When you’re on the hunt for a new apartment, you may be considering a one-bedroom space if you’re a single person or live with a significant other, but have you ever considered a studio apartment? Studio apartments cost a little less than your average one-bedroom because there is just one big open great room rather than a separate bedroom and sometimes a separate kitchen and living area. But there are many options for layouts and sizes to choose from when it comes to studios, and we’ll go through some of those in this post.
A studio apartment is defined as having one big open space that includes the living area, kitchen, and sleeping area, with a separate bathroom. This great room allows having an open floorplan with plenty of space to make a combination of living and sleeping space. People may often use convertible furniture like pull-out sofas, daybeds, or murphy beds to be able to have a bed but put it away when not in use.
The average size of a studio apartment in the U.S. is around 600 square feet but can range from 450 to 650 square feet, give or take. Their small size doesn’t allow for much room to have a separate bedroom, thus why it’s all just one big living space. The kitchen will also be open to the room, sometimes with just corner cabinets and maybe an island to somewhat separate it from the rest of the great room. You’ll often find them in cities where people want to live in the metro area near their job, and they are a single individual who doesn’t need a larger space than that.
There are many reasons why people choose to rent a studio rather than a one-bedroom or other small apartment. Benefits include:
Along with the pros of living in a studio, you’ll also have some cons, including:
The biggest difference between a studio and a micro-apartment is the size. Micro apartments are small; they are around 100 to 400 square feet and have a bathroom, kitchenette, and living space. Micro apartments are so small (leaving about 200 sq. ft. of living space) and will force one to get very creative with their space. Many people choose to have murphy beds that fold up into the wall when not in use. These beds can also be beneficial in a studio apartment when space is just as limited.
Studio and efficiency are sometimes used interchangeably, but there are some major differences between the two. Efficiency apartments are between the size of a micro and studio apartment. They have smaller features such as half-sized kitchen appliances like the fridge or not having a full oven and stovetop. Efficiencies cater to single individuals who enjoy the convenience of living close to work and not needing much. It won’t be super functional for those who cook a lot or couples needing to share the tiny space. Studios are definitely much more functional than efficiency apartments. Some old school efficiencies even have shared bathrooms in the hallway like a dorm room rather than in-unit.
Studio apartments can come in many different forms, and you may find them in loft settings, garden levels, in low, mid, or even high-rise apartments. We would also bundle in alcove apartments and convertible apartments in with studios because of the fact they don’t have separate bedrooms divided by a wall. An alcove is like a studio apartment with a wall or partition to give your sleeping area a little more privacy. Meanwhile, convertible studios have the opportunity or option to build up a wall or walls to create a separate bedroom. But these are not super common, and more often than not, unless you own the apartment, you won’t be able to make changes like that.
We have dozens of different studio apartment layouts at Bigos, depending on the building and the size of the units. Like our Galante at Parkside apartments, some of our units feature studios that have “bedrooms” with a shorter 7-foot tall wall and a sliding partition to separate it from the rest of the house.
Meanwhile, Era on Excelsior has a more traditional studio layout with one living space and the kitchen next to each other. But these do have a wall with a breakfast bar between the kitchen and living space, then a nice big walk-in closet that brings you to the small bathroom.
Our building, The Preserve At Commerce, has a much wider variety of layouts for studios. They are a little bit on the bigger size, and one even has an 8 by 8-foot bathroom! We love that.
Here are a few other studio layouts you might love:
Studios, not your thing? Don’t fret! There are 13 other types of apartments you could choose from, and if you’re looking for the perfect studio, 1, 2, or 3 bedrooms for your next home. Contact us today!
