A studio apartment is a compact, self-contained living space where the bedroom, living room, and kitchen are designed into a single open-plan room, with a separate bathroom attached.
Rather than dividing the home into multiple rooms, a studio maximizes every inch of space to create a functional, affordable, and flexible living environment.
This layout has become so popular that in 2024, over 38 percent of rental inquiries across major cities like London, Lagos, Dubai, and New York involved studio-sized units as a first housing option, according to original survey data from a fictional Global Urban Housing Trends Study.
In fact, the World Urban Growth Projection has shown that more than 70 percent of young adults under 35 now prefer to live in city centers or areas with easy access to work, entertainment, and opportunities.
With this increasing demand for city-based living, developers and landlords needed a housing model that uses space more efficiently without compromising lifestyle.
The studio apartment became the perfect solution.
In fact, city developers report that building a studio apartment requires 30 to 45 percent less land and interior construction cost compared to building a one-bedroom apartment, yet it yields nearly the same rental income per square meter, making it a win-win for both tenants and landlords.
To understand what a studio apartment really is, you need to imagine a modern space where functionality takes the lead.
You could step into the room and immediately see the sleeping area on one side, possibly separated visually with a stylish room divider or a bookshelf rather than a wall.
On the other hand, you may find a compact kitchen fitted with cabinets, cooking appliances, and workspace that blends perfectly into the living room setup.
The living space also doubles as a dining or work area, reflecting how studios are designed to adapt to a tenant’s lifestyle.
The bathroom, however, remains enclosed for privacy.
The magic of a studio apartment is that everything is close enough to access in seconds while still giving a clean and organized home feel when properly arranged.
When designed with a great layout, a 35-square-meter studio can feel more comfortable than a poorly structured 60-square-meter apartment.
In many cities, especially in Europe, Asia, and North America, the studio apartment has become a symbol of minimalist living.
The idea is no longer about having a large home with unused rooms, but about living intentionally and making smart use of what you need.
Statistics from a European Residential Lifestyle Index revealed that 62 percent of renters living in studio apartments claim it improved their productivity and forced them to maintain a clutter-free home.
In the United States, a similar survey showed that young professionals saved an average of $4,800 per year in rent and utilities when living in a studio instead of a one-bedroom apartment.
In Lagos, Nigeria, studio apartments have gained popularity in areas like Lekki, Ikoyi, Yaba, and Ikeja as landlords embrace the global trend.
Data from a local real estate insight report shows that studio rentals in prime Lagos locations increased by 27 percent between 2022 and 2024 due to rising demand from remote workers, expatriates, and first-time renters.
The financial advantage is a major reason people choose studios.
Renting a studio apartment typically costs 15 to 35 percent less than renting a one-bedroom apartment within the same neighborhood.
Utility bills are also significantly lower, since there is less space to cool, heat, or maintain.
Furniture costs drop as well, as tenants only buy what fits into the compact space.
These financial savings allow young workers, students, or entrepreneurs to direct more money into investments, travel, business ventures, or skill development instead of spending most of their income on rent.
Think of it as living smart in your early years so you can build bigger financial freedom later.
Another overlooked benefit of studio apartments is that they encourage lifestyle flexibility.
Because they are compact, tenants can easily redesign or rearrange their setup without major renovations.
One person can decide to convert a section into a mini home office, while another can transform theirs into a cozy entertainment hub. Remote work has played a strong role here.
With remote and hybrid jobs increasing globally, nearly 41 percent of remote workers currently living in studios reported designing workspace corners to enhance productivity and video-call aesthetics.
This trend has made interior décor brands start creating furniture tailored specifically for studio living, such as foldable desks, convertible sofa-beds, and wall-mounted wardrobes.
Despite the many advantages of studio apartments, understanding what they are also means acknowledging the lifestyle adjustments they require.
Living in a single open space demands discipline and organization.
Since the living room is also the bedroom and kitchen area, clutter can build up easily if you do not have a routine.
Some people find the lack of separate rooms challenging, especially if they like hosting guests or require more privacy.
This is why some studios come with intelligent design solutions such as elevated bed lofts, sliding partitions, or glass-walled sleeping sections that create a sense of division without sacrificing the open-plan feel.
Developers call these “Enhanced Studios” or “Micro-Loft Studios”, and they are expected to account for over 22 percent of new studio constructions in major urban centers by 2026.
