How to decorate a small apartment

[lovespell]

Apartment decorating....

I'm moving into a new apartment July 1st, and am really excited. It's a one bedroom with white walls and beige carpet. Not very stylish at all. How can I spice it up? I know paint does wonders but I can't paint the walls. I have NO furniture. At all. My current apartment was all decorated by my roommate, and it's all his stuff.

I don't want it to look like a dorm/college apartment. Any websites, stores, idea's?

I really have no idea what I'm doing!

 

[wyatt.]

ikea is good for cheap netrual furniture...just don't go crazy there. you don't want to look like you live in their lookbook. trust me on this one.

rather than fight all the white walls embrace them. make the apartment very clean and simple looking, like you wanted the walls white. accent it with subtle color. i think white, tans, grays, and then something random like an almost neon yellow look really nice. well..neon yellow isn't for everyone but you get the idea. modern but comfortable, unless you want to do the whole white sabby chic hamptons deal, which also works in an all white space, it's just not my taste.

also if you can sew...or can learn fast pillows are so so easy to make. it's just sewing three pieces of fabric together. one flat square and then two over lapping rectangles for the back. this allows you slide the pillow in. but you could always take two squares and sew up three sides and then hand sew it shut.

i also think something that is inexpensive and makes a house pop or feel lively is REAL! plants. you're too classy for plastic flowers etc. a small palm or table orchid etc etc.
GOOD LUCK.

try looking at design within reach dwr.com everything is sooo expensive but you get good ideas and such. AND remember. don't make everything match.

 

[.francesca]

i totally agree about ikea, wyatt...i sort of hate going into people's houses when i can totally tell that they bought everything from area rugs to silverware at ikea! so boring!

also great advice ^...i love the look of an entirely white space with subtle color.

because i have no idea of your taste or what you like decorationally, i suggest picking up a few magazines!

dwell http://www.dwellmag.com/
readymade http://www.readymademag.com/

readymade is awesome because it's pretty much completely DIY and offers solutions to things like small spaces with really inexpensive but stylish alternatives. they have step by step instructions and often use their readership for inspiration and ideas.

i just found this website http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/

good luck! moving into a new place is pretty much my favorite thing ever, especially when you're in control of the decor!

 

[Luna]

Look for great artwork... or find some great drapes and line one of your walls with them... If you can't paint, have really interesting colored accents..

 

[travolta]

ikea is good, i agree. also find some thrift store or vintage shops..sometimes just the right piece makes the centerpiece for a room! recently a friend of mine bought a really cool inflatable ottoman w/ fake flowers and grass inside! it was pretty pricey, but i think he could concentrate on basics now to balance this out. i recommend maybe investing in a couple really nice unique items, and make sure they will be easy to transport if you move!

 

[Hipkitten]

I like West Elm. Great price, great style

Room&Board also has some great stuff (a bit more pricey, though).

Congrats on your new place!

 

[lovespell]

I love this bed!

http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/coll.do?coll=RB3315&dept=RS121

I think it would be so beautiful in red with cream and chocolate bedding!

You guys have given some great advice. Thanks so much for all the websites. I'm having fun browsing.

 

[adorevintage]

DOMINO magazine is great! They have a lot of very cute ideas, geared mainly towards 20-30 something year olds. I absolutely love it!

http://www.dominomag.com/

Here are some articles to get you started

http://www.dominomag.com/knowhow/

 

[Diorling]

This is something I want to do when I get my own blank slate apartment, I want to hang hug pieces of cloth as decor, use them to divide rooms, change the color of walls, add some easy to remove spice to a room.

 

[lovespell]

That is a really great mag! I love it.

 

[LaceFab4]

Just some home decor and furniture places...

http://www.cb2.com/default.aspx
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/
http://www.chiasso.com/home/home.asp
http://www.dwr.com/
http://www.fitzsu.com/
http://www.globaltable.com/
http://www.illicodesign.com/
http://maxwellsilverny.com/
http://www.mossonline.com/
http://ww.retromodern.com/
http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/
http://www.conran.com/
http://www.velocityartanddesign.com/
http://www.wingardhome.com/

 

[Angyl]

I didn't have a lot of money when i moved to my apartment,m but the first thing you need ia couch and a bed, then start with all the other pieces. My couch is acutally from Nebraska Furniture Mart, but it's pretty modern and comfy at the same time. If you're short on cash I suggest going to a warehouse kind of place. I try not to get too much stuf at IKEA, becuase it's cheap for a reason, almost all particleboard and will not last for long. I do have a fantastic chair from there.

