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Designer Nataliya Gerasimova has made her 725-square-foot Bellevue rental feel warm and personal through furniture, textiles, lighting and art rather than renovation. The one-bedroom home is arranged to support different daily activities, with a movable sofa backrest and a dining table that also serves as a workspace.
Designer Nataliya Gerasimova has shaped her 725-square-foot rental in Bellevue, Washington, into a warm, flexible home using furniture, lighting, textiles and personal decor rather than renovation, according to a recent Apartment Therapy house tour. The one-bedroom apartment, where she lives with her husband and dog, shows how a renter can make a space feel considered while keeping its layout adaptable for work, meals and downtime.
Gerasimova, who founded the design firm Mova Interiors in 2017 after graduating from design school in 2016, has lived in the apartment for three years. She told Apartment Therapy her goal was not to make the home seem larger, but to make it feel “complete, thought-through, layered, and intentional.” She described arranging it around how the couple uses the space day to day, with several places to sit and a calm atmosphere to return to.
That emphasis on use is visible in the living area. The sofa has a movable backrest that Gerasimova repositions depending on whether she is working, taking calls or relaxing. A coffee table leaves room to sit on the floor, while a task lamp provides focused light at the end of the sofa for reading or winding down without relying on overhead lighting. The dining table serves as a workspace as well as a place to eat.
The home’s warmth comes through in a mix of linen, wood and stone, a neutral palette, varied textures and softer lighting. A gallery wall of travel photographs adds personal detail; Gerasimova said places including Tulum, Italy, Estonia and Dubai informed the home’s materials and feel. She kept the dining table styling spare, using a ceramic bowl and candle, and paired it with more sculptural, textural artwork nearby.
Flexible Design for Rental Living
The tour offers a concrete example of how renters can shape a home without relying on a renovation. Gerasimova’s approach centers on movable furniture and layered decor, so the room’s use can change without a permanent alteration. That is particularly relevant in a compact one-bedroom home, where a dining surface may also need to function as a desk and a living room must support several activities.
Her choices also show that making a small home feel personal does not necessarily mean trying to make it look bigger. Instead, the design focuses on comfort, function and visual depth: a reading corner, a floor-sitting option, personal photographs and multiple light sources. These are details of one household’s approach, not a guarantee that the same arrangement will suit every rental or floor plan.
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A Home Shaped Around Daily Use
Apartment Therapy’s report presents the apartment as an ongoing design project rather than a finished makeover. Gerasimova said decisions have developed through observing how the home feels to live in and how the couple uses it. The source describes a one-bedroom, 725-square-foot apartment shared by two adults and a dog; it does not report a renovation or a change to the rental’s structure.
Gerasimova said she was drawn to calm, grounded spaces and chose furnishings by how they felt rather than following a single defined style. Her advice was to use contrast and balance, mixing materials, tones and forms so a room feels collected over time instead of overly coordinated. She also described using wall-mounted shelves, art and hooks to add function and personality while avoiding extra floor furniture. The source does not specify whether every wall-mounted item was installed with the landlord’s permission or how it was attached.
Rental Rules and Project Costs
The source does not provide a budget, product list or complete floor plan, so readers cannot assess the cost of the furnishings or reproduce the arrangement item for item. It also does not explain the lease terms, whether the landlord approved wall-mounted pieces, or whether any installation left marks that would need repair when the couple moves out. The tour shows the finished home and shares Gerasimova’s design choices, but it does not establish how broadly the approach will work in other rentals.
The Design Remains an Ongoing Process
Gerasimova described the home as an ongoing process shaped by how it is used, rather than a renovation with a stated completion date. Apartment Therapy’s report does not announce a next project, planned move or further changes. For renters applying similar ideas, the practical next step is to check lease rules before attaching shelves, art or hooks, then choose movable furnishings and lighting around the activities the space needs to support.
Key Questions
Where is Nataliya Gerasimova’s rental?
It is a 725-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment in Bellevue, Washington, shared by Gerasimova, her husband and their dog.
Did she renovate the apartment?
The Apartment Therapy report describes her approach as layering decor rather than making permanent changes. It does not report a renovation.
What makes the living room flexible?
A movable sofa backrest lets Gerasimova change the seating orientation. The coffee table also leaves room for sitting on the floor, and the dining table doubles as a workspace.
How did she add warmth without changing the structure?
She used textiles, natural materials, personal photographs, varied textures and softer lighting. The source also mentions wall-mounted shelves, artwork and hooks, but does not detail how they were installed or whether the landlord approved them.
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