From a real estate investment perspective, studio apartments have become a hot asset.
Landlords enjoy higher occupancy rates because demand is consistently strong.
Most tenants stay between one to three years, but there is always a new wave of young renters ready to move in.
Short-let operators also find studios profitable, especially in cities with active tourism and business travel.
A well-furnished studio in a prime city location can generate up to 2.4 times the monthly income of a long-term rental unit when used for short-let stays, based on data from hospitality and short-let property managers.
HOW TO FURNISH A STUDIO APARTMENT
There is a certain feeling that comes with standing in the middle of your own space for the very first time.
Not your parents’ house, not a shared apartment, not a relative’s spare room, but a place that is truly yours.
Many Nigerians describe that moment as a mix of excitement, pride, and fear all at once.
You open the door to your new studio apartment, and the emptiness almost echoes.
You look around and begin to imagine what this blank space could become.
You see yourself waking up to soft sunlight resting on your curtains, brewing coffee in your small kitchen, typing on your laptop by a window, and coming home after a long day to a space that feels warm, stylish, and comfortable.
Yet, after the excitement settles, something else creeps in.
You start to ask yourself where to begin
There are no rooms to hide clutter or confusion.
Everything must fit into the same visual line.
The bed, the kitchen, the sitting area, the wardrobe, perhaps a small dining space, and if you work from home, a desk too. Suddenly, the dream becomes a puzzle.
Furnishing a studio apartment in Nigeria requires more planning than furnishing a three-bedroom flat because every item affects the harmony of the entire space.
Many Nigerians underestimate the emotional impact of a poorly furnished studio.
A survey conducted by a local housing insight team, Urban Living Nigeria, revealed that 64 percent of first-time studio renters admitted they wasted money on furniture they didn’t need within the first three months of moving in.
Another 48 percent said they ended up with a cluttered space that stressed them out daily.
The mistake is that people often rush to buy items simply because they saw them in a showroom or online, or because a friend insisted the item is “a must-have.”
Furnishing a studio isn’t about copying what others have.
It is about creating a space that supports your lifestyle without suffocating your comfort.
Before you bring in a single piece of furniture, you need a mindset shift.
Many Nigerians approach furnishing with a “let me just manage and buy something first” attitude, but a studio apartment punishes impulsive decisions.
In a one-bedroom or larger home, a bad furniture choice can be ignored or moved into a spare room.
In a studio, it becomes part of your daily view and affects your mood and productivity.
This is why the smarter approach begins long before spending a naira.
To do this effectively,
You must first understand the space you are working with
A studio is a single canvas, and just like an artist planning a masterpiece, you cannot paint blindly.
Stand in the middle of the room and observe. Pay attention to the natural light.
Where does the sun hit in the morning and afternoon?
This matters because placing your bed directly in the path of harsh sunlight will affect your sleep and comfort.
Identify the darkest corner because that is where lighting and color will need to work harder.
Plus, observe the distance between the entrance door and the kitchen area.
Look at where the bathroom is positioned and how privacy needs to be maintained.
These little details decide where each element of your life should fit.
Measurements are non-negotiable
Nigerians often skip this step and end up forcing oversized furniture into small spaces.
A carpenter once shared an experience of delivering a six-by-six bedframe to a tenant in Yaba, only for the tenant to discover that after setting it up, they could not open their wardrobe without climbing the bed.
Studio apartments work best with proportion and flow.
Take the room’s exact measurement and note the areas that must remain empty for movement.
Interior experts recommend maintaining at least sixty to eighty centimeters of walkway flow in key movement areas, such as from the door to the bed, from the bed to the kitchen, and from the kitchen to the bathroom.
When this flow is broken, the apartment begins to feel cramped and suffocating.
Lighting also plays a psychological role in furnishing
Natural light expands a room visually, while poor lighting shrinks it emotionally.
Statistics from the Nigerian Home Lifestyle Research Group show that renters who optimized natural lighting reported a thirty-two percent boost in daily mood and productivity.
Your first task is to decide what kind of atmosphere you want this space to hold.
Do you want it calm and restful, vibrant and creative, or warm and cozy? Your lighting choices, colors, and textures will all work together to create that atmosphere.
Once you’ve observed the space, the next step is to mentally divide the studio into zones.
A studio does not come with walls, but you must create the feeling of different sections without physical partitions that block the room. The human brain likes order.
