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Designer Nataliya Gerasimova has shaped her 725-square-foot Bellevue rental through furniture, textiles, lighting and personal decor rather than a renovation. The Apartment Therapy tour describes a one-bedroom home designed around flexible seating, warm neutral materials and changing daily needs.
Designer Nataliya Gerasimova has made her 725-square-foot rental in Bellevue, Washington, feel warm and layered through movable furniture, natural materials, personal artwork and softer lighting, rather than a renovation. The Apartment Therapy house tour shows how she and her husband arranged their one-bedroom home to support different activities while keeping the decor renter-friendly.
Gerasimova, who was raised in Tallinn, Estonia, graduated from design school in 2016 and founded Mova Interiors in 2017, according to Apartment Therapy. She has lived in the apartment for three years with her husband and their dog. The tour describes a home built up through ongoing choices rather than a single makeover, with furniture and decor selected for how the couple use the space each day.
In the living room, a sofa chaise with a movable backrest can be reoriented as the day changes. Gerasimova says she turns it toward the window or inward depending on whether she is working, taking calls or relaxing. A coffee table leaves room to sit on the floor, while a slim task lamp provides focused light at the end of the sofa for reading or winding down.
The dining area also serves as a work surface: Gerasimova says the marble dining table is used for both meals and work. A ceramic bowl and candle keep its styling simple, and textured artwork adds visual depth. Across the apartment, linen, wood and stone contribute tactile variation to a warm, mostly neutral palette. A gallery wall of travel photographs brings in personal memories and references places including Tulum, Italy, Estonia and Dubai.
Flexible Choices Shape the Small Home
The tour offers a specific example of how a renter can make a compact home feel more personal without changing its fixed features. Gerasimova’s approach centers on how rooms function throughout the day: seating shifts between work and rest, the dining table serves more than one purpose, and lighting creates a quieter alternative to overhead fixtures.
Her design choices also show that a layered look does not depend on matching everything to one style. Gerasimova says she combines materials, tones and forms to make the apartment feel collected rather than overly coordinated. For renters who cannot make permanent alterations, furniture, textiles, art and lighting can provide ways to change the feel and use of a space. The tour documents one household’s solution, not a guarantee that the same arrangement will suit every small rental.
movable backrest chaise sofa small apartment
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Three Years of Rental Refinement
Gerasimova says the goal was not to make the apartment appear larger. Instead, she wanted it to feel complete, considered and calm, with several places to sit depending on the activity. She describes the home as an ongoing process of learning how the space feels to live in, rather than a design project judged only by its appearance.
Apartment Therapy reports that the decor was kept renter-friendly and focused on layering rather than permanent changes. Wall-mounted shelves, art and hooks add storage or personality without taking up floor space, while the hooks keep frequently used items accessible. The report does not specify whether every wall-mounted item was installed with landlord approval or what methods were used.
Rental Rules Are Not Detailed
The Apartment Therapy report describes the decor as renter-friendly, but does not explain the lease terms, landlord permissions or installation methods for the wall-mounted shelves, artwork and hooks. It also does not provide a renovation budget, itemized costs or measurements for individual rooms beyond the apartment’s total area. The tour therefore shows the finished choices but does not establish how easily or affordably another renter could replicate them.
No Further Project Is Announced
The source is a published home tour, not an announcement of a new design project. Gerasimova describes the apartment as an ongoing process shaped by daily use, but the report gives no timeline for future changes. Any further updates to the home, including new furnishings or changes to its layout, have not been reported.
Key Questions
Where is the rental apartment?
It is a 725-square-foot, one-bedroom rental in Bellevue, Washington, shared by Nataliya Gerasimova, her husband and their dog.
What makes the living room flexible?
The sofa chaise has a movable backrest that Gerasimova repositions for different activities. The coffee table also leaves room for sitting on the floor.
How does the apartment avoid feeling one-note?
Gerasimova combines linen, wood and stone with varied textures, warm neutral colors, travel photographs and sculptural artwork.
Did she renovate the rental?
The Apartment Therapy tour says the decor focused on layering rather than permanent changes. It does not give details about lease permissions or the installation methods for wall-mounted pieces.
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