This Ballet Dancer’s Cleverly Designed 345-Square-Foot NYC Studio Still Leaves Room for Stretching

AD’s Small Spaces series is a celebration of small homes—1,000-square-feet or fewer!—with big design ideas. From Manhattan apartments to Milanese micro-homes, each one is proof that you don’t need a sprawling space to show off your personal style.For years, Chun Wai Chan, a principal ballet dancer with New York City Ballet, had become accustomed to the New York way of life for most young people: a shortage of space, plus a roommate. But when he came across a 345-square-foot studio on the Upper West Side three years ago, the apartment posed the perfect opportunity for him to live on his own, be closer to work at Lincoln Center, and have a bit more room to himself. Thanks to an unruly accumulation of furniture, however, the apartment initially felt cramped. “I knew I needed help,” says Chan.Enter AD100 design firm Josh Greene Design. The designer, who partnered exclusively with West Elm to furnish the apartment, appreciated the challenge of working in small quarters. “Everything has to be deliberate,” he says. The first order of business was understanding how Chan wanted his home to function. Most of all, it had to be a place where the principal dancer could rest and recover between rehearsals and performances. It also needed to remain tidy and maximize every square foot, because Chan stretches and teaches students via Zoom during his time off.Greene went with warm earth tones in the living area to create a relaxing atmosphere that would help Chan rest and recover between performances. West Elm Devon Floor LampWest Elm Asher Ceramic VaseFor Chan, the process of working with a designer was unfamiliar—and daunting. “I would put things into dance metaphors for anything Chun didn’t understand,” says Greene. He explained that through the collaboration, the team was choreographing a small piece, and in order for that to happen cohesively, they would need to trust each other.The resulting design focused on separating spaces by color (“This makes it feel bigger,” says Greene)—each section making use of a warm array of earth tones to aid in relaxation. Moss green cabinets and a marble backsplash anchor the kitchen, illuminated by a window at the end of the corridor. The main room carries on with accents of green through a geometric rug and velvet sofa, plus soft tones of red and sand. The bed—which has a small gallery wall of art hanging above it—shows off muted yellow tones, creating a cozy vignette.The Lincoln Center, home to the New York City Ballet, is featured prominently on the wall. West Elm Solstice Painted Raffia DresserWhat stood out to Chan was Greene’s ability to mix materials, colors, and textures.“Initially, I thought as long as I get a set of furniture that is all wood, it would work,” Chan says. Then, Chan saw the depth that putting different styles and materials together created. “It changed the whole energy of the space.”West Elm Miles Storage BedWest Elm Leroy LoveseatBut Greene never sacrificed clever storage either. “A storage bed usually means something clunky,” he says, but when they found a bed that they liked, they realized it came in a storage version too. “It was just the same exact bed with drawers underneath,” says Greene.The result surprised Chan. “I have so much space that I have empty drawers, and room to put my books, flowers, and speakers—stuff I didn’t think I would ever be able to fit,” he says. Now, thanks to the savvy layout, when Chan pushes the coffee table aside, he has plenty of room to stretch and teach.“I’m able to move so well within the small space,” says Chan about the apartment, pleasantly surprised with how well they were able to optimize every inch with a variety of versatile West Elm pieces. Reflections Matelasse Origin Coverlet & ShamsWest Elm Bola Round PillowToday, the studio does a delicate dance of form and function: As soon as Chan gets home, the first thing he does is light a candle. Then he sits at his small dining table for laptop time and stretches. “I put both legs in a split shape and just do my work,” he says, adding that the cool, smooth marble feels nice on his feet after a long day. After that, he’s sprawled out on the sofa where he can nestle under his favorite orange ball-shaped pillow. “I hug it all the time or put it under my knees,” he explains. Lastly, it’s the bed. “I wake up and I don’t want to leave—it’s like a vacation home.”“The living room started with the rug. It changed the whole studio,” says Chan. Patrick Cain Designs Scutoid Coffee TableWest Elm Ezra Dining ChairA view into the pint-size kitchen features teal-green cabinets with a marble backsplash. West Elm Faceted Tile Performance RugWest Elm Claire Restaraunt Dining TableTake aways for renovating a small space:Make the most of your furniture. Chan and Greene opted for a bed that served another function with built-in storage space.Consider how you plan to use the space most, and make that the priority for redesigning the area.In a small, minimal space add textures to materials and finishes to create more depth in the space.To navigate architectural challenges consider having built-in or custom storage made for the space.Use kitchen accessories that are designed for cooking and living in a small space.Hang art in the space to help orient how the area will be used. In Chan’s apartment, a gallery wall is hung above the bed and paintings above the sofa to give the feeling of the open space operating as a bedroom on one side, and a living room on another.