How to Transform a 23 m² Studio: Tips from a Homestager

On the market, there are many studios available for rent — they are bright, compact, and modern. But owners of such apartments have a common problem: they want to find a magical solution that will make the studio stand out from others. And this magic is in the hands of homestagers. We found out how to turn typical housing into a favorite among tenants, with the help of homestager Natalia Saratova.

Homestagers are experts who help improve an apartment for rent or sale with minimal investment.

Nadega Saratova, Homestager. Increases property value and accelerates deals with homestaging. Completed training with the founder of the Russian Homestagers Association

Given:

Number of Rooms: 1

Area: 23 sq. m

Location: Leningrad Oblast, Murino

Building Year: 2019

Price on Yandex.Arenda: 20,000 rubles per month

Photo: Yandex.Arenda

Stage 1. Getting to Know the Studio

First, the homestager evaluates the condition of the apartment. We didn’t have to go anywhere: we inspected the apartment on Yandex.Arenda online — a virtual tour helped. You can walk through the rooms, measure distances in the house, and even enjoy the view from the window.

"It's clean, bright, and has necessary furniture — a must-have condition for listing on Yandex.Arenda. But the apartment is bland — tenants have nothing to connect with. There's a lot of competition in the housing complex, but they are all similar — that works to our advantage," says Natalia.

The apartment is compact, but space is used inefficiently. You can plan smart zoning and expand the "living" zones — an empty balcony can be turned into a relaxation area.

Stage 2. Walking Through the Apartment

Here we will work with each room and understand how to improve it with minimal effort.

Living RoomPhoto: Yandex.Arenda

Given:

A compact, bright room. There is a sofa-bed that you don’t want to unfold after work — as a result, it's always unfolded and looks untidy. Too bulky cabinet overloads the space, and paintings don’t fit in size or design.

Photo: Yandex.Arenda

What to do with it:

1. Replace the sofa-bed with a bed with an unusual headboard — if you turn it along the wall and add pillows, it can be disguised as a sofa. 10,000 rubles

2. Move the cabinet to the hallway. 0 rubles

Lifehack: a wooden bed can be cheaper by 50%. If you sell the old sofa-bed, you’ll reduce total expenses.

3. Place a nightstand. 2,000 rubles

4. Move the vase from the cabinet to the nightstand. 0 rubles

5. Put live or artificial flowers in the vase. 500 rubles

Photo: Yandex.Arenda

Given:

A valuable space for a studio that is used inefficiently. The clothesline ruins the overall look — you want to turn the balcony into a relaxation zone, not a storage room.

What to do:

1. Decorate the windowsill. 4,000 rubles

2. Place a bar stool. 3,000 rubles

Lifehack: you can make the windowsill yourself — you need a solid, planed board and brackets for shelves. Detailed instructions are available on YouTube: it’s much easier than it seems at first glance.

3. Move the clothesline into a cabinet. 0 rubles

Photo: Yandex.Arenda

Given:

Stickers on plumbing create a visual clutter — because of this, the bathroom looks untidy. Also, the space seems too calm and empty — there’s clearly a lack of accents.

What to do:

1. Remove the stickers. 0 rubles

Lifehack: if you want to emphasize that the plumbing is new, inform the Yandex.Arenda manager. They can mention it in the ad.

2. Place artificial greenery. 500 rubles

Understand what task you're setting. Do you want to stand out among competitors and rent the apartment faster so you don’t lose money during downtime? Your option is express staging. This is 1-3 days of work and a photo session — you just need to post the ad," Natalia clarifies.

If you follow our instructions, the cost can be raised by 15%. But any changes remain at the owner’s discretion — you can make a small rearrangement and change the decor, or buy new furniture and rethink room roles. In any scenario, the studio will become more attractive, and you’ll find tenants faster.