form and function

Lacking space for bedside lamps, McGrath employed inexpensive swing-arm fixtures from Lamps Plus that don’t require installation.

For a money-saving alternative to built-in shelving, McGrath recommends finding a good carpenter and using cost-efficient materials to create custom bookcases for little more than the price tag at IKEA.

McGrath describes this chest inherited from her grandparents (coated in Benjamin Moore’s Elephant Tusk) as “the real workhorse of the room—it holds everything.”

McGrath’s two swing-arm fixtures and four table lamps, including a stunner by Bunny Williams Home, create layers of ambient light, an essential for gracious studio living.

After finding her dream studio apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, designer and blogger Lauren McGrath created a floor plan with plenty of room for entertaining friends and running a successful business.

A slender mirror placed between windows gives the illusion of additional space.

Rather than buy a new console, McGrath designed a kick-pleated cover for the unappealing—but well- proportioned—metal number she already owned. “Table skirts are a chic, cost-effective way to dress up an old table,” she explains.

Items displayed on McGrath’s desktop, suffused with color and personality, reflect her eclectic style.