Tips to decorate a studio apartment

Most studio apartments make great compact homes. Commonfloor decodes the myth about cramped spaces and celebrates the small space.

Studio apartments are a growing trend in metros across the world. They are usually a single room accommodation spread over 200 sq ft to 500 sq ft of area. Studio apartment usually combines the living, sleeping, working and sometimes cooking areas.

Planning the whole interior design carefully will make it spacious and stylish. Use receding or light color schemes in your studio apartment. The light color will reflect light and make the room seem bigger. White walls greatly contrast with bright red, blue, green and yellow accents in interior accessories. So choosing this basic color you can play with pops of bright shades in decor as well as use various prints.

Commonfloor expert, Aditi recommends:

Provide enough storage:

Try to find furnishings for your apartment that will do double duty. You can even find chairs and ottomans that have storage areas inside of them. Just lift up the top and there you will find space for blankets, pillows or other items.

Use containers to hide clutter:

Buy wicker baskets or old steamer trunks to store out-of-season clothing, linens and towels. They will look great and contain all of those small items that make a room look cluttered.

Use mirrors to reflect the light:

A large mirror or several small mirrors placed strategically can make a small space feel lighter and larger.

Don’t block the light:

Leave windows bare or only cover with sheer draperies to let the light shine through. Light always makes a space seem larger.

Place furniture in rooms:

Try to create specific areas for specific activities. Put a bed and dresser in one area for the bedroom and a sofa and coffee table in another area.

You already know that a futon can work as a serviceable sofa as well as a bed, but there are other types of furnishings that do double-duty, too. Some footstools or seating cubes open to provide handy storage. Place a serving tray on top, and you have a makeshift coffee table, foot rest and linen bin in one inexpensive piece.

When you live in a studio apartment, a furniture piece that takes its tiny footprint and flexible functionality seriously is a good friend to have around.

Create a focus:

Painting  just one wall a different color will draw the attention into the room and make it seem bigger.

If there was ever an incentive to get rid of old clothes and other items you don’t use anymore, it’s a lack of space. Modular closet storage organisers will help you arrange your belongings and encourage you to manage them efficiently. If your wardrobe is bursting at the seams, consider investing in a closet hanger system, too.

Use walls as storage:

When you have more history than room to store it in, open storage may be the answer. Shelves offer two solutions in one tidy package. If you like the idea of showing off some of your belongings, you will gain a showcase for your collections as well as some much-needed extra space.

If you have small items that may be too personal or mundane to display (and who doesn’t?), conceal them in plain sight by stowing them in decorative baskets, boxes or bins. You can put shelves almost anywhere: over or under a window, over a bed, in a corner or even suspended from the ceiling. This idea can be a creative bonanza, so don’t sell it short.

Keep clutter at bay:

When you have a small area, clutter is not an option. Too many knick-knacks and too much furniture makes the room looks crowded. Keep your necessary items, such as extra bed linens put away in a dresser or wicker baskets.

Another trick for a small space is to buy furniture with legs and that are higher off of the floor:

Your eye will look under these pieces of furniture and add visual space. Furniture that is blocky and low to the ground makes a room appear more crowded.

Paint with lighter colors:

You don’t have to use white, but using paint colors that are lighter in color expands a space more than dark colors.