525 sq ft is enough as proved by decorator Max Sinsteden

Long time readers are well acquainted with my love of decor and interior design magazines and even if content or viewpoint varies and is inconsistent I still stick with most of my subscriptions.

I was very impressed with House Beautiful's July / August 2015 edition.
Not because of every house featured but the one of the titles on the cover was
"Small Spaces!"

The stand out for me in this issue was the 525 sq ft ( 48.77 sq. m ) studio flat 
in New York City whose tenant is the interior decorator 
Max Sinsteden of the interior design firm Olasky and Sinsteden.

Most apartments are completely foreign in concept or architectural style in magazines.

For me anyway...
But having lived in large cities and having lived in two studios myself - one having been in Manhattan - I really appreciated this feature.

He shows that a small space doesn't mean that you can't have a "grand" scheme.
He manages to have every element of comfortable living.

My favorite part of this flat is his sliding curtain screen and his hanging artwork that fortifies his demarcation between living and sleeping area.
I wish I thought of that when I lived in those two studios.

You can see the curtain in action in the picture below.

I recall thinking that I wouldn't invest in nice curtains because it was a rental and only a studio but in the case of many large city dwellers - if they don't do it now then when will they do it?

I love a gallery wall.
Some people comment that I have old lady nerdiness in me but I love the warmth art brings.

I also lean things against walls or leave pieces on the floor which 
annoys certain personality types no end!

He has the skirted table which is making a huge comeback but as you will see Mr. Sinsteden is a pure classicist and had this same feature even in his college dorm room!

I also appreciate his very English aspects of decorating which highlights comfort and layers of fabrics and prints on the wall.

I also want to know how he got his hands on that Cecil Beaton painting once owned by Brook Astor.

The kitchen didn't get a look in besides this picture but then again my New York apartment was like one of those mini bars you might get in a hotel suite.
I am surprised he has a dining table.

Look at his closet! He obviously sacrificed what could have been a NY guest room for a walk in closet.

It seems he has always had a very organized system of arranging his wardrobe.
Below are pictures of his dorm room when he was at university.

The article in House Beautiful is not his first big piece in the media but NY Mag did a piece about him which you can read here.

It seems that Max is a natural talent and he has been decorating since he was 10 or 11 and had part time jobs and internships with David Easton and Charlotte Moss.

There is his same skirted table in his dorm room which demonstrates he sticks to his guns and has a strong design philosophy.

His gallery wall which would have differed from other student's walls covered with posters of starlets in bikins and the like.

But I adore an unabashedly proud preppie and I think we will be seeing a lot more of him in the future.

I also hope that this issue of House Beautiful sells well and encourages the magazine to do features on homes of all sizes and not just houses where there is volumes of space and limitless budgets.
Have a great weekend x