But if you work smart and make good use of decor and furniture, you’ll find that living in such a small apartment can be comfortable, stylish and provide all of the functionality you really need in a home. Here are some tips for how to decorate a studio apartment so it works for you.
1. Stick to the basics
In any small living situation, the more stuff you have, the more room it will occupy. Even if you have a strategic layout plan, sometimes more is just more.
Try to keep your decor to a minimum. Get only what you need at first, then see what else you have room for. That giant wardrobe you want to hold your clothes might look cool, but it will also take up a lot of space in your studio apartment and make the entire room look small and cramped.
Think about all of your furniture and decor and get rid of what’s not necessary. You’ll thank yourself later.
2. Utilize everything available
When you don’t have a lot of room to work with, you need to use all available space to its full capacity. If your apartment has a small, seemingly unusable cranny, find a way to make it useful, or at least add a pleasing piece of decor, like a small plant or lamp.
And once all of your floor space is taken, use the walls for storage and decor. Add shelving and other functional decor, like hooks or wall lamps, to store your belongings.
3. Functional furniture
Wherever you reside, your home needs to be functional in at least some ways. And when you’re living in a tiny studio apartment, it needs to be functional in almost all ways. That means you’ll need to have useful furniture.
Invest in furniture that’s practical in various ways. For example, instead of placing a plain old bench underneath the window, use a bench that has storage compartments. It won’t take up more space than a regular bench and will help you hide the things you don’t want lying around your apartment, like extra blankets, shoes or magazines.
Choose a bed frame with built-in drawers, get a sleeper sofa or chair for when guests are visiting from out of town, get a table that unfolds from the wall to save room in your kitchen. Just be smart about finding furniture that will serve more than one purpose.
Some pieces of furniture only serve one purpose, but can be “put away” when not in use. These are ideal for when you’re entertaining or just want your studio apartment to feel clean and tidy. Think about getting a Murphy bed to give you extra living space during the day or a desk armoire to replace a normal desk and hide your office clutter when you’re not using it.
4. Separate living areas
In a studio apartment, you can still achieve the feeling or illusion of having multiple “rooms” or living areas. Use room dividers to do this or try using a bookshelf that will separate spaces while still serving a practical purpose.
5. Brighten it up
When a room is filled with light, it makes it look bigger. Find ways to harness the natural light in your apartment and don’t leave the windows covered up all day with curtains.
Strategically place lamps and extra lighting throughout your home to make sure it never feels too dark and dreary, even at night for those times you’re entertaining guests at a dinner party.
Be careful when choosing light fixtures and lamps and stick to simple fixtures that aren’t too big and bulky. When you’re lighting a small room, a big fixture will take up a lot of space and can make the area feel smaller than it really is.
If your apartment doesn’t have a lot of windows, use mirrors to decorate. They’ll reflect whatever natural light comes in and illuminate your living area.
Stick with light colors for the walls. Painting your apartment a darker color will make it feel tiny, but choosing lighter tones like white, beige or a light gray will help reflect light and keep your home feeling light and airy.
Show your personality
At the end of the day, you’re the one whose going to be living in your studio apartment, so it should be a place that represents you. No matter what anyone else tells you, do whatever you want to do in your apartment so you’ll feel comfortable and happy.
