House Voyeur: Small Space Living in Vancouver

As I mentioned earlier, I've been lurking on Tracey Falk's flickr page for a long time, admiring her beautiful photographs. When I noticed a set of shots of her new apartment recently, I saw that her knack for gorgeous compositions and her subtle mastery of color extended beyond arresting still lifes and evocative portraiture and into the realm of home design as well. I immediately asked Tracey if she would share her lovely home with my readers -- and happily, she agreed.

Here, the freelance web designer and photographer gives us a virtual tour of her Vancouver, British Columbia, abode:

“I recently moved out of a large apartment that I shared with two roommates and into this 450-square-foot studio space in a 1930s building. It's in a beautiful, established neighborhood in Vancouver, on a busy city corner. It's tiny -- essentially a one-room space, though I'm lucky to have not only an added eating nook and separate kitchen but also a large closet that gives me a good amount of storage.

The thing with a studio is that you need to maximize every corner without making it feel cluttered and chaotic. I sat in this apartment, largely unfurnished except for a bed and a table, for four months before I started decorating it. I went a little crazy sitting on the floor -- but in the end, waiting instead of rushing in allowed me to see space-dividing solutions that I didn't necessarily get right away.

I was inspired by the space itself. I think studio apartments are a great challenge -- they definitely make you rethink how you live and what you need or don't need in order to have a home life that’s comfortable, expressive, and balanced.

I'm constantly changing things up, both in terms of style and arrangement. My style is rather broad, shifting, evolving. It’s graphic, eclectic, a little midcentury, geometric. I love white paint, and used Benjamin Moore’s White Down here.

I’m so inspired by design blogs. I never knew they existed until I started decorating this apartment, and since then, I've devoured them. What a great collection of ideas and resources! And I love seeing what ‘real’ people do with their homes.

My favorite thing about my home is the big closet/storage space. I don't know what I'd do without it. That and the wood floors, the big windows, and the entry vestibule that I painted entirely -- ceiling included -- in latex chalkboard paint from Home Depot.

I love that I look out onto a busy intersection, as well. I canceled my cable TV when I moved here, but the action outside my window is proving to be constant entertainment.

I work from home most of the time, and I also wanted the space to be company-friendly. So it was a challenge to make separate ‘zones of activity.’ The fact that I had access to a three-quarter-size bed that fit perfectly into the eating nook proved to be a major blessing. It almost turned the studio into a one-bedroom, leaving the main living area open for work and entertaining. Granted, it's a little odd to have the bed situated right off the kitchen, but I think it beats the alternative.

My oh-so-handy father and I built a picture-rail divider that we slotted into an open doorway to cordon off the sleeping area. I love it -- it looks like it's been there forever. The photography on these shelves and around the rest of the apartment is my own.

I painted the bedroom space a deep brown that I had custom mixed.

Beyond that, I made and added buttons to my fairly standard 'economy' sofa, which was from Urban Barn, to help customize and retro-ize it a bit.

I also put up wall-mounted bookshelves and a floating work surface, and painted the entire apartment. The artwork on the mantel is by Vancouver artist Jeremy Crowle.

I had a budget of only $1,000 to tackle the entire space, including buying all of the accessories, textiles, supplies, and furniture. In addition to the sofa, I already had the Saarinen dining set and my bed, but everything else is 'new to me.' Most of it's hand-me-downs or thrift-store finds.

The lantern over the dining table is from Pier 1, and the floor lamp is from Home Depot.

The unbleached linen Aina curtain panels and the white Britt sheers are from IKEA, as is the black-and-white Alvine Triangel rug.

All of the accessories come from HomeSense or thrift stores. I left the majority of my purchasing until after Christmas, and then stumbled onto some amazing post-holiday sales. Even thrift stores were offering 50 percent off on Boxing Day.

What I've learned from working on this project is that you need to have a well-thought-out marriage between form and function. This was the first home I've been in that I really analyzed how I needed to use the space and what sort of feeling I wanted it to evoke before I began doing anything. Knowing that ahead of time was definitely helpful, particularly because I was on a super-tight budget and couldn't waste money on mistakes.

I've also learned that if you're on a tight budget and know you'll be antsy for changes down the road, it's important to keep your big pieces neutral so you can redecorate around them. With new throw cushions, rugs, and curtains, I could have a completely different feel in this space. The neutral pallet allows me to easily feed my need for new looks.”

Click here to see more shots of Tracey's enviable nest, and check out the rest of her amazing photography here.

Thank you so much for the intimate look at your beautiful space, Tracey!

(P.S. Want to see more? Click here for a peek inside other readers' homes.)