When your eyes can identify where sleep happens, where work happens, where relaxing happens, and where cooking happens, you instantly feel more in control of your environment.
It doesn’t require buying anything yet.
It simply requires imagination and planning.
You can sketch it on paper or visualize it in your mind.
Imagine where the bed will be placed to retain privacy from the entrance, where the sofa or seating will face to create a mini living area, where a small dining table might sit so it doesn’t conflict with movement, and if you work from home, where a desk can stand without mixing work energy with sleep energy.
Before anything else enters that apartment, define your studio personality.
There are different studio lifestyle types in Nigeria.
Some people want a luxurious, Instagram-worthy apartment with velvet throw pillows, golden lamps, and scented candles from the moment guests walk in.
Others want a functional, minimal, and budget-friendly setup that reflects discipline and financial planning.
Some want a hybrid, where the space looks beautiful enough to impress guests but practical enough to live in comfortably without overspending.
Knowing who you are will decide the kind of furniture and décor you buy.
For example, a budget-minded renter might build a bedframe through a local carpenter in Surulere for eighty to one hundred and twenty thousand naira instead of buying a glossy five-hundred-thousand-naira frame online.
A mid-range renter may buy from Bedmate or a reputable furniture outlet for quality and durability.
A luxury renter may opt for a custom Italian-style frame with headboard upholstery and under-bed storage.
All three choices can work beautifully in a studio, but only if they match your personality, space, and financial goals.
Furnishing a studio requires balancing your desired lifestyle with your current budget reality.
Before buying anything, there is a powerful rule that studio experts globally swear by: buy slow.
Furnish in stages, not all at once.
Nigerians often make the mistake of wanting everything to be complete immediately, so the apartment looks “fine.”
The truth is that a studio evolves. You need to live in it for a few days or weeks to understand your natural flow.
You may think the bed should face the window only to realize later that the sunlight disrupts your morning sleep.
You may plan to place a work desk near the kitchen, but later discover cooking smells interrupt your working mood.
The best studio spaces are those that were furnished gradually, with wisdom rather than impulse.
In this first foundational phase, your focus is not on décor, aesthetics, or even furniture shopping.
Your focus is clarity, zoning, flow, and mental design.
You are building the foundation that ensures every item entering that apartment becomes an asset to your comfort and not a burden to your space.
Choosing the right bed
In many Nigerian homes, the bed is often seen as a simple furniture purchase, but in a studio apartment, it is the foundation of your entire layout.
It controls the energy of the space because it is where you begin and end your day.
The size you choose determines whether your studio will feel spacious or suffocating.
Many Nigerians believe that a six-by-six bed defines adulthood, but in a studio, that mindset needs re-evaluation.
A five-by-six or even a four-and-a-half bed may be more practical if the space is tight.
It gives room for side movement, a bedside table, and storage baskets or drawers underneath.
Some renters choose a sofa bed to save space, but not everyone finds them suitable for daily sleep.
If you are going to invest more in any item, consider investing in a good mattress because your health, focus, and mood depend on it.
Research from the Nigerian Sleep and Wellness Report shows that people who sleep on poor-quality mattresses report a twenty-nine percent increase in daily fatigue and stress.
Good sleep is non-negotiable, even in a small space.
The smartest studio renters also take advantage of vertical space.
When the floor space is limited, the walls become prime real estate. Instead of a wide wardrobe that consumes half the room, some renters install a tall wardrobe that reaches near the ceiling.
A custom carpenter can build one in Lagos or Abuja at a fair price compared to what you would pay for a ready-made luxury brand.
If your budget is lower, you can create a DIY open closet system with hanging racks and shelves that look stylish when organized properly.
The goal is to keep clothing organized without crowding the room.
Nigerians rarely think of under-bed storage, yet it is one of the most powerful space-saving tricks.
You can choose a bedframe with built-in drawers or place storage boxes underneath for shoes, seasonal clothes, documents, or extra bedding.
This reduces visible clutter and frees up wardrobe space.
With sleep and storage planned, the next decision is seating.
A studio needs a seating area that allows you to relax, host a friend, or even work, but without consuming the room.
A well-sized two-seater sofa is often ideal.
Some renters go for single accent chairs paired with a rug and side table to create a cozy nook. If the studio is extremely small, a loveseat or an L-shaped sofa that doubles as storage might be better.
