How to decorate a small apartment

[Hebden]

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

Have you considered a convertible sofa-bed? I lived in a tiny studio many years ago and loved the ability to have people over without the only thing in the room being a bed. Plus, it was way more comfortable than a futon...I've never found a futon that was comfortable to sit or sleep on but maybe I was just unlucky

 

[LoveBug]

I forgot to ask, what does low furniture mean? Also thanks for advising me about light color because actually I was thinking of going to bright red. I like modern furniture !

 

[LoveBug]

Hebden, thanks for your advice! I am actually thinking to buy a tempurpedic mattress because I been having back problems or if I see that the place is very small I might just get a tatami and roll it up when I wake up lol

 

[exsupahero]

I know it's cheap furniture, but Ikea has lots of furniture that fits into small spaces. They also give you ideas on how much you can fit into studios and such.

 

[fashionista-ta]

Another option is to have a day bed ... that way you could use a regular mattress, but use pillows to convert to "furniture." Maybe things have changed, but I've both slept on and sat on various sofa-beds, and my experience was always that they never fulfilled either function well You possibly should measure the boyfriend to see how small of a bed you can get away with

You might also look for books that address this topic--I've definitely seen some inspiring things in the past. I would try not to invest much in solutions specific to this particular space ...

For your clothes, you could either attach hardware to the wall to hang things from, or get a rolling rack. See the 4-5 piece French wardrobe thread for tips about a compact wardrobe ... I would take this opportunity to discard anything that's not working.

I don't hang my coats in a closet, but on the wall in my living room in the corner behind my front door. The hardware is actually vintage window pulls ... So you might look at actually putting your clothes in the closet & your coat & shoes elsewhere. My shoes aren't in a closet either ... I keep them in clear shoe boxes stacked against a wall of my bedroom. They could be in a closet, I just find it more convenient to have them out in the open where I can see them. My coats could be too, but I find it more convenient to have them right where I'm putting them on/taking them off. I keep my umbrella there too ...

I would not divide your space, but I probably would buy a screen to throw up if you want to hide something. If you're a neat freak, skip the screen

 

[fashionista-ta]

ebay

Here's the hardware I'm talking about ... I hung it upside down to make hooks.

 

[stylehighclub]

I live in the tiniest of studios so I know it's a bit of a challenge. All of my furniture is light coloured (white and grey), except for four 60s Panton plastic chairs in black and red. I also only have a single bed which doubles as a sofa during the day. It's a futon with drawers (where I keep some of my clothes)I've got a low chest of drawers under which I fit all my books (loads). Hope this helps!
x

 

[fashionista-ta]

bump for merging

 

[nijuyanah]

This person has uploaded some photographs of small rooms that are well-decorated!

wow, these rooms look great - and quite comfortable to live in!
it's always hard to decorate a small room well, so that it doesn't look overloaded..

 

[LoveBug]

Hello,

Just to give an update! I moved in finally! The place is really small , I think decorating doesnt even come in mind anymore haha. The double bed I had to get coz of my bf is filling half of the space. But I will go to IKEA this weekend and see if I can get a desk, chair, drawer and a small dining table. I will post a picture for more ideas
Thanks ladies

 

[quimby]

good to hear that you're pleased with your space. it's important to love coming home!

some things that i've gathered in all my years of small-apartment living:
- futons never work out. waste of money. if i had to do a sofa/bed combo, i'd go for a captain's bed (drawers underneath) or a daybed with a trundle, both of which could be dressed up with pillows in the day.
- when i lived in a studio, i never got around to getting a screen, but dividing up the space visually was important. using different colors, groupings, and rugs helped to create a "bedroom" area and a living area.
- second the advice on live plants. they're relatively cheap and make a space come alive.
- i never bothered with painting the walls since i was always renting. i much prefer to group paintings and photographs to create a focal point.
- make your space personal with all the things you love, for whatever reason, on display and it won't matter so much how crowded things are. in college i lived in the loft area of an apartment i shared with a roommate. the ceiling was sloped, and the area was pretty small. but i strung some white christmas lights in a spiral on the ceiling, cut out travel pictures from the new york times and national geographic and taped them to my file cabinet and at the high corners of the ceiling, and it felt like home--dreamy and whimsical.

