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Living in a tiny apartment in this day and age is actually more common than you may think. With people moving to big cities where apartments are more expensive per square foot or you’re renting on a smaller budget, having a small apartment is reality.
When you first move into a space, it can seem overwhelming to know how to fit all your belongings and create a space that reflects your personal style. Having lived in a couple tiny apartments ourselves, we understand the need to think creativity when it comes to designing the space, creating storage solutions and making your apartment feel like home. Today we’re sharing 10 decorating tricks to help you maximize your tiny apartment and not compromising you personal style.
Want more small apartment decorating ideas? Check out these articles:
- 10 Apartment Dining Room Ideas to Easily Recreate
- 15 Studio Apartment Decor Ideas That’ll Transform Your Small Space
- 27 Cutest Colorful Kitchen Decor to Add Personality to Your Space
10 Decorating Tricks to Maximize a Tiny Apartment
1. Maximize Open Space with Different Areas
Whether you live in a studio apartment or small one bedroom apartment, use the open spaces to create areas for designated things. Section off one area of your living space for a couch, a chair and a TV console and then use the other open space for activities that fit your needs.
Crate a small dining area off to the side of your living area or designate a living room nook for your work from home office space. Having a multifunctional space will help you maximize your tiny apartment and get creative using every square foot.
2. Add an Island to Your Kitchen
Many small apartments in a big city often have small kitchens that line one wall and open up into the living space. This provides a great opportunity to add an small island. Not only will this add additional cook top space and storage, but it also adds character to your basic apartment kitchen.
Depending on your design style, there are more traditional kitchen islands out there and more modern kitchen islands. Finding an island that has wheels makes the space even more functional — giving you the opportunity to move the island around your space when you’re gathering a large group of friends.
3. Create an Office Space in a Small Nook
Older apartments often have quirky spaces and nooks. If you have one in your space, and don’t know how to use it, maybe try creating an office space. A desk can be pushed back into the nook, preventing it from protruding too far into the rest of your space and adding shelves on the wall above your desk will add storage for books, decor items and other small personal belongings.
4. Make Space for a Dining Room
While you can’t have a traditional dining room, creating a small dining space in your tiny apartment gives you the luxury of dining in and creating memories around a table. This can be as simple as a small round table with a couple of chairs or splitting half your living space for a larger table with 4 to 6 chair spaces.
5. Use Small Stylish Furniture That Fits Your Design Style
Let’s be real, when you’re living in a small apartment, you’re going to need smaller furniture to fit the space. However, that doesn’t mean you need to compromise on style. There are so many unique ways you can use and repurpose items to use in different ways. For example:
- Instead of one large coffee table, use two small end tables. This will free up space and make your space appear bigger.
- A small sectional or sofa is a must in a small apartment, and could even give you room for an accent chair. We talk all about our favorite sofas for small apartments here.
- A small entry console can double as a cute entry moment and a place to store your shoes or other belongings.
6. Add Rental-Friendly, Custom Touches to Your Bathroom
One of the easiest ways to make your apartment bathroom custom to your personal style is swapping out the hardware, light fixtures and mirrors. These are fairly easy fixes and will make all the difference. Before swapping out or changing anything, check with your landlord or apartment supervisor to make sure it’s okay with them.
7. Makeover Your Kitchen
Does your apartment kitchen lack the character you want in your space? If so, there are so many renter-friendly diy projects that can help make your kitchen reflect your personal design style. Here are some renter-friendly hacks we recommend:
- Add peel and stick backsplash
- Paint your cabinets
- Swap cabinet hardware
- Change your sink faucet
- Swap out your basic kitchen lighting for a cute pendant light
- Add character with vintage Facebook Market Place finds
8. Separate Your Space, But Make It Functional
We absolutely love the idea of separating your space—especially if you live in a studio apartment that already lacks division. Dividing your space with a cube bookshelf intentionally separates the space, but still makes it feel open. Plus, this hack is super functional, because it provides floor to ceiling storage for books, baskets, and other personal belongings.
9. Add Floating Nightstands in Your Bedroom
We love this idea of floating nightstands, because it provides a functional table and drawer to have by your bed, but it also gives the illusion that your space is bigger and more open. When it comes to small apartment bedrooms, this is a trick you’ll appreciate.
10. Transform Basic Bookshelves
We love Ikea furniture, but sometimes it can be too basic for our personal style. We love how designers and home DIY-ers have created such beautiful hacks to transform their IKEA Billy Bookcases into pieces that get your attention. Just like this scandal style, arched detail that was added to the bookshelves. It adds so much personality and beautiful storage to this small apartment entry.
