Home Decorating Tips for Small Apartments

Small living room space where the couch doubles as a bed

Small spaces have to live big when they must serve many functions. In some small apartments, the living and bedroom spaces are the same, so everything from entertaining to sleeping has to take place in one area. This demands creativity when making your critical furniture choices. The upside is you won't need much furniture; the downside is that you will need multifunctional furniture and it will cost more. By making thoughtful choices your small space can live big.

Decorate Smart

Choose an antique wallpaper if you have a small wall; look for one with a mural-like scene.

Look at your apartment as a single space. Think about how you like to feel in your home, and recognize that to achieve a comfortable balance you may need to stretch your comfort zone. White walls and ceilings often make a room feel cold and unfinished, and everything is visible against a white background. Think in terms of painting your walls to absorb some of the visual clutter that every room generates. Paint your walls. Create focal walls and decorate the focal wall with strong wallpaper. This adds visual interest so that the eye will not see items as clutter.

Multifunctional Furniture

Designing a built-in bookcase to create a wall of hidden storage.

Every furniture choice must count. Visit furniture stores that specialize in small spaces furniture. These pieces have multiple functions built into the design of the furniture. If your couch is also your bed, you will also want it to store linens and look good for company. Each piece you bring into the room should pay for itself in storage and function. Consider building a floor-to-ceiling bookcase around a window. Make the windowsill height deeper to create a built-in seat with storage underneath. Use this for media storage and for books, linens, clothing and more.

Painted Floors

A floor painted a buttery yellow color.

Consider painting your hardwood floors a darker color rather than bringing in an area rug. This can neutralize the orange color of many older floors, yet still create a nice texture and color that is more cohesive with the wallpaper and colors of the rooms and furnishings. Use an epoxy-based floor paint and finish that can stand up to the wear and tear of everyday use. Select a neutral color that works well with your furniture style and colors.

Add Moldings

Wall trim can be added to disguise hidden storage inside the walls.

Increase the visual richness of your space by adding moldings and trims. Crown moldings, baseboards, chair rails, plate rails, faux panels and other trims add visual interest that makes a space more alive. Look for additional storage hidden inside wall cavities and disguise the doors of your hidden storage by creating a wall of patchwork panels of a single interesting shape. This will hide the storage and make a strong visual statement. Disguise visual clutter and make your spaces feel bigger. Maintain your trim new space by removing one thing when you bring in something new. One in, one out.

References

• House Beautiful: A Small One-Bedroom Apartment Made Big; Barbara King