Fact: Finding a spacious apartment for a family in New York is no easy task. While shared bedrooms offer some assistance, creating a homey feel with kids in a small space takes some creativity. Many parents are opting for an imaginative approach, such as converting a one-bedroom into a two-bedroom home. For Patricia Martinez, creator and parent of two, this proved to be the ultimate home makeover.

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Creative Space Transformation

Patricia Martinez (@momofthemodern) successfully converted her one-bedroom Bronx apartment into a two-bedroom home by using innovative partitioning techniques.

Housing Advocacy Success

After reaching out to New York City's housing department, Martinez was able to secure a major renovation that resolved fundamental issues in her apartment.

Strategic Furniture Repurposing

The family created a parent bedroom in the living room using a customized IKEA Pax wardrobe that functions as both a room divider and storage solution.

Child-Centered Design Decision

Martinez prioritized her children's needs by giving them the apartment's only dedicated bedroom while creating an adult space that didn't sacrifice the living area.

Content Creation Through Renovation

As a content creator with thousands of followers, Martinez has documented her apartment transformation journey, providing inspiration for other families living in small urban spaces.

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As a content creator, Martinez (@momofthemodern) has shared her journey transforming her Bronx apartment into her dream home. Her journey began out of necessity. Like many New York City apartments, Martinez’s space needed an overhaul from the ground up. After reaching out to the city’s housing department, she was able to get many of the issues resolved with a major renovation. However, the extreme makeover was just the beginning.

The renovation provided a new slate, and her next mission was to create a comfortable space for her kids. This meant giving them a bedroom with space to play and grow. With just one dedicated bedroom, she created a second space using partitions, ultimately transforming their one-bedroom apartment into two bedrooms.

@momofthemodern

Replying to @Tygotaura_ Y’all have been hounding me for this Pt. 2! I promise I wasn’t trying to delay y’all but this project took up more time than I expected. Being a family of 5 now we had to be very innovative in our spacious 1 bedroom Bronx Apartment. And instead of using an actual installation to create a “wall”. We invested in the @ikea Pax Closet system & doubled it as a storage + divide with the bedroom we created in the living room. And because the back of the Pax had the plain background, closet look. I grabbed a few inspo videos from Tik Tok and decided we needed to create an illusion. That this is a “wall” but it really isn’t 😉. So we settled with a concrete gray vinyl wallpaper from Amazon that compliments our @ikeausa Besta TV stand. and when I tell you this idea ATE up my vision. I LOVE HOW FIRE THIS CAME OUT! Let me know below what you think!?!?! #bronxapartments #apartment #remodel #ikea #ikeahack #ikeapax #apartmentlife #apartmentinspo #bronx #familyof5 #apartmentliving

♬ original sound – Patricia Martinez.

How She Did It

Giving the kids the only bedroom allowed Martinez and her partner to get creative with the living room. Splitting a room often means adding a wall, but that doesn’t have to involve demolition. The Martinezes decided to go with a partition allowing them to separate the space.

Room dividers are nothing new, but this approach was unique. They aimed to create a sanctuary of peace without losing their living room. The transformation began with a customized IKEA Pax wardrobe, which would also serve as the room divider. More than just a partition, the wardrobe gave their new bedroom a chic closet space and provided additional storage for bags, shoes, and accessories.

The Final Touches

Using a piece of furniture to split off a room can pose a major problem when it comes to the back design. Most items, especially those from IKEA, don’t have a desirable back and are meant to be attached to a wall. To streamline the look of the space, Martinez opted to cover the back with a slate gray contact paper. The result was a clean and created the illusion of a wall, helping to break up the room in style.