 

[SHSH]

Im painting my small flat this weekend i will post all the pictures! Its going to be all white but later im going to do feature walls of indian ivy green

 

[Fashtastic]

I am also moving to a small apartment or a room in a flat (depending on where I choose to move to) soon so I really appreciate this thread! I'll be living on a budget either way so inexpensive alternatives are always great. I know IKEA is a heaven sent for people on a budget and I personally love the chain. Okay, I live in Sweden so maybe I'm a bit biased.

A favorite of mine is Anthropologie, they've got some really nice items that'll spice up any room! They are rather pricey though. Check out their Home Decor-section. I love their clothes too!

And I know someone already mentioned Apartment Therapy in this thread. A friend of mine was actually just talking about that website the other day, I haven't had the time to check it out that much but now that I saw it mentioned here I surfed on in and love it!

From Apartment Therapy

I put together this for my blog, all items are from Anthropologie.

 

[Swallowtail]

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 !!

What I did was buy some very pretty clear plastic boxes and I put all my clothes in that don't need to be hung up, and sorted them out by season. I bought a tinier plastic tub and lined it with soft fabric and use that for my undergarments and other delicates. What makes them convenient for me is that they stack and I can see exactly what is in them, and they have flat tops so I can put things on top of them when I need to shift things around or for whatever other reason. Everything feels much spacier now, because it's so much easier moving these around then a dresser, and the dresser can block sunlight and be so bulky.

Also it makes me feel a little more secure about dust and spiders and other things, I am a bit of a neat freak about my clothes. My bedroom is oddly shaped because of the age of the building, which means I have sloping walls, so it makes where I store my clothes adjustable to the situation and easier to transport since in a sense they're already packed. I'm sure if I had a larger room with flat walls I would use a dresser, but this is much more convenient and I love being able to see my clothes while they're in the boxes. My mother thinks it's trashy of course, but I like it, it gave me room to put in another bookshelf for all my books

Quimby -- I have that with the bed, my bed is on top of a used water bed base made of wood that I found secondhand, and it has large drawers on the side facing out, and a large space on the other half - I don't use that back half because I only would access it once a year at most, but the other side is enormously helpful for me, I store most of my art supplies there within easy reach, and random miscellaneous and it keeps it off the floor and put away. Those bed bases with drawers I would recommend to anyone with a small space for their bedroom, they are great.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I love differently-shaped rooms & walls in old buildings

 

[minor keys]

it certainly isn't for everyone, but I love minimalism. if the space is small or oddly shaped, it might be becoming to avoid clutter and instead emphasize shape and proportion in a muted palette.

 

[Feline]

Being an avid hoarder and having lived in small places, I found making storage a feature worked for me. I got really nice storage boxes & hat boxes to keep things in I didn't want seen, but the boxes looked decorative. I also made a feature in the bedroom of some of my clothes & accessories, like I had scarves draped over the curtain pole & dresses I loved hung on the picture rail etc.

 

[dsq]

having lived in a relatively small apartment for the past few years, the best thing i found was to have decorations and furniture that are very unique, and not to have a lot of them around to clutter up the small space that you have.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I think your unique idea is great for spaces small and large

I love an uncluttered look, and yet somehow find it relatively unachievable One thing I do manage is not to have too much furniture. The previous owners of my house (which is relatively small--the original 1927 footprint of 1380 sq ft) crammed way more into it than I do. It's nice to see an expanse of hardwood floor ... and to have corners that can breathe rather than having furniture stuffed into every one.

 

[renegadelovers]

I have a pillar in the middle of my studio and so we had it painted as a palmtree, the "branches" spread over the ceiling. Its really practical as a background for my blog photos.. but now Im thinking of re-doing the room and painting the ceiling a pale blue.. around the palm tree of course. I also live on the beach so it fits =)