3 Essential Tips for Decorating a Small Apartment
There are some perks to having a small apartment - cheaper rent, typically closer to downtown or city life, and less space to clean :) However, the struggle many people face with having a small apartment is just that - the space! Having a small space provides a challenge for many people making it difficult to furnish simply because they're left with the daunting task of functionally dressing the space. I believe you don't have to sacrifice style for functionality, I'm going to share some tips on how you can maximize the small space you have and also not lose any style along the way. In my space, I can entertain about 10-12 guest at once, I've included some photos of my apartment throughout to provide some visuals.
1 - Create Separate Areas
The key to furnishing and decorating a small space is to maximize the space given. My apartment has one large open room, meaning when I have guest over, there's only one room for everyone to gather. With having one large open room, you must create separate, smaller spaces within in the overall large space. In my apartment, I've designated space for a living area, dining area, and a desk to act as my home office. In the photo below, notice I added an area rug in the dining area to help distinguish the space from the rest of the larger room. Rugs are a great way to help visually divide a room into separate spaces!
By the way, to see how I created the DIY green wall foliage in the photo below, click HERE!
2 - Purchase Dual Purpose Furniture & Decor
Since space is an issue, you have to be smart on what you buy. Whatever you buy, not only do you want it to look nice, but you also want it to be able to serve more than one purpose. As you can see in some of the photos above, I have a black hutch that looks very minimal and sleek and allows for extra tabletop space if needed, however, when I'm working from home, I can flip up the top of the hutch and pull the two silver handles downward to convert it into a desk. When the desk is in the hutch position, I can store papers, mail etc.. in the drawer of the hutch to hide miscellaneous clutter.
If you are a musician and play a guitar, there's no need find storage for your instrument, simply make your instrument a part of the decor as you can see in the photo above! Same goes for your suitcase - my suitcase is a nice black & gold studded Vince Camuto trunk style suitcase. Rather than trying to find storage for it, I've incorporated it into my decor - I also store clothes in it that may be out-of-season.
3 - Get Creative, But Be Smart With Your Accessories
The fun part is when you buy those cool knick knacks that really help to set the tone in your space. However, keep in mind everything should serve a purpose other than looking cool. One trick to decorating in a small space is giving the illusion that the room is bigger than it really is. An easy way to accomplish this is by purchasing a large mirror. The reflection of the room itself in the mirror gives the impression that the room is bigger than it actually is. Additionally, natural light from the windows in the room will reflect off the mirror providing additional light and also helping to give the appearance of a larger space. Also, the centerpiece I chose for my coffee table is dual purpose. Rather than having flowers or a vase with decorative balls in them, I have a sleek, 3-D tic-tac-toe set adorning my table to not only look cool, but to also provide a form of easy entertainment should I have guest over for a visit.
Lastly, utilize those 1000s of photos you have in your iPhone from your trips and vacations. Instead of going out buying photos to hang, I simply went to the photo print shop and printed off some of my personal photos that I used to display in frames. This way, you're not displaying random and meaningless photos, each photo displayed has a sentimental memory.
