Decorating Tips for Studio Apartments

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Decorating Tips for Studio Apartments

Jacy Meyer · Mar 10, 2014

shutterstock_156854603Mini, micro, compact living is all the rage, and if you’ve chosen to live in a studio apartment, you can take advantage of the reduced living space to create an efficient and beautiful home.

Before buying one thing, critically look at the room and decide what spaces you need – a place to sleep, eat, relax, work? Once you know your needs, craft the apartment to fit them. If you are able to, spend a few days in the space with nothing in it. This will give you the opportunity to figure out how you and the space relate.

When choosing your furnishings, don’t go big. This is a small space and you don’t want to crowd or overwhelm it. A massive wardrobe might seem ideal because you would get a lot of storage, but it also takes up valuable floor space and can overpower the apartment. Storage is obviously a big issue, but go for narrower shelving units instead. You can leave them open, or to hide clutter or personal items, hang a curtain in front of them. That will also add a spark of color and texture to the space. Wall shelves are also useful; they don’t take up floor space and can go up high.

For sleeping you can either choose to purchase a day bed which can double as a couch, or section off a corner of the apartment as your sleeping area. Be sure to purchase a bed high enough to have space for storage boxes underneath – these are excellent for stowing items you don’t get at so often like seasonal clothing and extra linens. To divide the space for a little extra privacy, you can either purchase or a screen or double up with shelves placed back to back. They will take up space, but you’ll have storage as well as a bit of decoration (as opposed to looking at the back of a shelf) on both sides. When choosing furniture, go for sleek items with slender legs and open bottoms – the illusion of space below your couch and table will give an illusion of space through the rest of the apartment.

Tables can be tricky. You need a place to put stuff, but they take up precious floor space. Requiring each table to fulfill at least two functions is a good compromise. If you work at home, can a large table be used for both dining and as a desk? A table on wheels is also handy as it can easily be relocated to whatever area of the room could use an extra place to put things. Stackable end and coffee tables function similarly. Also consider a folding table that can be slipped behind a larger piece of furniture or under the bed when not needed. Having a small dinner party suddenly becomes doable!

Thinking vertical in a small space is also important. How high are your ceilings? Can a loft space be built? It could double as a bedroom or office, or if the ceilings aren’t that tall, simply as a storage space with dressers and shelves. Wall hooks are also your friends – put them in the bathroom for towels, in the entry way for coats, in the kitchen for pots and pans and in the bedroom for clothes. Artfully done, they can become a design element and again, don’t take up precious floor space.

A small space forces you to be creative and clutter free. Embrace the less is more credo and design a perfectly petite place just for you.

Jacy is a freelance journalist specializing in art, design and culture. When not writing, reading or traveling she enjoys torturing her husband and dog with extremely long walks. Follow her on Google+.

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