Apartment Design
Featured · No. 001
The Case for Furnishing in a Plan, Not in Pieces
Piece-by-piece furnishing produces rooms that never quite resolve. The argument — practical and economic — for composing the apartment once, as a whole.
Apartment living, considered.
Essays and guides on furnishing real apartments — floor plan first. Design styles, city studies, and the practical craft of a well-composed rental.
14 entries Updated June 2026
Featured essay
Editor’s picks
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Apartment Design
How to Read a Floor Plan Before You Buy a Single Piece of Furniture
Scale, circulation, and the fixed elements no sofa can argue with. A working guide to reading your apartmen...
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Apartment Layout
Will It Fit? How to Choose Furniture Sizes for Your Apartment
A practical guide to apartment furniture sizes and clearances so what you buy actually fits.
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Design Styles
Scandinavian vs. Japandi: Which Apartment Style Fits Your Space?
Scandinavian or Japandi? How the two styles differ and which fits your apartment.
Reading collections
On Design Styles
Primers on the design languages we plan with — what defines each style, and how it behaves inside a real apartment floor plan.
View all 3 entriesCity Studies
Furnishing logic, city by city. How the typical floor plans of New York, Miami, and Los Angeles ask to be furnished.
View all 3 entriesThe Furnishing Craft
The practical discipline of furnishing well: scale, clearances, sequence, and the case for planning before purchasing.
View all 9 entries
The index
14 entries
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Apartment Design
Latest · No. 001
The Case for Furnishing in a Plan, Not in Pieces
Piece-by-piece furnishing produces rooms that never quite resolve. The argument — practical and economic — for composing the apartment once, as a w...
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Decorating
No. 002
A Renter’s Guide to Apartment Lighting: Layers, Not Renovations
The single overhead fixture is not a lighting plan. How to layer ambient, task, and accent light in a rental — placed by the floor plan, installed ...
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Apartment Layout
No. 003
Furnishing a Los Angeles Apartment: Indoor-Outdoor Living, by the Plan
Courtyard buildings, low light, and the patio question — how the Los Angeles floor plan asks to be furnished.
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Apartment Layout
No. 004
Furnishing a Miami Apartment: A Floor-Plan-First Guide to High-Rise Living
Glass walls, long living rooms, and a balcony that wants to be a room — the furnishing logic of the Miami high-rise floor plan.
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Decorating
No. 005
Mediterranean Style, Translated for the Modern Apartment
Plaster tones, honest materials, and relaxed weight — how the Mediterranean interior tradition translates to a rental floor plan without a single r...
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Apartment Design
No. 006
How to Read a Floor Plan Before You Buy a Single Piece of Furniture
Scale, circulation, and the fixed elements no sofa can argue with. A working guide to reading your apartment floor plan the way a designer does — b...
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Decorating
No. 007
Renter-Friendly Decorating: Style Your Apartment, Keep Your Deposit
Renter-friendly decorating that makes a difference now and moves with you later.
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Apartment Layout
No. 008
Furnishing a New York Apartment: Small-Space Layout Ideas
Smart layout ideas for furnishing a small New York apartment around its real floor plan.
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Apartment Layout
No. 009
Will It Fit? How to Choose Furniture Sizes for Your Apartment
A practical guide to apartment furniture sizes and clearances so what you buy actually fits.
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Design Styles
No. 010
Scandinavian vs. Japandi: Which Apartment Style Fits Your Space?
Scandinavian or Japandi? How the two styles differ and which fits your apartment.
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Apartment Layout
No. 011
Small Apartment Furniture Layout Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)
The most common small-apartment layout mistakes — and simple fixes for each.
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Apartment Layout
No. 012
How to Furnish a One-Bedroom Apartment: A Floor-Plan-First Guide
A room-by-room guide to furnishing a one-bedroom apartment around your exact floor plan.
From the library
Furnish your apartment with a plan, not a guess.
Every plan in the archive is built around a real floor plan. Find your building to see exactly what fits.