This Tiny Toronto Rental is a Masterclass in DIY Design

It’s not surprising that home decor YouTuber Alexandra Gater has an apartment that is brimming with design inspo. She gave the once plain, 860-square-foot space a pretty-in-pink makeover that brings her joy. “The pink is bright but warm and the look is boho treehouse,” she says. “I’m on the third floor and there’s trees on either side of the apartment so it feels like I’m floating in the trees sometimes.” It’s an imaginative space and wait till you see the home office… Bonus: check out the video of this super creative space.

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Boho living room with pink couch, orange chair and dining room table

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Open Plan

Alexandra was able to sneak a dining area into her tiny apartment and make it still feel organized and welcoming. “I opted for a round table to keep things feeling open,” she says. “The white top helps it blend in and not take up too much visual space.” She paired the circular table, a second-hand piece she scored online, with chairs from Casa Chic and pom pom cushions from H&M Home. “They really add the boho look I was going for.”

Boho living room with brick wall, plants and pink couch

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Light Show

Natural light floods the apartment, highlighting original features like the exposed brick wall. The dramatic pendant light, which Alexandra scored after it was featured in a magazine shoot she worked on, is a conversation starter. “People either love it or hate it, but it’s such a feature of this room and that’s what lighting should be. It adds so much personality and I think the room would be kind of lackluster without it!”

Boho living room with straw-lined mirror and pink couch

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Skirt the Issue

Alexandra’s DIY spirit is on display with this stylish mirror, which is a replica of a very expensive one she saw in a high-end boutique. She copied the look for a fraction of the price by adding a skirt of raffia to a simple circular mirror.

Living room with vibrant gallery wall artwork

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Artful Lodger

A professional looking gallery wall includes a floating shelf and features one of Alexandra’s favourite pieces: a simple but impactful pink heart she purchased online. Plants add a lively green splash and baskets impart texture and smart storage.

Living room with closet turned into home office space

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Think Pink

“I live alone so really wanted to lean on my design favourites fully, without needing to consult with a partner first,” says Alexandra. “I know that I won’t be living alone forever, so for now I’m defaulting to pink paint and accessories whenever possible.” Here it defines her mini home office and wait till you see it full on.

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Small but Mighty

How adorable and inspirational is this home office? Alexandra transformed a closet into a highly functional and fun work space by adding a floating shelf and desk that houses her files, printer and stationery. Best part (other than the sweet decor)? She can shut the door and close it off to signify the end of the work day.

White desk, gold chair and pegboard on wall

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Board Meeting

A pegboard elevates the practicality of this small space, providing more useful storage and a space to highlight pretty things. The chair’s mix of soft chenille and elegant brass proves that office chairs can be lovely too.

Closeup of pegboard on wall with art supplies attached

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Supply and Demand

Displaying supplies in plain sight demands some ingenious planning – they need to be easily accessible and still easy on the eyes, more collected than chaotic. This hanging container ticks all the boxes.

Kitchen with white cabinets, pink backsplash and wood countertops

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Tile Files

Renters, take note! “My pink backsplash is so amazing because it’s completely renter-friendly and removable!” says Alexandra. “It’s from Smart Tiles and I’ve had them up in this kitchen for more than a year and they are completely like new. They’re waterproof and so many people who come into my kitchen think they’re real tiles. When I leave this apartment, I’ll just peel them off the wall and no one will ever know they’d been there.”

White kitchen with wood herringbone countertops

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Metal Winner

Renovating a rental was out of the question so Alexandra relied on little things to breathe new life into her kitchen. As well as adding the ingenious backsplash, she upgraded the standard-issue hardware to brass knobs from CB2. They feel vintage and feminine – perfect for the apartment’s aesthetic.

White kitchen with gallery wall of family photos

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Picture This

Personal accents feel permanent in a rental and Alexandra dialed them up with her kitchen’s gallery wall. Family photos, printed and framed at Posterjack, transform an empty wall into a gallery of memories. Her plan is to keep adding more and fill the space from top to bottom.

