9 Homes Under 750 Square Feet That Are Packed With Personality

Paige Wassel was doing the job as a freelance prop stylist in Los Angeles when she resolved to go back to her hometown of Chicago and invest in a 700-square-foot condominium. “I required some thing smaller that required some work—not a complete gut renovation—so I could renovate it on my have and with some enable from my dad, who made use of to flip properties with close friends as a passion,” she claims. Motivated by the method of it all, Paige started out a YouTube channel on inside developments and movie star residences, and even experienced her boyfriend pitch in on performing some of the operate with the renovations. The most challenging activity? Staying in a rigid price range.

“When I first moved in [in 2019], my bank account was drained, so I didn’t start out renovating for about six months,” Paige claims. “Even then, my spending budget was limited, so the renovation happened in phases.” The creative prop stylist observed a way all over that, working with YouTube to study how to take out the lavatory sink and put in a new just one, and instructing herself how to tile a backsplash and change light fixtures. For the get the job done she couldn’t do herself, like setting up wood flooring, for case in point, she found people today to support by way of Craigslist.

Future up, Paige put a great deal of perform into obtaining fun, quirky facts in secondhand retailers. “I uncovered an aged cupboard for my business, knobs for drawers, material for a Do it yourself headboard, and chairs to be reupholstered,” she claims. “Almost every thing in my spot is secondhand and, if not, I shopped at IKEA. My sources involved Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Etsy, OfferUp, classic and antique shops, estate revenue, Goodwill, Salvation Army, and other people.” —Kristen Bateman

For 5 a long time, Robin Anderson worked her way by means of her clients’ historic Victorian residence, home by home. The rebuilt carriage house—the first was ruined by ice dams—was the project’s really very last part. In the new design, the base portion housed a 3-car garage and the top rated, a 1-bedroom apartment. “They have all the rooms they need to have, so this is a bonus place, say, for girls’ nights. [It’s also] in which her dad and mom stay when they visit,” the designer says.

Considering that it’s independent from the principal property, Robin reasoned, this did not need to have to be a clone. As a substitute, it feels like a mini trip spot. Her design and style of decision? An up-to-date acquire on French state. “The consumers are additional present day, but they are into no matter what I’ve obtained likely on at the second,” Robin says. “I experimented with a French vibe utilizing basic and modern-day components that feel European.”

A greige-and-ivory checkerboard tile ground greets site visitors in the vestibule, then operates its way up the stairs to the kitchenette in the ethereal excellent area. “The tile adds a ton visually and divides the kitchen area from the dwelling space,” Robin describes. “It can help it sense like its personal home.” —Marni Elyse Katz