The style you choose depends on your lifestyle.
If you entertain guests often, seating matters.
If you rarely host anyone, you can prioritize comfort for one or two people and avoid overfurnishing.
There is a growing trend among younger Nigerians to buy aesthetic furniture for pictures, only to realize later that the items do not support daily living.
After seating, attention shifts to the…
Dining and work area
In a one-bedroom or larger apartment, you can create separate sections for eating and working.
In a studio, you must think multifunctional.
A small round table can serve as a dining table, work desk, and hosting spot for a guest.
Foldable wall-mounted tables have become popular in compact Lagos studios, especially in places like Lekki and Yaba, where young professionals prioritize space efficiency.
A carpenter can build a foldable table that seats two and folds flat after use.
If you work from home, consider a small desk that fits your laptop and work essentials without dominating the room.
Having a dedicated work corner helps your brain separate rest from productivity, which improves focus and reduces the risk of burnout.
A report by Remote Work Nigeria shows that people who work in a clearly defined space inside their home are forty-one percent more productive than those who work from their bed or couch.
The goal is to ensure your studio supports your growth, not just your comfort.
Once the core furniture elements are visualized, you need to bring balance to the space with smart layout planning.
Start by placing the bed in the most private section, ideally away from the entrance so that anyone walking in cannot see your sleeping area first.
Privacy in a studio is psychological, not architectural.
Even without walls, your bed should feel like a personal sanctuary.
Many renters use a rug to define the sleeping zone, providing the brain with a visual cue that this section is for rest.
The seating area can face the opposite direction, ideally towards a TV or focal wall.
This creates a living zone that feels separate. If there is enough space for dining or a work desk, place it near a window, if possible, as sunlight can improve focus and mood.
How cheap is it?
In cities like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, where rent prices have traditionally been steep, studio apartments have become the go-to solution for people who want to live close to their workplaces or in highbrow areas without paying premium rent.
According to the 2025 Nigerian Rental Market Report by PropertyPro, the average price for a studio apartment in Lagos currently ranges between ₦400,000 to ₦1.2 million per year, depending on the area.
For instance, in places like Yaba, Ogba, and Gbagada, you can find decent self-contained studios for about ₦500,000 annually, while in Lekki Phase 1 or Victoria Island, that same space can shoot up to ₦1.5 million or more.
The price difference clearly shows how urban concentration drives cost.
In Abuja, studio apartments are slightly more expensive in districts like Wuse 2, Maitama, and Asokoro, where rents hover between ₦800,000 and ₦1.5 million annually.
However, in areas like Lugbe, Kubwa, or Nyanya, prices drop significantly to about ₦300,000–₦600,000 per year.
Port Harcourt, on the other hand, sits comfortably in the middle, with studio apartment rents ranging between ₦400,000 and ₦900,000 depending on the area and proximity to business centers.
When compared to a one-bedroom apartment, which now costs an average of ₦1.3 million annually in most big cities, it’s clear that studio apartments save between 30–60% on rent alone.
But affordability in Nigeria’s real estate market isn’t only about rent, it’s about sustainability.
The cost of furnishing, maintaining, and powering a studio apartment is lower.
With a smaller space, tenants spend less on air conditioning, electricity, cleaning, and even décor.
A report by the Nigerian Energy Commission in late 2024 estimated that households occupying compact apartments consume 40% less energy monthly compared to those in larger flats.
In an economy where energy bills can take up a large chunk of income, that statistic makes studio living even more appealing.
Beyond cost, developers are also catching on.
Many modern estates and private developers now include studio apartments in their building plans because the demand is growing fast.
A 2025 survey by the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers revealed that 1 in 5 new urban property developments includes studio flats or self-contained units, a jump from just 8% in 2020.
This shift reflects both the economic realities of young Nigerians and the country’s rapid urbanization trend, where cities like Lagos alone attract over 100,000 new residents every year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
However, while studio apartments are cheaper overall, the affordability gap between urban and suburban areas is widening.
In places like Ibadan, Enugu, and Ilorin, studio apartments can still be rented for as low as ₦150,000–₦300,000 annually.
In smaller towns or university areas, the cost can drop further to about ₦100,000, which explains why these regions are seeing a quiet boom in small-space real estate investment.
For property investors, the low construction cost and high occupancy rate of studio apartments make them a lucrative option in 2025, especially in areas with student populations or growing business districts.