Kitchen shelving with artwork that says: I love you even more than before.

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Look Up

“This is one of my favourite pieces of artwork because of its size and simplicity,” says Alexandra. She placed it on top of the kitchen cabinets to draw the eye up and accentuate the tall ceiling.

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New Heights

The ladder, which came with the apartment, wasn’t attached to the wall so Alexandra couldn’t access the loft space. To solve the problem, she purchased an inexpensive library ladder kit off of Amazon. “It’s functional now and I also just love the way it looks.”

Bathroom with blue and white tiled floor

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Pretty in Pink

For continuity and to layer in softness, Alexandra extended the pink in her home office to the bathroom. It’s a feminine backdrop to the Moroccan black and white sticker tile floor.

Bathroom with greenery hanging from window

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Basket Case

“I’m a big advocate of storing everything in your bathroom in pretty storage bins, especially when you have limited closed storage like I do,” says Alexandra. Woven baskets are just one of the ways she does this and we love how she added pom poms here to replicate the ones on her dining chairs.

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Makeover Magic

Floating shelves are a renter’s best friend. This raw wood one not only imparts warmth but also offers an accessible perch for toiletries, makeup and accessories.

Bedroom with pink and white linens and pink light hanging overhead

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Sleep Well

We love the casual makeup of this bed – no crisp edges or tight folds – and it is very much intentional. “Linen is my favourite bedding material because of how laid-back and relaxed it looks. This duvet cover is from Flax Sleep, a female-owned, Canadian business. I want to dive into this bed all the time.” The pink accents play up on the soothing vibe of the room and if you look closely, you’ll notice more pom poms trim the curtains.

Bedroom nightstand with books, clock and lavender sitting on top

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Raising the Bar

A simple bar cart is repurposed as a snazzy night table that feels airier and more feminine than a typical wood table. It, again, mixes pretty with practical and is easy to move when the time comes. Check out these beautiful and affordable bar carts for some inspiration.

White nightstand with air freshener, books and lavender sitting on top

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Calm and Collected

Lavender and essential oils make great bedside table staples and Alexandra elevates them here with fun and feminine styling – how cute is this vase?

Wood nightstand with books, glasses and lamp sitting on top

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Gold Standard

A whimsical gold peacock lamp shares the dresser with two of Alexandra’s favourite design elements: pink accessories and woven baskets. Styling every surface makes your room look collected and not cluttered and fends off the feeling that this is a temporary rental.

Bedroom with entire wall white bookshelf with books colour coded

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Form Meets Function

“My friend ‘DIY Danie’ custom-built these shelves for me,” says Alexandra. “The best part is that they are completely renter-friendly as I can dismantle them when I move.” They show off her eye for styling too. “One of my favourite styling tips is to colour code your books. I also layer in tons of trinkets and artwork and it makes me so happy whenever I walk into this space. Like almost everything in my apartment it’s decorative but also functional.”

Bookshelf with stack of books and small pink globe

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Colour Coded

Here she breathes life into the black spines with circular shapes and brass accents.

White bookshelf with shoes sitting on shelves

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Pump it Up

When hidden storage is minimal, display pretty items in plain sight. Here, stylish shoes act as mini sculptures and are easy to access.

Bedroom with MCM dresser and large plant on wood plant stand

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Brush it Up

To soften this bamboo pendant lamp from IKEA and help it blend in with the bedroom’s peaceful scheme, Alexandra dry-brushed it with white paint. The gold sconces add a bit of burnished elegance and the plant injects a lively note thanks to its colour and texture.

Bedroom wall with mirror and closet doors

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Black Mark

How cool is this wall treatment? Simple black lines liven up the bedroom wall and are easily painted over when it comes time to move. We love the references to the skirted mirror in the living room via the circular mirror and wicker handbag.