Living in a small space has its perks, but it also has its drawbacks. Styling a space with limited room can be tough, as some furniture makes a space look tiny, some colours make the room look crowded; it’s a doozy. Here are some foolproof ways you can make the most out of your tiny apartment space.
Dual Purpose Furniture
Kylie Travers from The Thrifty Issue shares her advice. “Use furniture with a dual purpose e.g a lounge which converts to a bed and has storage. Think up not out when looking at storage, meaning select tall items. Only have in your home, items you use and love. If something comes in, something else must go out.” Find out more about The Thrifty Issue by following them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Go Up Rather Than Out
When it comes to a small apartment, it’s smarter to style upwards, rather than outwards. Add shelves upwards, rather than adding bulky bookshelves in tight spaces. You can play around much more with wall space than floor space, and since floor space is so valuable, you’d want to make sure you’re using it to its fullest advantage. You can find lots of spaces in the apartment that can be utilised for storage, such as corners of rooms, where you can put corner shelves. You can even create more space by adding a modern TV unit online with lots of storage, so you can put away all those games, books and DVDs, freeing up space everywhere else.
Bright, Neutral Colours
Robyn Amott from Bless This Mess shares her advice for opening up a small space. “Choose pieces that are bright or neutral. Dark furniture sucks up the natural light within a room or space. Utilise hooks on the back of doors or inside cupboard doors for bulky dressing gowns, shopping bags, towels etc.” FInd out more about Bless This Mess by following her on Facebook and Instagram.
Utilise Mirrors
Mirrors are magical things. Not only do they add a whole new level of style to the room that you’re decorating, but they can also make your home look twice the size, without any real effort. Obviously, it depends on the size of the mirror that you’re using, as a small pocket mirror won’t really have the same effect as a large mirror. However, adding a mirror to your room gives off an optical illusion, making you think that the room is larger than it really is. The reflection of light, as well as the reflection of the room in front of it makes the space appear larger. You can place a round mirror in the space to give a modern vibe to the space, or a mirror that lies on the floor, which is perfect for filling a blank space and alluding to a larger space. Witchcraft? No, just mirrors.
Choose A Rug That Ties The Room Together
A rug can really tie the room together; take it from the Dude. However, a rug can also tear the room apart; it’s all about the space and how you utilise it. A rug that is too small can make the space feel awkward, and a rug that’s the wrong shape or that’s placed in the incorrect spot can make the space feel smaller and just wrong. For small spaces, opt for a rug that overlaps the furniture, even if it’s just little bit. Arranging furniture can really make or break the space, so choose a plush, luxury rug that can flatter the arrangement that you have in your home.
Be Clever About The Environment
Julie Travis from Composta, shares her advice for those who environmentally conscious, but live in a small space. “The Composta was designed for the purpose of growing and composting in a small space - allowing an apartment dweller to dispose of their kitchen waste in a sustainable way as grow healthy organic herbs and edibles at the same time. At the time of it's creation, there were no clean, simple to use or aesthetically pleasing options available. The Composta itself has been beautifully crafted to be a feature in any outdoor area, doesn't look like your average worm farm and grows an amazing amount for its 53cm diameter size. The way it works is specialised Composting worms feed on the kitchen scraps placed in the centre tower, and then move to the outer planter pot to put their castings. These castings are some of the best fertiliser available and automatically taken up by the plants. Unlike traditional worm farms, the user has not had to lift a finger. There is also a single drainage spot, so when watered, any runoff can be neatly captured in a bowl underneath. This runoff is a fantastic fertiliser which can be used on any other pot plants. It will take 2-3 years before the soil in the unit will need to be changed over.” Find out more about Composta by following them on Facebook and Instagram.
In The Bedroom
The bedroom is one of the most important rooms in the house, but sometimes you simply don’t have the space to use how you’d like. If your room is on the small side, you can allude to a larger space by painting the room neutral colours. Not only with these colours help you sleep, they’ll also make the room appear larger. If you don’t have room for a huge bed frame, you can allude to one by adding a bedhead from MyDeal. Once again, add mirrors to create the illusion of a larger space, and keep your space organised with under the bed storage, or vertical shelving, instead of bulky bookshelves and drawers. Fresh, green plants can add a bit of colour to the room, and can clean the air so you have the perfect sleeping environment. If you’d like to read more about creating the perfect sleeping environment, read this.
You don’t have to live in a penthouse to have a luxury home, you can easily style your small space to make it appear larger, and avoid the feeling of cramped living.
