Union Jack fridge a standout feature
Not gonna lie, it was challenging to try to make all her preferences work, since there were a lot of elements that didn’t seem to go together.
The Union Jack refrigerator definitely needed to be made a standout feature, but we couldn’t use its bold colorway as a basis for the condo’s palette, especially since our client already identified pastel hues as her preference.
We of course went online to look for possible inspiration photos (what we call “pegs”) to help us create a cohesive design for our client. Pinterest is our usual go-to, and came up with a design inspiration board for a modern condo interior design for a compact space.
Creative layout and furniture solutions for small living spaces
We decided to create a contrast of elements for the design: graphic, British-pop icons set against pastel-colored shapes and features on the wall. We also chose furniture pieces and lighting that had a modern, mid-century/retro vibe to it—it was all reminiscent of the iconic British character Austin Powers, but with a more muted and feminine-cute feel to it.
We recommended our client to let go of her kitchen island, and replace it with a round tulip table instead. This way, she had more flexibility in the compact space by floating it in the middle of her “kitchen-dining” space to use as an island, or to entertain 3 to 4 people. We suggested matching it with bright-pink Eames-inspired chairs; the form of the iconic chair was used quite often in British-pop interiors, and the feminine color went well with her penchant for pastel and all things kawaii-cute.
Thanks to my husband too, who is a Beatles and Oasis superfan, we were able to identify band poster prints to recommend to our client that would help us showcase more of the color palette and design style we knew she would love.
The bedroom layout was a bit more tricky, as her queen bed practically took up all of the space. However, during our consultation call, she had mentioned that she wanted to accommodate her vinyl records and her books in the space, as well as have a reading nook where she could quietly read them.
Since we knew our client wanted to do three different activities in the bedroom area (not counting the work desk, which we were retaining in the same spot), we reoriented her bed so that we could create pockets of spaces for her vinyl records collection, a TV, a reading nook, and a bookshelf for her books.
Visualizing the design: 3D renderings of our modern condo interior design
In order for our clients to really imagine how their condo is going to look like, we send over realistic 3D renderings of their spaces.
For this Brit-modern condo design, here are the different ways we visualized how the small studio condo could look like.
The combination of the retro style of the Smeg refrigerator, the white tulip table, and the pink Eames-inspired chairs all came together to showcase a very midcentury-modern, British-pop aesthetic. We also recommended to replace her single-bulb light fixture in the kitchen with ceiling-mounted spotlights, which she could point at different areas in her kitchen and dining space.
If viewing the dining space from the other side, the white table and pink chairs also reinforced her subdued color palette, especially when paired with an Impressionist art print, of which our client was also a fan.
For the work area, we wanted her to make use of vertical surface so that she wouldn’t need to place her belongings on the floor—which we all know takes up valuable space. We suggested wall-mounted shelves for her to place her books and some office supplies that she used while working from home.
In lieu of a bulky TV cabinet, we suggested a compact cubby shelf on which our client could store her vinyl records and books. As she had a concrete wall on this side of the condo, we told her it would be easy for her to mount her TV directly on the wall, freeing up space on the cubby shelf for her record player.
Note as well that we designed a painted wall treatment for her to implement her pastel color palette. In keeping with the mod look, we created wall-art design composed of overlapping rounded arches in lilac and blush. This is also why most of the furniture pieces we picked were in white, so that the wall art could still be visible behind the bigger pieces. We also put up picture ledges on the wall, which could serve as display ledges for her treasured vinyl records.
This painted wall treatment was repeated in the bedroom wall, this time including other pastel hues like butter and sage. We still wanted her to make use of the vertical surface, which is where she could continue the use of display ledges for her records. These records also serve as “wall art,” and she could switch them up whenever her mood changes.
Note that by her bedside was a new reading corner, composed of a slim armchair and an iconic rounded side table. The forms of these furniture pieces were still in keeping with modern Britpop interiors. We also recommended a different light fixture for her bedroom, this time with a Scandi look and feel. Scandinavian style is still very much aligned with midcentury modern and retro pop design.
We were also able to squeeze in a slim shelf in the freed up corner of her bedroom so that she could have more space to store books, or even her kawaii toys and figurines.
Client feedback on the design transformation
When we presented our deliverables, we included not just the inspiration board, furniture and lighting plans, and 3d renderings, but also a shopping list of all items we had selected that fit into her condo’s modern Britpop look, a paint color guide, and our recommended list of trades, contractors, and suppliers.
We knew we were on the right track when, a few days after uploading our deliverables on our dedicated online client portal, we received this message from our client:
Our final deliverables included wall elevations showing the painted arches treatment with measurements, so she could easily have a painter execute it on her walls. We also provided her with our very own checklist of how to put everything together—from contacting contractors to purchasing our recommended furniture, lighting, and decor.
With all these tools in hand, our client felt confident in bringing the vision we created to life. We were able to provide for her a clear roadmap to follow, making the once-overwhelming task of decorating and renovating her studio feel manageable and even exciting. By combining her love for Britpop with practical design solutions, we were able to give her a space that not only looked great but also worked perfectly for her lifestyle.
Explore our space-planning service for your condo
If you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed with how to make the most of your condo space, our Space-Planning and eDesign services are here to help. Whether you’re juggling multiple style preferences or struggling with furniture that doesn’t quite fit, we’ll work with you to create a personalized design plan that brings your vision to life.
From layout solutions to a complete shopping list and even contractor recommendations, we provide everything you need to confidently move forward with your project. Ready to get started? Explore our Space-Planning service today and let us help you turn your condo into a home you love.
Designs by Daniela Marcelo and Camyl Besinga for Gal at Home Design Studio. All photos from Gal at Home Design Studio. This article has been written with the assistance of AI.
You did such a great job balancing style and function in this small space! I love how you mixed Britpop vibes with soft pastels—it really feels personal and unique. A sliding door could be a nice touch too, saving space while adding a sleek, modern feel. Great work making the space feel like home!