How to live in 144 square feet

To make the interiors smarter, Laura Ballinger Gardner, production designer of Girls season 1, went the DIY route. She and the art department custom-designed plywood cabinets and bookshelves—ample storage space with a midcentury modern vibe—to host Charlie's music collection and files. ON REMODELISTA: Plywood Like You've Never Seen It Before

There are easy guides to help build your own basic furniture—from daybeds to shelving. If carpentry isn't your thing, you can also mix and match ready-made shelving to create a similar effect. SHOP NOW: Billie Wall Shelf, $50

Gardner and set decorator Rich Devine cleverly repurposed a vintage bedspring as a ceiling pot rack. ON REMODELISTA: A Bed Spring in the Office?

Just because a space is small doesn't mean you can't express your interests and personality in bold ways. Ballinger and Devine completed Charlie's space with affordable finds, including vintage rugs, an Ikea floor lamp and propaganda posters. ON REMODELISTA: The Easiest Way to Transform a Room

Gardner created a modified two-story space with a stairway-meets-storage-space that leads up to a lounge loft area with a custom bed pod below. The final result is a seamless structure that offers places to eat, store clothing, lounge and sleep. ON REMODELISTA: 17 of the Most Clever Places to Store

Accessories in various textures and patterns keep a space fun, while sticking to one color palette makes it cohesive, as with this cluster of mostly red and cream pieces.SHOP NOW: Orgel Vreten Floor Lamp, $20 Kew wool dhurrie, $129; Foto Pendant lamp, $20