6 Things You Didn’t Know About Decorating Your Small Apartment

By Victoria Robertson on September 30, 2017

This article is brought to you by CORT Furniture Rental. We take the hassle out of furnishing your new place so you can do more important things like read this article. Learn more about why furniture rental is the best way to get a great looking apartment.

When you’re decorating a smaller apartment, things can get cluttered very quickly. In fact, a less is more mentality doesn’t necessarily do the trick, as limited space truly narrows down your décor to the essentials.

So how do you successfully decorate your small apartment? What don’t you know about decorating your small apartment?

Here are six things you didn’t know about decorating your small apartment that will help you to keep it tasteful, simple, and overall livable.

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1. Separate your rooms

You aren’t doing yourself any favors if you take an open concept and keep it that way. Your furniture should help to close off one room from the next (i.e. a couch separating the dining room from the living room).

While this may feel counterproductive, it’s actually going to make your space feel much larger, as you won’t be seeing one, slightly bigger room, but rather a couple of smaller rooms. In this way, you can also better organize your things by separating them by room as well.

2. Make the most of what you have

When you’re dealing with a small living space, every inch you can get counts. So why then do we feel the need to buy all this furniture that essentially does nothing for us?

For example, many college students will opt for a coffee table in their living room that sits in the middle of the furniture. However, in order to make this a more productive piece, pick out a coffee table that has storage underneath for blankets, movies, etc.

So take the furniture that you want/need and make sure that it’s beneficial to you in more ways than one. Obviously, it’s difficult to get around the fact you’ll need a kitchen table. However, it’s the table you get that matters, as some have drawers underneath that are perfect for storing Tupperware that doesn’t fit in the cabinets.

3. Store things creatively

You will have very limited storage space in a smaller apartment, so every small space you can find needs to be utilized.

For instance, some people have room above their cabinets where they can store extra food items that don’t fit in the pantry/cabinets. If you don’t have any of this type of storage space, buy shelves that don’t stick out into your living area too far, but that are rather tall so as to store more items.

While you don’t want to overdo it, adding one of these to your living space can open up room that you wouldn’t otherwise have had. Be sure that you are strategically placing these shelves as well; otherwise, they’ll do more harm than good and increase the clutter you’re trying to get rid of.

4. Don’t go dark

Color is the last thing you normally think of when you’re trying to open up a living space. However, color is essential in making a place appear bigger than it actually is.

Dark colors can close off your space and actually make it appear smaller. Light colors, on the other hand, open your space up and make it appear bigger. While you don’t need to paint your rooms bright yellow, light greys or beiges will do the job just fine.

5. Don’t go traditional with your furniture

If your apartment doesn’t come furnished, you have a little bit of creative freedom to pick pieces that are going to make the apartment feel larger.

According to home décor expects, furniture with some form of curve adds this element. Other furniture pieces, i.e. flat backed couches and square tables, can make a place appear monotone and enclosed. Curved furniture is a little more direct in appearance, opening up your living space and inviting people in with room to spare.

6. Don’t let it build up

While at first, you’re going to keep your place spotless and looking nice, eventually, this will catch up with you. More often than not, halfway through the year, your living space has become a cluttered mess due to textbooks, items you bought throughout the year, etc.

However, when you’re living in a small space, you want to keep this clutter to a minimum. That means you will have to clean your apartment regularly, avoiding any clutter buildup that can make it appear smaller.

This is a bit annoying, as it means that keeping your small apartment decorated is a year-long event, but I promise, it’s worth it in the long run!

Small apartments are not easy to decorate. In fact, they often make their owners feel enclosed and overwhelmed. So how on earth do you decorate?

Follow the above six rules and, before long, you’ll be in a home away from home that calms and centers you after even the worst days.

Happy decorating!

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