YouTube Star Alexandra Gater Teases Her Smallest “Studio Fix” Makeover Yet: 'Can't Even Call It an Apartment' (Exclusive)

The home decor expert was challenged with making over a 100 square-foot studio, where the "kitchen was in a closet" on her popular makeover series

NEED TO KNOW

• Alexandra Gater’s YouTube series, Studio Fix, focuses on tenant-friendly makeovers for small studio apartments under 500 square feet
• Her latest project transformed a 100-square-foot space, the smallest studio her team has ever tackled
• Gater incorporated a loft bed to create a lounge and workspace in the tiny apartment, which has a kitchen in the closet

YouTube star Alexandra Gater is no stranger to tackling small spaces. In fact, that's her specialty. 

"Our format is makeovers. That's all we do, and people know me now as the small space makeover channel," the home decor expert tells PEOPLE about her popular YouTube channel, where she hosts Studio Fix. 

On the hit series, which has over 28 million views, Gater makes over studio apartments that are typically about 500 square feet. Each episode focuses on giving her clients' rented spaces a much-needed overhaul by implementing tenant-friendly hacks in a stylish and sophisticated way. 

"It's really magical to watch us take a room and turn it into five different spaces in one," she says of what's drawn her loyal viewers in. "So whether or not you live in a studio, I think it's just the magic that we're able to create in a small space that makes it that much more interesting to watch."

As one might expect, each makeover comes with its own set of unique and unexpected challenges. Some unfold in the moment, while others are by design — like embracing a client's minimal black and white theme. "I only decorate with color, mostly loud colors or dark moody colors," Gater says. "So when there is a challenge that we feel like we can take on and really knock out of the park, then we'll take it on."

In the case of her latest client, it was the size alone that felt impossible: The space was just 100 square feet, the smallest studio she and her team have ever tackled. "You can't even call it an apartment. It was a room basically, and the kitchen was in a closet," Gater says. "You couldn't even open the stove because it hit the fridge." 

Because Studio Fix is produced by her team at Gater Studios, there's never just one person in any given space. And in this case, "There were five of us packed in there," she says with a laugh. "Our stuff was everywhere." 

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"I was like, this is why we're successful at doing this because no one else will do this. No one else will squeeze themselves into a small space,' she recalls, driving home one of the main reasons the series connects with so many viewers. 

"It's hard. It's really, really hard to do," she continues, adding that overall, Studio Fix has "resonated with a lot of people because not a lot of people are making over studio apartments, but also because so many people live in studio apartments."

While it's admittedly hard to execute these transformations, Gater and her team enjoy the challenge of trying to figure out how to make the spaces work.  

When it came to the 100-square-foot space, in which the client wanted to incorporate a lounge area and working area while also accommodating an adult-sized bed, they found the perfect solution. "We added a loft bed in, and we've never added one before," Gater says, explaining that, "It's kind of like a bunk bed, but down below, you can put a living room or a workspace."

"That was the only time I was really apprehensive because I'm like, 'This could go one of two ways with the makeover recipient. They may love this or hate this.' But it was truly the only way we could add in a workspace and a lounge space," she continues, adding, "I think that's really fun." 

For Gater, that fun comes with "taking risks and trying new things. I feel like we've tried just about everything on the channel, so it's really fun to push the limits and see what we can actually create in 100 square feet."

Studio Fix drops new episodes every other Saturday on Alexandra Gater's YouTube channel. The episode with the 100-square-foot studio premieres June 6.

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