My Studio Costs $1,800 A Month — & Here's What It Looks Like

High rent, small spaces, and nosy neighbors are all hallmarks of a classic New York City real estate experience. But somehow, 8.5 million people make it work. We visited the home of one such New Yorker, senior sex & relationships editor Maria Del Russo, to see what her Upper East Side studio looks like.

Her studio might be tiny (Del Russo estimates that it's around 300 square feet), but with the help of her interior design savvy mom and a refusal to let things pile up, she's managed to make it completely her own. It also helps that she has a balcony.

We asked her about how she's cultivated her decorating style. Click ahead to see Maria Del Russo's adorably cute apartment, and to shop a few home buys to copy her style.