Decorating a small apartment is always a challenge, especially for those, who prefer living in open, light spaces and can’t stand feeling cramped up in their own homes. Preserving a spacious feel and creating a cozy place is the ultimate interior designer goal when it comes to small apartment decorating and remodel. When there’s not too much room even for the most essential pieces of furniture, you inevitably run out of decorating options and end up choosing functionality over elaborate design.
However, small apartments have their own perks. Obviously, the rent is lower and when you don’t mind sacrificing square feet and spare bedrooms, you may afford a place that’s located closer to your office or downtown area in general. If you’re looking for a new place, don’t forget to check the new condos in this area. Furthermore, small apartments feel much cozier and personal than large ones. Lastly, the lack of space doesn’t mean the lack of style if you manage to shift your focus, explore alternative options and implement reasonable small apartment decorating ideas that suit your needs and personal preferences.
If you have absolutely nothing on your mind, consider including one of these small apartment decorating ideas and project into your remodel plan.
Small apartment decorating ideas to make the full use of the available space
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Create living zones
If you live in a studio apartment and have to apply open concept living to real-life conditions, creating separate living zones and diving one large area into several designated ones will help you keep your small apartment organized and less overwhelming. Think about the most convenient layout and position furniture the way that your purpose areas stand out. Separate your bedroom area from the rest of the apartment by hanging a semi-sheer curtain or installing floor-to-ceiling bookshelves between your bed and your kitchen/living room space.
A kitchen island may serve as a perfect dining transition between cooking and living space. Pendant lights will add to the look and contribute to the vertical space division. You may also color coordinate different living areas to make them even more distinct. Area rugs will come quite handy for that matter as well. -
You may still add a home office
If you desperately need to squeeze in an office space into your small apartment, customize the furniture or consider making your own, so that your table and floating shelves fit into the tiny corner you have left for it. For instance, most people wouldn’t even consider turning this corner right at the window into a useful working space. But, a corner table top attached to the walls and complemented with a couple of rustic storage shelves will do just fine for most people who work from home. Others would put a useless plant over there, but you organized it in an efficient way.
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Multipurpose
When every inch counts, combining sleeping and relaxation zones and saving the space by investing in transformer bed is a brilliant small apartment decorating or remodeling idea. Even if you’re not too keen on sleeping on a transformer bed and making it every single day, you may still get it instead of a traditional couch to have a spare sleeping space for when your friends and family members come to stay for a night.
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Don’t buy non-functional furniture
Especially for your bedroom. You don’t use anything but your bed there, so why bother spending your money on an extra chair, a coffee table or a bulky vanity if it will cramp up the room and make you feel suffocated. A large mirror and a couple of floating shelves will add to décor, while a large lampshade reaching from one corner of the room to another will serve as unique, stylish touch.
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Add vertical storage
One of the most painful small apartment problems is the lack of storage. If that’s something you don’t like about your place, add vertical storage shelves whenever you want. Even such surprising areas as the space around your door frame may be used for storage. Open shelves will be great for decorating, while hidden ones above the ceiling will hide away your bulky items and winter clothes. Go bold and turn your entire living room wall into storage shelves and cubicles. If you’ll have to customize, go to HireRush.com to reach to an experienced carpenter or furniture installation and repair contractor to transform your small apartment into a rather functional space. Leave your request here
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Choose airy pieces
Replace conventional solid wood furniture with airy see-through pieces that don’t block the space and make it more stylish. Thinner frames and lighter materials are preferable as well. Follow the floating design trend to open space up and sneak in a few decorative or storage elements.
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Turn decluttering into a habit
Clutter accumulates inevitably, but when it does so in a small apartment, it has fewer places to hide. Therefore, something you could totally get away with in a larger house/apartment will make your condo look like a total mess and deprive you of precious living space. That’s why you need to put extra effort into keeping it tidy and neat.
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Use light tones
When decorating a small apartment, stay away from dominating dark shades and use light ones on walls, floors, ceilings and curtains. Otherwise, you’ll visually shrink the space. Add bright accent spots as you wish to add dimension and style to your apartment.
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Fake large windows
Larger windows make small apartments appear more open and spacious. Obviously, you can’t rip out your old windows, take down the walls and install giant French frames. But, you may totally fake them by hanging drapes that go beyond your window and choose vertical stripe designs to make them look taller.
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Decorating kitchen in a small apartment
When you need to decorate a small kitchen, don’t crowd you counter space with useless fruit baskets and utensil holders. Use your walls to display your plates and coffee mugs and add good old floating shelves to lift stuff off the counters and organize your appliances.