Small Space Furniture is Now at Pottery Barn
FINALLY! Am I right?
We’ve all loved the comfort of Pottery Barn furniture. We’ve loved the neutrals, the casual feel, the designs that just feel like home. But, traditionally, we’ve also thought these pieces belonged in larger spaces. Well, that is no more because small space furniture is now at Pottery Barn!
Pottery Barn just introduced their PB/Apartment line, so if you have dreams of having that neutral, California-cool-and-cozy living room, you’ll want to check this out. Let me just say, while browsing this collection, there were many times when I actually gasped and audibly said “whaaaat?” because they NAILED IT SO HARD. I’m like, Pottery Barn, how do you know me?
Here’s why this collection works:
- The same great style but smaller scale
- Specific lifestyle solutions addressed
- Storage solutions designed seamlessly
Pottery Barn included everything in this collection that is representative of a millennial living in a small apartment in the city. They even nailed LIFESTYLE solutions like a well-designed K-cup holder, storage solutions that don’t suck, a standing desk, and the new trend: modular furniture. You remember when I introduced you to the new Design Love Fest for Target collection with, you guessed it, modular furniture.
Katrina Slipcovered Sofa + Brooklyn Rectangular Coffee Table
Just look at how happy that girl looks sitting in her light soaked apartment with city views. This scene is very representative of how small space furniture is situated. In a small apartment, each room needs to serve multiple purposes. This living room needs to also serve as a dining space and a work space. The non-functioning fireplace full of books cracks me up because that is dead on an NYC brownstone.
So, now we can add Pottery Barn to this list of retailers who GET IT. They are getting to know how we live, and therefore giving us exactly what we need.
Human centered design beats something “pretty” every single time.
I really can’t believe how on point this entire collection is. I could use every single item…and this is coming from someone who has never bought anything from Pottery Barn, ever. Not that I don’t like their stuff, but I never had the room for that cozy sectional and giant wooden coffee table. And you probably didn’t either.
Design Change is the Result of Lifestyle Change
With more and more young people flocking towards cities, we have seen a big trend in retailers now accommodating small space solutions. Less people have the luxury of a mid-sized home and are opting instead for small apartments in vibrant cities (myself included). I live in the upper west side neighborhood of Manhattan and my 1 bedroom apartment is less than 600 square feet. You should also know that I am originally from the midwest and have never had an apartment less than 2 bedrooms and 1,000 square feet.
So, when I first moved to Manhattan with my now fiance, it was REALLY tough trying to find small space furniture to accommodate our apartment, not to mention storage solutions that don’t look like storage solutions. It was a real bummer. Fortunately, Ikea and Target came to the rescue because they were the first ones to recognize this trend and provide us with adequate small space furniture.
Just look at this desk! It converts to a standing desk. Ah-ma-zing. I live for furniture that can be modified. Pottery Barn also took into account that a TON of millennials (and others for that matter) work from home. Our lifestlye is changing and that’s why we need a live/work space. Why do you think so many people go to coffee shops? They need a place to work for extended periods of time and just don’t have the space at home.
This desk is a great solution. It’s super stylish, minimal, and also streamlined so it doesn’t take up a lot of space. It’s the perfect place to work, while either sitting or standing. The natural wood is also the perfect shade…again, not the traditional dark wood, but the more modern pale wood.
Can I let you in on a little secret? My theory is that the rise in pale neutrals and the California-cool style directly relates to our change in lifestyle and what we need our home to become. Before I started working from home, my home was clad in color and dark painted walls. However, after only 3 weeks of working from home, I felt like I was in a dark dreary prison. Isn’t that interesting? Your color and style preferences change as your lifestyle does.
I’ve talked before about the farmhouse style being so ubiquitous, but look at how Pottery Barn designed this dining table. First, it isn’t MASSIVE like the majority of the farmhouse tables out there; it’s small space furniture that is just as stylish as its larger counterparts. Second, it’s more “urban” than “farmy”. Does that make sense? The stain and weathered wood make it look much more modern like a table that would host Galentine’s Day dinner or Friendsgiving versus a child’s first birthday party–although it absolutely could.
This table is meant to be a nod to that coveted farmhouse style in that it’s adding a natural element, but it doesn’t make you feel like you’re living on the prairie with John Boy. A farmhouse kitchen in the middle of a concrete jungle wouldn’t really fit, now would it? This is the poster child for apartment furniture.
Pottery Barn even nailed the styling…warehouse windows, painted white brick, and a light soaked kitchen makes my heart SOAR. And it’s SO SO REAL. A perfect example of the degree to which Pottery Barn completely nailed this collection. Remember, this is coming from me, the quintessential millennial who moved from the Midwest to Manhattan. I live in a greystone next to a series of brownstones. I am the targeted PB/Apartment customer.
Mission Modular System Prep Cart
Speaking of kitchens, they are SO different in urban environments. I remember the first time I went back home to visit my parents after moving to NYC, I was sitting at the kitchen table and counting all of my mom’s cabinets. After living in Manhattan for nearly a year, I could no longer imagine living with so much extra space and I started thinking about what I would put in these cabinets if they were mine. Do you want to know what I came up with? Folded t-shirts. I would keep folded t-shirts in my kitchen cabinets. Let this be a lesson to anyone who thinks that bigger is always better. Often times, it’s less creative and less reflective of your personality. Also, don’t put laundry in your cabinets; that’s really stupid.
Anyways, in small spaces, there is no kitchen island. Instead, you have a kitchen cart which can serve as your meal prep area and can house your coffee maker and microwave. The problem is that a lot of kitchen carts are suuuuuper traditional looking. But look at how cool the one above is! It even has wheels! Small space furniture for the win.
Another characteristic of city living is lack of closet space. Our bedroom doesn’t have a closet so we had to get creative. I have a funny story. Before I moved here, I went shopping for apartments with my man. The first one we looked at was a 5th floor walk up near Times Square. It was a studio with no closets in the entire apartment, no oven or burners, and a MINI FRIDGE. That is how some people have to live…not us, though. I ran out of that place. I am a self proclaimed master chef, and a mini fridge? Ain’t nobody got time for that.
Anyways, I’ve seen a lot of people buy those sad silver clothes racks and I’m here to tell you, friends, that you don’t have to stoop to that. Apartment furniture is tricky, but you can have an open wardrobe unit that looks industrial and cool. Hint: like the one above. It’s the perfect small space solution.
Mission Modular System K-Cup Storage
This is the point when I lost it. I was like, “POTTERY BARN, YOU MADE ME K-CUP STORAGE??!!”. Have you seen a k-cup holder that beautiful? Probably not.
Take it from New York City, when you run out of horizontal space, build up! This is a great storage solution for small spaces that doesn’t suck. I’ll also take that honed marble it’s sitting on. K thanks bye.
Make sure you check out the whole PB / Apartment collection. I had to stop myself from including pictures and excerpts from every single thing. Good thing I did because you would still be scrolling into next Tuesday.
See ya next time,
-K