We all have to start somewhere, and the place most of us begin is in an apartment. After moving out on your own from your parents house, or even just beginning a new life somewhere, settling into an apartment can become a bit overwhelming.
The idea of trying to make this small, awkward space work for you and your furniture is a challenge.
Start by thinking of a mood or feeling that you want the overall apartment to capture. Because apartments tend to be relatively small, the idea of bringing in different concepts, ie: beach / country might not turn out as planned.
Make sure you have plenty of light. Light helps a space feel larger. By blocking out the windows with a window treatment that cannot be adjusted will only make the space feel smaller. If you do not have many windows, add some floor lamps. Floor lamps do not take up much space, they are a great source of light, and they add much needed texture to a room.
Tip: By hanging window treatment closer to the ceiling, this will help give the illusion the ceilings are higher and will make the space feel more open.
Don’t overwhelm the space with furniture! I see people trying to cram an 8 person sectional into a little living room, and they wonder why they have no room for anything else, or the space feels undersized. Try a smaller scale sofa, with a coffee table (that is not solid wood) and an entertainment center.
Tip: Heavy scale furniture makes a petite room feel tiny. Try a light scale coffee table, with a glass top or light color top.
Keep the space balanced. Do not place all your furniture on one side of the room leaving the other side empty. Divide up the number of large/heavy pieces of furniture by room.
Tip: To make a large entertainment center or book shelf feel lighter, swap out the wood shelves for glass shelves. You can also keep the shelves relatively empty, the more you add the more you lose.
As far as accessories go, think MIRRORS! Mirrors reflect sun, sun makes a space feel more open, openness = larger! Artwork on the walls, pictures on the bedside tables, or photographs in the living room, all of these help to create a warm and welcoming environment. Keep in mind adding a lot of very large scale/heavy artwork to walls will make the room seem overcrowded. Try a large piece of artwork on a main wall, and 3 smaller photographs on an adjacent wall.
Remember, in an apartment less is more!
Enjoy!
R & A.
