20 Small Apartment Hacks (Make your space look bigger!)
If you live in a small apartment or space, you know the struggle that comes with making it both stylish and functional. A lot of times it’s easy to get in the trap of choosing decor and furniture that actually makes your space look smaller.
I’ve been living in dorms and now two small apartment from several years now, so I’m combining some of the tips and hacks I’ve learned all into one master post!
SOO if you don’t know already, this blog is an extension of my Youtube channel, so I actually have a video that explains my first 12 tips, if you want to watch that here first.
And if you’re here from my channel, the list starts with the 8 tips not mentioned in the video, then is followed by the 12 tips mentioned in the video.
1. Use properly scaled furniture
While this may seem obvious, but big furniture can quickly fill up a room. While I recommend furniture that’s sized-down for your space, if the full-size sectional is something you really want, then go for it. It’s all about balancing the large with the small.
2. Utilize under bed storage.
If you’re not using your under bed storage, you’re really missing out on some vital storage space. This also goes for all the other little under-utilized nooks where you could store a few things. For example, my hamper fits in the corner between my dresser and wall, and there’s a perfect spot to hide my drying rack in my laundry room.
3. Pull furniture away from walls
Ok, admittedly, this one didn’t make sense at first. I saw this one on a lot of blogs when doing research for this post. But, it makes sense and I realized I’ve been using
4. Buy furniture with legs
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5. Lamps instead of overhead lights
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6. Add texture
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7. Add plants (preferably real, but faux is ok).
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8. Add decor that represents your personality
-- it’ll make your small space feel more like home
9. Use furniture and rugs to designate spaces.
With a small apartment, especially in a studio, or apartment like mine, you may not have separate living, kitchen and dining spaces. When this happens, just use rugs and furniture to create barriers. In my apartment, I used my couch and a rug to divide my living space and kitchen space. Then I used a chair to divide my entryway and living space. It really gives the illusion of having more rooms and more space.
10. Utilize vertical storage.
Shelving is your best friend in a small apartment. Not only does it create vertical height, which naturally makes the room feel bigger, it gets stuff off the floor, which can make a small space feel even smaller and more cluttered. AND adding shelving gives you more space for storage and decorating!
11. Use vertical decor.
This is another way to draw the eye upward, and creates the illusion of height. You can do this with shelves, like I had mentioned, or with art pieces or gallery walls. Other suggestions are: floor-length curtains, tall lamps or hanging plants.
12. Be intentional with how you hang your curtains.
Hang your curtains higher than the window frame, and wider than the frame… so when open they do not cover the window, which will let in more light. If you can, get floor-length curtains to elongate your space.
13. Add mirrors.
Mirrors are such an easy way to brighten a space by bouncing the light and, like I will say probably 100 times, create the illusion of a bigger space. Even just a small decor mirror can work wonders in a small space. Place a mirror in the corner, get those mirrors that hang on your doors for your bedroom.
14. Use decor that doubles as storage.
I’m talking baskets, ottomans, furniture with drawers. In a small space, look for furniture and items that serve double-duty. You live in a small apartment, so storage is also probably limited (and often times items marketed as space-saving storage are ugly and unappealing). The best thing to do is find furniture and decor pieces that you can not only use for function, but also use to decorate your space.
15. Create a cohesive color palette between open floor rooms.
By creating a color palette, your space will look pulled together and less like a mishmash of furniture. I have created a blue color scheme throughout my living entry, and kitchen space, which really does tie the entire room together.
16. Bring in light colored furniture and decor.
Dark colors absorb light, and will make your space look heavier. So instead, pick lighter colored furniture and decor to reflect light and keep your space light and airy.
17. Minimize clutter.
Nothing crowds a space more than clutter. If you are a person, like me, who is prone to clutter, a simple hack is to designate clutter spaces-- trays and baskets immediately make clutter look more presentable.
18. Don’t over-decorate with small items.
Choose medium-sized decor pieces to clean up the space. This again, will minimize the appearance of a cluttered apartment, and will provide a nice decor statement with your larger pieces.
19. Only use, display and keep what you love and need.
With apartment living, I feel like it’s easy to start collecting and hoarding things that you like and don’t need. So edit your space often, and only keep the decor pieces and items you absolutely love.
20. Understand that in a small space, it’s your space.
it’s never going to look like an Instagram photo or a blog post. A lot of times apartment living is more about functionality and having a space you can come home to and be comfortable in after a long day of work or college classes. So just do whatever makes you happy.
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