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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.

Soft Furnishings For The Bedroom

Posted on August 8, 2011 | Bedroom, Furniture.

The bedroom is a room that should be relaxing and comfortable because it is where you sleep. A bedroom without soft furnishings isn’t going to achieve that. Soft furnishings include the window dressing, bed linen and any fabric accessories that you use to finish the room. The sort of look you want for your bedroom will influence the items you buy, as will your budget.

There are a few areas of the bedroom where soft furnishings are essential. For the windows you need some sort of netting for privacy, unless of course you have the luxury of living in the middle of nowhere. Netting doesn’t have to be anything like your granny may have had but of course if that is the look you want there’s no reason not to have it. Modern netting can have many designs and you should look at a few types to see what you like. There’s everything from lace to voile and plain to embroidered.

Of course just netting at a window may not be enough because it won’t block any light out and most people need darkened rooms to get some decent sleep. There are many types of fabric that can be used for curtains and blinds. Heavy velvet will keep out the cold and light but may not suit the look of all rooms. A calico Roman blind could work for some because blinds are a different style of window dressing from curtains but you really have to look around and see what you like. Home magazines are a good place to get inspiration.

Bedding is really important because you will be in physical contact with it on a regular basis. Try and get the best that you can afford. With sheets, look at the thread count. The higher the thread count, the higher the quality of the product. Sheets can be manufactured from man-made fibres, cotton, a combination of polyester and cotton, or silk. Silk is obviously expensive but feels great on the skin.

If possible, buy your bedding as a set, and make sure that you wash it all together to prevent colours mis-matching over time because one item has been washed more than another. If you want to go for a mis-matched look make sure that it is done well – there is an art to it! The look can be pulled off but it’s not easy.

Whilst window dressings and bed linen is essential for the bedroom, there are optional soft furnishings that can bring a stamp of character or luxury to a room. These are things such as little decorative cushions, bolsters and sequined throws.

If you have enough money, consider getting some seasonal soft furnishings and getting them out at the relevant time of year. A velvet throw is lovely in winter with a few Christmas motif cushions to get you in the mood.

Whilst the furniture in a room gives it structure, it’s the soft furnishings that make it a place that you want to spend time, so buy wisely.