Updated Oct 11, 2025 7:31 PM EDT
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When Sarai Reed bought her 513-square-foot one-bedroom in Washington, D.C., back in 2018, it was meant to be a solo retreat. Then she met April Lawrence at a happy hour. “I invited her over for dinner. I’m a pretty great cook; she never stood a chance,” jokes Reed. “We’ve been together ever since.” Lawrence moved in a year later, and the pair were already figuring out how to share tight quarters with limited storage—and 46 houseplants, no less—when the pandemic arrived.
Both of them juggle two roles: Reed teaches and is building up her design consulting business, while Lawrence handles road management for an R&B artist and runs a coffee shop. “Before lockdown, we’d maybe get an hour or two together before bed—and that was it, even on weekends,” says Lawrence. “We used to wish for this much time together.” Now, with Reed teaching remotely and Lawrence’s jobs on pause, they’re adjusting all over again. (Lawrence has even picked up drum lessons.) Here’s how they’re making it work.
Let Routines Lead the Way…
Before lockdown, Lawrence was the early riser. “Now we’ve called it quits with our alarm clocks,” says Lawrence. Reed is up by 8 a.m. to teach summer school online, and Lawrence drifts out of bed around 9 a.m. to brew coffee. They keep a standing breakfast date during Reed’s midmorning break. “Sticking to a loose routine has helped us a lot,” she adds. “On Friday and Saturday nights, you’ll catch us playing music or watching a movie. On Sunday mornings, we make brunch together in our pajamas.” Usually it’s pancakes.
…But Ditch the Rigid Schedule
When everything began, they taped a daily schedule to the wall…and swiftly took it back down. “It felt too rigid,” says Reed. “Some days you just don’t feel like doing much, and that’s fine.” Instead, they make a point to check in with each other throughout the day, taking things as they come. “It’s taken some practice, but we’re learning to be gentle with ourselves and with each other,” she adds.
Put Your Decor to Work
The apartment already had its share of clever space-saving ideas, from a wall-mounted pot rack to a sofa that doubles as a room divider to a painted headboard that keeps the bedroom feeling open and bright. To free up even more room, Reed and Lawrence have been in a rigorous decluttering phase since March. “We’re serious about stopping the small energy leaks that happen all day when you share 513 square feet with your partner and everything you own,” explains Reed. “If an avalanche of Tupperware tumbles out every time you open the cabinet, you own too much Tupperware. Those little frustrations can really wear you down.” It’s one fewer annoyance to wrestle with, and it’s made the space infinitely more zen. (Naturally, they kept Reed’s plants—every spare nook is devoted to her greenery.)
Don’t Feel Guilty About Solo Time
“Living and working together in a small home is hard—there’s no sugarcoating it,” says Lawrence. Reed spends much of her day on Zoom calls with 12-year-olds, and while Lawrence has grown to love her headphones, some days simply demand more personal space. Whenever one of them needs a breather, they’ll run an errand, take a quick walk, or even set up camp in separate rooms. “When she’s not working, we spend a lot of time together, but we’re also really intentional about carving out time for ourselves each day,” explains Lawrence. “This condo didn’t truly feel like home until April moved in,” adds Reed. “We’re just soaking up this time together.”
Introducing Domino’s new podcast, Design Time, where we explore spaces with meaning. Each week, join editor-in-chief Jessica Romm Perez and talented creatives and designers from our community to explore how to build a home that tells your story. Listen now and subscribe for fresh episodes every Thursday.
Elly Leavitt
Writer and Editor
Elly loves covering everything from travel to offbeat design (tubular furniture, anyone?) to the latest cultural trend. Her dream apartment would sit on the Upper West Side and overflow with mismatched antique chairs, ceramic vessels, and floor-to-ceiling bookcases—essential to her mission of becoming a poor man’s Nora Ephron. You can probably find her waiting in line at Trader Joe’s. You will never find her at SoulCycle.
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