I recently moved to a new apartment this summer. The new place is much smaller then my last apartment, almost half the size. The one thing I wanted, was to ensure it didn’t feel cramped with furniture. I was worried that I couldn’t fit a table and a couch. It was important for me to have easy access to the bedroom and kitchen, without bumping into things. Luckily this apartment has high ceilings which makes the place feel larger. As I was filling in the space I figured out some tips and tricks to make a place feel open. Here are the lessons I learned when decorating a small space.
Figure out a flow
When your place is small it’s hard to create a convenient set up that makes it easy to move around. When placing the furniture make sure to set obvious pathways to each room. Think about how you would like to move around and set up furniture create a flow. For example, I used a living room rug to create a path from the entry way to the bedroom and kitchen.
Get the furniture that best optimizes space
How do you like to use your apartment? Do you like your place to relax or to throw dinner parties? From this buy furniture that meet those needs. For example, my place is near tons of bars and restaurants, so I knew people would come over for pre-drinking or after dinner chit-chat. So I made sure we had enough sitting to fit a small group to sit and have a conversation. Which meant sacrificing a large table.
Small apartment doesn’t mean small furniture
Having tons of mini furniture to fit more pieces in a spaces will make it look cluttered. Rather mix big and small pieces to give your space depth. Trust me you can fit more than you think.
Don’t over clutter
When moving from a bigger place to a small space it easy to bring all your junk with you. Instead find this a time to get rid of unused and old items. To prevent clutter, first minimize to only what you use and you will miss. Second, organize your things in a way that’s practical. Last, if you can’t get rid of an item or organize it then hid it. Under the bed storage bins are practical and a good option.
Keep to a low key neutral pallet
To many colors in a small space can over whelm the apartment, instead stick to light and natural colors to make the space feel bigger. Also make sure your wall are white or light color to give the illusion that the place is bigger than it is.
-Denise