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About Solía Avenue
Hi, I’m Evan. Welcome to my small home.
Solía Avenue is a home and lifestyle blog about making small spaces feel beautiful and livable. Small apartment decor, seasonal styling, hosting and DIY weddings, written for renters and first-home owners who want a styled home without a big budget or a big floor plan.
- Classically trained chef
- Painter at heart
- Small-space stylist
A few numbers about me
Who is behind Solía Avenue?
A chef, a painter at heart and a small-space stylist.
Three sides of me, and each one shows up on this blog. Tap a card to flip it.
The chef
Classically trained, with 15 years in professional kitchens.
Tap to flip ↻Why it matters here
Fine dining is where my love for hosting, tablescapes and party food comes from. It’s why the hosting guides read like a chef planned them.
See the hosting ideas →The painter at heart
Painting, drawing, photography, reading and writing.
Tap to flip ↻Where it started
I grew up in a lively city in the Philippines, surrounded by creativity thanks to my mom, who’s an interior designer. Art was always encouraged at home.
See the seasonal decor →The small-space stylist
A 73 m² home in Finland that has to work hard and still feel cozy.
Tap to flip ↻Home base
My husband and I share a sweet 73 m² home that overlooks a small forest, a 10-minute walk from a peaceful lake. So I know firsthand what it takes to make a compact home work.
See the small-space ideas →New here?
Start with the best of Solía.
The most-loved guides for small spaces, every season, hosting and weddings, all in one place.
What you’ll find here
Take a tour of our 73 m² home.
This is how our apartment is laid out. Every room has its own collection of ideas on the blog. Pick one to see what’s inside.
Our real home, drawn as a floor plan. Not to scale.
Room
Living room
Sofas that fit, layouts that flow and corners that finally get used.
See living room ideasHow it started
From a creative outlet to a seasonal habit.
- Growing up
A creative home in the Philippines
My mom is an interior designer, and art was always encouraged at home.
- 15 years
Professional kitchens
Classically trained in fine dining, which is where hosting and tablescapes became my thing.
- Late 2023
Solía Avenue begins
A fun creative outlet, writing about trending decor ideas for small apartments.
- 2024
We tied the knot
With a fully DIY wedding, which is why the wedding guides exist.
- Today
A seasonal habit for readers
A community that comes back every season for fresh ideas, mostly through Pinterest. I’m also studying business alongside the blog.
How Solía Avenue guides are made
Real questions. Quick answers. Ideas you can use.
A real question
Every guide starts with one, like how to fit a sofa in a studio or how to style a table for a crowd.
A quick answer first
You get the short version at the top, so you know right away if the post is for you.
Ideas you can actually use
Then the ideas, styled for real small homes and real budgets.
Some posts include product picks with Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure.