Depending on budget and location, you must select an apartment with less square footage than you dreamed. How small is too small? What about a 200-square-feet apartment?
Micro-apartments are becoming more popular as rents go back up in major urban spots like New York City. It might be all you need if you hate clutter and love a minimalist aesthetic. You can make it work as a single person or a couple.
But how big is 200 square feet, really?
How to calculate 200 square feet
When you’re touring the apartment complex, the leasing agent will let you know the square footage of every unit you see. But, what if the community isn’t as formal, you’re looking into a smaller complex or a garage apartment?
Knowing how to measure the square footage of your future home is incredibly helpful. Here’s how to do it.
- You’ll need a pencil, paper, your phone’s calculator and a long tape measure (100-foot or more)
- Start with the first room in the apartment. Look at the room’s shape — is it a rectangle, triangle, trapezoid or another shape? This will help record the dimensions of the room.
- Use the tape measure and measure the width and length of the room in inches, rounding up to the nearest inch (or feet if your tape measure has it). You want whole numbers for this.
- If you measured inches, divide each number by 12 to convert it to feet.
- Use this square footage calculator to input the width and length of the room in feet. You’ll get the square footage of the room you’re in. Do this in every apartment room and add the square footage together at the end of all rooms.
Can you live in 200 square feet?
You’ve seen the headlines, “Can you believe this person lives in 200 square feet?” How big is 200 square feet, really? For example, a 400-square-feet apartment is about the size of a standard two-car garage. At the same time, a school bus equals a 300-square-feet apartment.
The best way to visualize 200 square feet is to think about a one-car garage with an average-sized car with little room on the sides. It will be a small studio that you’ll have to furnish strategically and keep low on clutter.
This studio floor plan from Nora Apartments in Seattle, WA, is an example of what an apartment close to 200 square feet looks like.
Source: Rent./Nora Apartments
Tips for living in 200 square feet
You don’t have to sacrifice your style or your sanity to live in 200 square feet. Take a look at more tips to optimize the dimensions you’re working with.
Go monochrome
Paint can take you very far in a small space. A cool bright white from floor to ceiling and cohesive finishes will instantly make the space look bigger. Choose a neutral color palette that you’ll carry from your furniture to your linens and accessories to create a calm space.
Too much color can quickly overwhelm the senses in a 200-square-foot apartment. For example, keep your bedding crisp white with subtle stripes if you need a pattern. It will open up the space and make it look more together.
Have a place for everything
Having a place for everything means no clutter. Decide what you need to display and what doesn’t in each room and put it away.
If you need more small space storage, go vertical with shelves above the couch, the toilet or your desk. It will clear the floor and make the space look bigger. Get clever with your space usage. Use baskets or the inside of your oven for your pots when not in use, and choose a bed with a storage drawer underneath.
Embrace dual-purpose furniture
Can a desk function as a work spot and your nightstand? How are you using your closet for clothes and homewares?
Have a big suitcase? Use it to store your blankets and bedsheets when not in use. Maximize your space by using the space under your sofa, bed and coffee table to store, display and organize any of your things.
Understand your layout to maximize square footage
Understanding a small apartment’s main paths and overall layout will help determine the main spaces to decorate and prioritize. It’s not enjoyable to keep tripping over something because it’s not in the right place.
Identify the paths you take the most to the kitchen, bathroom and bed to mark them off-limits when buying furniture. This will quickly bring a little peace to the chaos and make your apartment look more put-together.
Clean windows
This seems small, but keeping your windows clean will bring more natural light into the space and make it seem brighter. Place a mirror nearby to reflect all that good light to other spots in your small apartment.
Only use thin, light-colored curtains to maximize the light for those windows.
Make your 200-square-foot apartment mighty
It all comes down to your lifestyle — 200 square feet is more than enough for someone with a minimalist personality who doesn’t need too much. Just because you are going minimal, it doesn’t mean you can’t make that apartment a home.
You can make this small apartment beyond cozy while being intentional about what you bring into it. Don’t get too stuck in the “how big is 200 square feet” and more in how you visualize the potential for you to create a beautiful space between your four walls.
Looking for small apartments to cozy up to? Start by looking at our available rooms and houses for rent. Type in your target city, then filter by desired amenities and prices to further narrow down your search.
