Paige Wassel, an Instagram influencer and a Youtuber put the effort to fully upgrade a 700 square foot condo in Chicago. Paige was working as a freelance prop stylist in Los Angeles before she decided to move back to her hometown in 2019 and make a project out of it; she bought a small condo that needed some work, on purpose! Inspired by the impressive transformation process, Paige started a Youtube channel dedicated to interior trends and celebrity homes, she even had her boyfriend begin doing some renovation works—the hardest challenge facing them was staying within a strict budget.
“I wanted something small that needed some work—not a full gut renovation—so I could renovate it on my own and with some help from my dad, who used to flip houses with friends as a hobby,”
—Paige Wassel
https://media.architecturaldigest.com/photos/61b910f38fe0c1f27389151a/master/w_1600,c_limit/AFTER%20-%20BEDROOM%201.jpg Photography by Michael Druce
How did Paige transform the condo within a strict budget?
Paige explained that back when she took this decision, her bank account was drained, so she bought the condo but did not start renovating before six months. To stay within the strict budget, Paige worked around all the challenges—she learned most of the renovation work herself through Youtube, including taking out a bathroom sink and installing a new one, tiling a backsplash, and replacing light fixtures. She used Craigslist to find someone to help her with the jobs she couldn’t handle herself, such as installing wood floors.
“When I first moved in [in 2019] my bank account was drained, so I didn’t start renovating for about six months, […] Even then, my budget was tight, so the renovation happened in phases.”
—Paige said
The living room before renovation, Photography by Michael Druce
The living room after renovation, Photography by Michael Druce
She transformed the space by painting the walls a deep, rich green. She also replaced the old ceiling fan with a flush mount light, which opened up the room and made it feel more spacious.
To upgrade the game, Paige made the effort to search for fun and vintage pieces and used furniture then enhance them to fit the condo’s overall aesthetics. She looked in almost every source for secondhand stuff and furniture and as a result, almost everything in the small condo was secondhand!
“I found an old cabinet for my office, knobs for drawers, fabric for a DIY headboard, and chairs to be reupholstered, […] “Almost everything in my place is secondhand and if not, I shopped at IKEA. My sources included Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Etsy, OfferUp, vintage and antique shops, estate sales, Goodwill, Salvation Army, and others.”
—She said
The bathroom before renovation, Photography by Michael Druce
The bathroom after renovation, Photography by Michael Druce
Paige wanted to infuse the bathroom with her own sombre aesthetic, especially when it came to the sink, which felt boring and dreary. She made a number of changes to the bathroom, but her favorite was swapping out the old aqua blue bathroom sink with something sleeker and more modern.
Sometimes it is good when you are your own client! Needless to say, the most daunting task of them all was zoning the condo correctly and maximizing functionality—tiny homes can be hard to organize, but they often result in masterpieces! As someone who works from home but also welcomes friends to stay over, Paige created an all-in-one office-slash-guest room by installing a desk on hinges and a Murphy bed.
The guest bedroom before renovation, Photography by Michael Druce
Moreover, she installed a vintage cabinet above the desk that she found at a thrift store. For the guest room part of the function, she stores all of the stuff on the desk in the cabinet, moves the desk chairs to her condo’s shared basement, and then hinges the desk down and pulls out the Murphy bed hidden in the closet.
The guest bedroom after renovation, the hinge desk and Murphy bed combo in the guest bedroom/office is the secret to making the tiny space feel big and open, Photography by Michael Druce
The guest bedroom after renovation, here the bed is tucked away and the office is ready for working, Photography by Michael Druce
Toqa Mostafa is a dedicated editor at Arch2O, bringing a sharp editorial perspective to architectural storytelling. Based in Egypt, she curates and refines content that showcases innovative design and urban solutions. Her work at Arch2O highlights her ability to engage readers with compelling narratives, bridging architectural creativity and critical discourse. Toqa’s editorial expertise contributes significantly to Arch2O’s mission of exploring the intersection of design, technology, and sustainability.