You love your studio apartment. It’s cozy. It’s peaceful. It’s yours. But if you’re being honest, it can feel a little cramped sometimes. And when friends come over, let’s just say it can feel downright crowded. The solution? It’s not necessarily finding a bigger place. It’s getting creative.
Here are eleven tips to make the most of your small space:
- Make use of hidden storage and multi-purpose items, like an ottoman that doubles as storage or a coffee table that doubles as a TV dinner table or desk.
- Hang wall-mounted shelves near the ceiling. It draws the eye upward and opens up living space.
- Use rugs to separate one room into smaller spaces.
- Use mirrors to create the illusion of more space.
- Choose furnishings that offer maximum flexibility and functionality. For example, having two smaller round tables on either side of your sofa may be more functional than one heavy and clunky coffee table that takes two people to move.
- Don’t hide the stuff you use every day (like TV remotes or other functional things); just organize it.
- Keep traffic paths clear. Make direct paths to commonly used areas.
- Use every nook and cranny. Create a floating shelf by the door where you can put your keys, or place a small ottoman in the corner that you can use to put your shoes on in the morning, or as extra seating when you have guests over.
- Choose furniture (sofas, coffee tables) with legs. Not only does it create the illusion of spaciousness, it also gives you more potential storage space.
- Install hooks. It’s an inexpensive way to keep things off tables, counters and floors, and they take up no space at all.
- Last but not least, bring in as much natural light as possible.
With a dash of creativity and resourcefulness, your diminutive space can be just as functional as an apartment twice its size, and you get to enjoy all the benefits of smaller apartments – including smaller rents and utility bills, not to mention fewer rooms to clean. Have fun!