My Houzz: Living, Working and Storytelling in 300 Square Feet

Multimedia producer Willa Kammerer moved from Portland, Maine, to New York City in search of an apartment she could convert into a live-work space. The challenge? Accommodating multiple functions within the confines of a 300-square-foot rental.

With a lot of creativity, DIY handiwork and help from her landlord, Kammerer transformed her charming Upper East Side studio into a cozy and creative retreat. “I like trying to work with what I already have on hand and forcing myself to come to a creative solution,” says Kammerer. “That has been my approach to so many of the things I’ve created for my apartment.”

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Willa Kammerer
Location: Upper East Side of New York City
Size: 300 square feet (28 square meters); 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom

“The size and setup of my space mean that my bed and desk — where I spend many hours a day — are approximately 3 feet from one another,” says Kammerer. “I wanted to create a private nook to separate work and sleep, but also so that guests wouldn’t feel like they are in my bedroom when they are visiting.”

She adds, “To me, it truly feels like a separate room when I’m in my living area.”


In decorating her studio, Kammerer was inspired by both New York City and rural Chilean Patagonia. She wanted to create an urban refuge but was also drawn to rough woods, thick wools and warm colors, which were naturally suited to the apartment’s existing brick wall.


Living in such a small space and having to work from home forced Kammerer to make adjustments. She created a comfortable and efficient office nook with a big desk, a computer and multiple hard drives. “On one side of my desk is a printer, and on the other side is an old wooden fish crate, flipped vertically, covered with a piece of orange suede,” says Kammerer. She created shelving within the crate to organize her office supplies.


“My workstation is pretty compact but powerful,” says Kammerer, the daughter of artist Gregory Kammerer. “My desk was my dad’s old drafting table for painting — it’s a Danish piece. The most important piece of my desk and workstation is my iMac and over 20 terabytes of regular and backup storage, since video files are very large.”


A small painting by Kammerer’s father hangs above her desk. It makes Kammerer think of openness and possibility — exactly what she needs while working.

The vintage Rolleiflex camera on top of this cabinet belonged to Kammerer’s grandfather, who was a photographer.

Cabinet: HomeGoods; green clipboard: Fab



With the help of her landlord, Kammerer created a bedroom area by affixing a long copper pole to the floor and ceiling with plumbing anchors. Then she attached an Ikea curtain wire to the back wall, strung it with two Ikea linen curtains and affixed the other end to the pole. The wire started to sag in the middle, so she added a wire from the ceiling at the center.

“I had some extra rope lying around, so I pulled back one of the curtains with it, giving it a nautical feel,” says Kammerer.


The result is a cozy nook that has a romantic, secluded feel. In the corner are tree branches from New Hampshire that hold sentimental value.

The window treatments are another DIY project, made using leftovers from the bedroom enclosure. “I bought a couple of wooden dowels from the hardware store and used staples and double-sided tape to attach the fabric,” says Kammerer. “I rolled it up with some hemp string I had on hand and suspended the curtain rod with a screw on either side, secured to the wall with wall anchors.”


While her space is small, Kammerer loves to entertain and created a dining area that could comfortably accommodate two. When the table is shifted, she can seat larger groups.

“I have always loved how displayed wine looks,” she says. “Finding a way to showcase it on the wall behind my butcher block table seemed like a good way to help define it as the dining area.”

A dartboard from her grandparents’ basement, aged by many games, also hangs here.



The table is a $100 Craigslist find. Kammerer liked the size and design of it but not the pale wood, so she re-covered the top with Stikwood in reclaimed barrel oak.

The stools are both roadside finds from Portland. “I ordered a big sheet of unfinished leather online — half a cowhide, I think — and cut it to size to cover the seats,” says Kammerer. “With a staple gun, I stapled the leather around the undersides, leaving a little hanging below because I liked the look.”

The light fixture is made from an Edison bulb Kammerer bought from Fab and a ball of tangled wire she found on a beach in her native Rhode Island. “I thought it was the coolest piece of art ever,” she says.

She combined the pieces with an old bathroom fan propeller and an extension cord from the local hardware store. “I tried to do the electric attachments myself, but after blowing the circuit for my apartment twice, I brought the pieces to the hardware store for help,” she says.

The vertical bookshelves are Craigslist finds.


“I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and am a bit of a wellness fanatic, with lots of appliances: blender, food processor, dehydrator, juicer and bulk ingredients in jars,” says Kammerer. “I installed extra shelves and counter space to make my kitchen function better for me.”

As for keeping things neat, “I try to wash dishes as I go,” she says, “because there’s no other place for them to go but my counter and dish rack.”

The copper colander, yellow cocktail glasses and bowls were passed down from Kammerer’s grandparents.

Shelves: Ekby Järpen, Ekby Bjärnum, Ikea


Kammerer’s dresser and a few potted plants act as a divider between the living and sleeping areas. The luggage rack she uses to store magazines and books was passed down from her grandparents.

Ottoman: Fab


Kammerer’s only closet, once outfitted with sliding doors, is now dressed with a linen curtain that hangs from a metal tension rod. The wall space adjacent to the sofa is covered in Stikwood to give it rustic appeal.

On the same wall is a New York City subway map and a Holstee Manifesto poster, both framed by Kammerer under glass with copper tape — a riff on a technique she learned from her father.


Aside from working as a multimedia producer and storyteller, Kammerer, shown here, also recently launched a lifestyle design website called Weeya b. “It’s a curated collection, much like my apartment, of some of my very favorite things. I call these my tools for living — notes and reflections from the field, as well as recipes.”

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