This Serene 540-Square-Foot Apartment With Sweeping NYC Views Is Designed Down to an Eighth of an Inch

New York-based designer Rahul Ghera knew that every design decision had to be preciseAD’s Small Spaces series is a celebration of small homes—1,000-square-feet or fewer!—with big design ideas. From Manhattan apartments to Milanese micro-homes, each one is proof that you don’t need a sprawling space to show off your personal style.When a Los Angeles-based startup consultant decided to establish a more permanent foothold in New York, he searched for a place that felt different from his bright Southern California home. For him, being bicoastal meant embracing the best of each, and so, when in the City, he wanted the apartment to feel unmistakably like New York. That, he said, meant something “moodier, masculine, and more dramatic.” He landed on a Chelsea studio with sweeping views of the Empire State Building and Hudson Yards.The 540-square-foot apartment, however, didn’t yet fit the bill. An oddly configured layout, coupled with a series of ad-hoc renovations (including the discovery of a wall stuffed with styrofoam), had left the space cramped and dated. That’s when Dyali, the studio founded by 2026 New American Voice Rahul Ghera, stepped in. Working within such a tight footprint, Ghera knew that every design element had to be exacting. The goal, he says, was “amplifying functionality day through evening”—from strategically placed storage to areas for entertaining friends and working comfortably from home.In the living room of the Chelsea studio designed by Dyali, a rift oak coffee table from 1stDibs grounds the space, flanked by a 1960s armchair by Jindrich Halabala and a foldable chair by Carl Hansen & Son. A custom sofa upholstered in Larsen’s Asante in linen runs along the wall, and a sand-colored rug by Nordic Knots unites the dining and living areas. The project construction is by Homlistic. Ethan HerringtonNordic Knots Grand RugCarl Hansen & Søn MG501 Cuba Lounge ChairIn the kitchen, walnut cabinetry is set off by a Calacatta Viola marble countertop from SMC Stone and a Dornbracht Elio fitting in stainless steel. Open shelving makes the room feel more spacious and everyday dishes are within reach. Ethan HerringtonHawkins New York Essential Dinnerware (Set of 16)Hudson Grace Nuno Splatter Stoneware Serving Bowl“It's almost like a hospitality project in a way—a personalized suite that's your own place,” says Ghera. “Just with Jay-Z singing ‘I'm in New York’ views.”A hotel-like emphasis on function guided the design. What began as a solution for storage unlocked one of the apartment’s defining features: a wall-to-wall cabinet running from the bedroom through the living room that doubles as a dresser and a place for games, books, and other odds and ends. To carry the cabinet through, Ghera widened an existing opening between the two rooms. Keeping the cabinet horizontal and continuous made the space feel “wider and bigger,” Ghera says, and drew the eye to the views and light from the windows. The horizon line where the cabinet meets the window sill, he adds, is like a “border around the home” that almost “hugs you.”The entry’s deep walnut closets and storage, Ghera says, “serve a pantry-like function,” holding items such as shoes, suitcases, linens, and cleaning supplies. “What I wanted to do is have that walnut turn the corner and just continue into the kitchen.” Courtney Heron’s painting of a domestic scene, Company at the Table, adds warmth to the space. Ethan HerringtonGhera says he “intentionally wanted to create a dining feel,” while preserving the room’s openness. The lean form of the USM table allows you to “still see through it.” Audo’s Ready dining chairs in stained oak, upholstered in Audo bouclé, surround it. Beyond the table, a USM Haller cabinet in brown metal offers a casual perch for objets and sculpture, such as a Brutalist bronze sculpture from Mantiques Modern. Glassware, including a vintage Christian Dior ice bucket and lowball and highball glasses, rounds out the display. Ethan HerringtonAudo Copenhagen Ready Dining ChairBrutalist Candleholders by Ceasar Stoffi and Fritz Nagel for BMF (Set of 6)The project, Ghera explains, was “an incredible puzzle to solve with a kind of quirky floor plan to start.” His answer was a restrained yet expressive material palette, anchored by rich walnut millwork and reflective surfaces that tie the rooms together. In the galley kitchen, a stainless steel backsplash plays against the grain of the walnut cabinetry and lets the room feel more expansive than it is.The millwork takes center stage in the bedroom, where a large custom mirror, bed, headboard, and nightstands, all in walnut, read as one cohesive piece. To make the most out of the existing square footage, Ghera opted for a platform bed and floating nightstands to avoid clutter and improve flow. A vintage Turkish kilim lumbar pillow in deep crimson and bedding in shirt blue and red add whimsy to the otherwise quiet room.A walnut-framed mirror in the bedroom has an outsize effect. It “nearly doubled the square footage of what the apartment feels like,” says Ghera. “It continues the bouncing of light… and it just feels a little bit airier.” Ethan HerringtonThe entry meets the client's practical needs. A roomy storage cabinet in smoked oak from Ferm Living serves as a catchall for keys and everyday items, and a lacquered wood mirror from West Elm leans against the wall beside a burgundy linen ottoman from de Le Cuona. Ethan HerringtonFloating night tables and a custom cabinet along the window provide ample storage. Bedside, Stemlite table lamps in pebble grey by Gubi softly illuminate the space. Sara Marlowe Hall’s pastel drawings, Red 1 & Red 2, play off the crimson vintage Turkish kilim lumbar pillow Ethan HerringtonGubi Stemlite Table LampCB2 Encino Organic Cotton Stonewashed Velvet Throw PillowIn the living room, comfort and flexibility were musts. The client, who likes to host friends for drinks or dinner, needed a space that could easily adapt to gatherings of varying sizes. A custom, deep-seated sofa upholstered in Larsen’s Asante in Linen fabric fits several guests and offers a cozy spot for overnight visitors. Versatile furnishings like the Cuba Lounge Chair by Carl Hansen & Son can be folded up and tucked away in the closet to make room for larger parties.Fitting a dining area into a studio of this size was a true exercise in spatial gymnastics. “It still kind of blows my mind,” says Ghera, “but it works.” A sleek USM dining table topped with oak veneer forms its own “contained” island where a suspension lamp hangs deliberately low to serve as a “focal point,” Ghera says.Rather than fret over the windowless bathroom, Ghera chose to “lean into it.” “Small rooms look incredible when they’re a little darker,” he says. Outer Clé’s Lido Aperto Bouchon tiles in matte rare garnet wrap the space, and a custom sink pairs Calacatta Viola marble with a stainless steel base, made from “every square inch” of the stone used in the kitchen. Ethan HerringtonAs a friend told the client, the “pièce de résistance” of the apartment is the bathroom, and he couldn’t agree more. Oxblood garnet tiles envelop the space, from floor to ceiling. Lighting spills from above and below the medicine cabinet and washes down from a cove in the shower. “It really just feels like you are cradled in this space,” says Ghera. “It’s a little sexy.” Reeded glass adds a hint of transparency. “It’s like showering in the world’s coolest hotel,” says the client.Working within the constraints of such a small studio left little margin for error. Rather than letting it faze him, Ghera worked “down to the eighth of an inch,” he says. “You really have to be so honed in on the tiny details … and intentional about the things you do.”Not a subscriber? 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