source: refinery29.com
Living in a small apartment gives people a different perspective on their life, as they find out what is really important. When you have abundance of space, chances are, more than half of the elements, furniture in the apartment is excessive. But in a small apartment, you can only afford so much space, and you really must make the best of it. Therefore, saving space and adding just the necessary and important stuff is crucial. Everyone will tell you living in a small apartment is challenging, but if you master it, it is quite possible to have comfortable, cozy and beautiful space.
The biggest challenge is making choices whether to keep something, what to store, what to sell and what to give away. It is all about the mindset and striving to keep your home efficient, clean and neat while being comfortable in it. Anyone can do it. All you need is few tips and tricks. Luckily, we have abundance of those.
Partitions
Visual partitions and vignettes can help delineate your space and create an illusion that you have more space. Define all your rooms with a statement, signature element. One way to create partitions within the apartment is with windows, screens, bookcases, dresser, curtains and everything else. Whatever you use as a partition, make sure it can be multifunctional (e.g. serve as partition, but have another purpose as well).
source: ikea.com
Seating spots
Aside from the bed, it is nice to have a spot in the apartment that you can sit on. Even the tiniest room can be further slimmed down and you can carve a lounge out of it. Loveseat, or other pieces of scaled-down furniture will help you in your quest for a seating area that isn’t the bed or the sofa. Wicker chairs and glass table is all you need for a sitting area and it won’t eat all your space. You can even eliminate the table and make a sitting area with bunch of chairs.
Mobile furniture
Multifunctional furniture is essential, but it is even better if your furniture is mobile and can be moved around the apartment at any given moment. Little carts can serve for storage, but also as a serving table or as a drink stand. Think outside of the box, and creative ideas come to mind. Once you start thinking with the right mindset, you will see opportunity and potential in every piece of furniture.
Neutral colors and texture
Adding colors is nice in small spaces, as long as it is done in small doses. But neutral colors and texture is the way to go as a main theme. You can create an accent wall with some texture such as white bricks. The different texture will add depth in the room. You can also use different texture to separate rooms within the apartment. For example, one texture for the living area, and another one for the dining area.
Home office
Every apartment needs a work, office area. However, it doesn’t have to be obtrusive. All you need is a computer, which you can place anywhere in the apartment. A bamboo chair and a glass table is more than enough for your home office corner.
source: coco29.com
Think vertical
One of the most common advices you’ll hear for maximizing the potential of a small and narrow apartment is to think vertical. Vertical storage solutions are very easy to find at every retailer, and IKEA is one of the affordable options. Using vertical storage doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg.
Hide technology
We all have printers, cable modems, subwoofers, and similar technology gadgets that create clutter within the apartment. And we know the rule, the less clutter an apartment has, the more spacious it looks. One creative way to get rid of technology clutter is to cover them with an attractive fabric, and then tuck them up under a table.