>>18453270
yes it is
2 questions though.
1.Why are you so insistent on having a couch in there? 200 sqft is really limiting. I would probably have gone for a futon or pullout to combine sitting/sleeping area. I mean, you're probably not doing entertaining in here.
2. where the fuck is your kitchen/kichenette

> And how does one pull off the fancy "shelf as room partition" meme?
A shelf as room partition here would probably go at the foot of your bed, to create some semblance of your bed being it's own space. Go look up interiors from popeye and other Japanese magazines because those dudes live in shoeboxes and manage to make it look decent. A minitrend in asian apartments (JP,CN,KR) are to use these brackets(pic related) for lumber and do like DIY shelving/dividers for their rentals too because it's a cheap way to break up the space without damaging it

>can expensive statement pieces (aka not KALLAX) pull an otherwise dismal room together?
no.
pieces that work together are the only thing that will ever 'pull a room together' you can't just throw random shit together and hope for the best.
Also, clarify what you mean by 'expensive' because there is a world of difference between ikea and a rare one-off piece that costs like 120k on 1stdibs or at auction