Editor-in-chief Sarah Humphreys moved into a cozy (okay, claustrophobic) apartment. Stumped by her pressing problems, she talked (okay, complained) about them at work, all the time.

The home editors, in a moment of selfless generosity, volunteered to work their magic on her itty-bitty abode, and dreamed up a slew of impressive solutions.

The Space: a quaint one-bedroom apartment in an 1830s row house in New York City's West Village.

The Transformative Projects:
Shelving How-To
Curtain Divider How-To
Television Cozy How-To

Pressing Problem No. 1: No Room for My Furniture
This snapshot was taken the day of the editors' first scouting trip. Rebecca and Shane Powers (who was along for the ride) were befuddled, all right. The living room was filled with a mishmash of furniture, some too large-scale, making it feel cluttered and cramped. One reason for the mishmash: I purchased the white Ikea sofa and oversized chair I'm sitting on from the woman who lived in the apartment before me, since I was (rightfully) doubtful that my own sofa would fit in the space (it wouldn't have even made it through the front door). In addition, the walls were painted a bland butter color (affectionately dubbed masking-tape yellow" by Page), which made the apartment dark, and therefore even more confining and cavelike.

Impressive Solutions: Scaled-Down Style
Page, Rebecca, and Kendra swapped out the overstuffed furniture for trim, tailored pieces, including a 69-inch-long sofa and a Danish-modern replica chair. With a small space, your primary furniture should not only be compact, but also sleek, without much embellishment, and, ideally, neutral-toned, says Page. To that end, the sofa is skirtless and lichen-colored, making it seem less imposing, and the chair is simply wicker and stainless steel, rather than a padded upholstered style. That said, it certainly doesn't require an entire room-change of furniture to make a tiny area feel bigger: "Even swapping out just one piece-like the sofa will help your place feel more composed and livable, says Page. And as for finding that new sofa, a number of companies are now selling small-scale furniture lines, including Crate & Barrel, West Elm, and Pottery Barn, making your search easy.

Impressive Soultions: A Cooler Color
There was a reason I felt as if the masking-tape-yellow walls were closing in on me: Warm colors make a room feel cozier (not what I needed). The team repainted with a cool-toned blue and instantly the walls began to recede. Camden" sofa, $900, and Chatham mirror, $400, crateandbarrel.com. "Meso" chair, $600, whiteonwhite.com for stores. Martha Stewart Colors paint, Surf" (286), $25/gallon, available in April, lowes.com for stores. lamp by George Kovacs, $132, lightingbygregory.com. Leather pouf, $185, Imports from Marrakesh, 212-675-9700