I read somewhere that you should spend more on your couch, bed and pots and pans than anything else. Artwork you can buy at all the fabulous art festivals there are during the summer (it's sooo cheap, but never a cliche print of Van gogh or something) Coffeetables can be anything from a few endtables put together to something oyu make yourself.

 

[SanDiego]

I love decorating, I do it on a very small budget. For my tiny apartment I decorated each room. My kitchen is grapes (predictable but cute) my living room is chocolate brown, baby blue and silver. My bathroom is palm trees and my bedroom is morroccan theme. I love IKEA and also Target and Walmart and some other little stores for accessories. I say find a style that you like and run with it, my apartment isnt any one theme or style its a bunch of them.

 

[lovespell]

Ended up getting a different apartment, that I like even better. It's smaller, but so cute and in a way better area. Long, with white walls and honey colored wood floor. It's a studio, so my bedroom is kind of the focus of the "living room", unless I can come up with a creative way to split the room in two.

My favorite part is a very tiny breakfast nook. It's a built in table and benches so I don't have to worry about buying a table and chairs. One less thing to spend money on!


Thanks so much again for the websites, I've been doing lots of browsing and coming up with some great ideas.

 

[LoveBug]

I am just moving to a new place. It's a small studio in a high rise with a balcony. Any ideas on how to decorate?
Sorry,I dont know if this thread fits here!

Thank you

 

[Melisande]

Hi! In general, for a spacious feel, keep furniture low and keep colors light and in a similar tone...unless you favor the cluttered and cozy look of course, which can also be nice but could be overbearing. Don't be afraid of a favorite "impact piece" however, whether it be artwork or a chair. It helps add character and create interest in a small space. Its also a good idea to keep off-season items in storage. Im sure a small studio in Toronto would be considered a huge flat in Tokyo! HTH!

 

[Kaki]

I agree about keeping the furniture low and the colors light - it will really help open up your space (unless you plan on lofting your bed)! If you get on Flickr and search for small rooms, there are some great suggestions. This person has uploaded some photographs of small rooms that are well-decorated!

 

[adorefaith]

yeah...good suggestions...light colours and low furniture...another idea would be mirrors...they give the illusion of more space...
* having said that, you don't always have to stick with typical small-space decorating....i once had a really small space and instead of sticking with sleek, low pieces and neutral colours, i opted to make it really cosy and inviting... i used a lot of warm colours, moroccan rugs and wall hangings, lots of polaroids, photos and art... there were little things that i have picked up on my travels all over the place... something to look at and focus your eye on everywhere you turned.. and i LOVED it. it was really 'me' and i felt like i was home every time i stepped into the space.
...i think the best thing to do is to make sure that every piece has a place, and that every piece means something to YOU. that way it doesn't matter if the space is small....if you love it and things have meaning to you, you'll be happy there.

 

[fashionista-ta]

I small, cozy spaces ...

I'd say to decide on what's important to you & put the priority there ... for example, maybe you want a big cushy sofa. I lived in a 599 sq ft apartment for 7 years. It had a dressing room and a big kitchen, which was perfect for me.

If you're in a small space, it's important to keep clutter to an absolute minimum & not allow anything unnecessary to build up ...

I would say to decorate it just as you would any other space, but it just needs to be very carefully edited to what's useful & beautiful & nothing else.

 

[LoveBug]

Hello ladies,
Thanks for all the advices !! My place is less than 400 sq ft, it's really really small but at least I will have a nice view from 17th floor! I am planning to bring in plants! I only have 1 small closet basically for coats and shoes so I need to find a space for the rest of the clothes. That worries me! Also I have bunch of books! Should I take a full size bed, instead of a queen? My bf will visit me too ! I think I won't buy a couch, instead I was thinking of a futon. No way I have space for a couch ! haha
That book wall from the flickr is an awesome idea ! I might try that! But I am not sure if to divide my space, or leave it open.What should I put on the walls? I was thinking to buy some frames and put some black and while pictures of my family.Oh and by the way, I bring nothing with me from the old place, but a tv, books and clothes!
I am anxious ! Never lived in such a small space, never lived in a high rise,and never in a big city !!

Thank you !!