Posts Tagged area

Decorating a Studio Apartment

Posted on December 2, 2011 | Apartment, Decorating.

When you live in a studio apartment, you’re probably not really thinking of the home decor. Fortunately, just because you live in a studio apartment, doesn’t mean you can’t have beautiful home accessories and decor. In fact, the internet is a vital resource of different decorating ideas, home accessories and other items that can make your studio apartment look and feel like a home, even if it’s just one room with a bed in it and a kitchen up against the wall.

De-clutter

The most important step in a well decorated space is to de-clutter. Get rid of everything you’re not using or don’t need. This is especially true of living in a tight space, because in a studio apartment, space is at an ultra-premium.

That being said, with studio home decor, less may be more. Opt only to keep pieces you really love, especially when it comes to furniture, wall decor and other home accessories.

Divide the Space

Divide up the space based on your daily activities. Depending on how large your studio apartment is, this may include creating a living area, a kitchen area and a sleeping area. Large studio apartments, particularly lofts, may even give you adequate space for having a dining area or an office space.

When dividing up the space, be sure to include plenty of storage space. Avoid open storage, as this creates a more cluttered look that is unsuited for small space home decor.

Multi-purpose Furniture

Multi-purpose furniture is a great option for tight urban spaces. A single piece of furniture that serves as a desk and as a night stand can be a great space saver. The same goes for furniture such as ottomans that double as a coffee table, additional seating and some even offer additional storage.

Use Dividers

A divider does not necessarily mean the actual furniture piece known as a divider screen. However, you can use different furniture items to divide the space up accordingly. For example, depending on how large your studio apartment is, you may want to arrange a sofa across the space so that it separates your sleeping area from your living area.

Lighting

Don’t skimp on the lighting! Just because you’ve got a smaller living space doesn’t mean you need less lighting. You need to divide up your lighting needs: task lighting, general lighting, even decorative or accent lighting.

You can use general lighting for your day to day activities, task lighting for tasks such as reading or writing and finally, decorative or accent lighting to highlight the space; such as a piece of wall art or an architectural element of the space.

Color

Finally, don’t be afraid of color! A small space doesn’t have to be limited to light colors, in fact, as long as you keep things minimal in terms of the amount, you can use any color you desire. Bold hues, dark shades, bright, vibrant colors-anything.

Keep in mind that “keep things minimal” doesn’t mean having only a single accent wall, but it can also be interpreted as having a monochromatic color scheme or a color palette that only uses three or less colors. Having more than three colors can quickly and easily overwhelm small space home decor.

Smart Bed Ideas for Small Spaces

Posted on October 26, 2011 | Bedroom, Decorating.

Contrary to what many might believe, there can be a great looking bedroom even if only a very small space is available for it. The secret is on how you are able to design the bedroom to make it look appealing and less crowded.

Start with the bed itself. The bed should not be over sized. Actually, it should be small. But, the bed should not be too small that you can’t lie down comfortably on it. If you do not have a bed yet, it can be wise for you to take the measurements of your bedroom first. After you have your measurements, you can now search for a bed that will fit perfectly and proportionately in your room.

Keep the bed simple. There should be no elaborate designs which will only take up more space. If possible, only opt to have mattresses. A good enough mattress can suffice as a bed for most people. This will be an ideal set up if you are pressed for space. You can stack up mattresses and make it as sturdy as possible to mimic having a structure or a bed underneath it.

If you are not sure that a mattress will be good enough to have, a platform bed can be a good alternative as the space occupied is minimized. The bed will only occupy the same area as the mattress. Avoid having four-poster beds. The posts will only take up space. Also avoid having headboards on your beds. You won’t really need them. These are the types of things that you can do without if you are trying to conserve space.

You can also have bunk beds as you are utilizing the vertical space that is present. If there are two persons who need to occupy the room, you can opt to have a bunk bed to accommodate them. Instead of a wide platform bed, a bunk bed can save a lot of area around the room. And as you are not using the space on top of the bed, putting a sleeping quarter there will be your best option.

Also, if you already have a platform for your bed, choose to have a thinner mattress as much as possible. This is, of course, without sacrificing your comfort level. A thinner mattress will occupy less space. Also, it can help make it look like there is still a lot of space available in your room despite already having a bed there.

The material that you will use will likewise matter. Wood can be good to have. Just choose those that are cut in small sizes and are kept thin. Steel is also wise to have as they can be durable and sturdy even if they are very thin.

Another alternative that you have is to opt to have beds that can be converted into another type of furniture. There are sofa beds that can be your sofa during the day. When you are about to sleep, you can just turn it into a bed. There are also those that can be tidied up into the wall. Most designs allow you to fold the bed next to the wall to open up the area for the work that you need to do at your waking time.