Make the Most of Your Studio Apartment

Many city-dwellers and single folks make their homes in the smallest apartments, known as studio apartments.

A studio apartment is an apartment that only has one main room that's used as the kitchen, dining area, living room, and bedroom. Even if someone doesn't need the extra space, living in a studio apartment can be challenging. It's not difficult for a studio apartment to feel cramped, uncomfortable, and unpleasant.

However, there are a few ways that you can make the most out of your small space, making it feel a lot more comfortable and homey.

Furniture Placement

The most important thing you can do to get the most out of your studio apartment is to place the furniture strategically.

For starters, you will want to create a layout that has separate areas for each of your living activities such as working, sleeping, relaxing, and eating. Therefore, you should create a living room, bedroom, an office space and a dining area. You can create these little “rooms” by using curtains or other partitions, separate area rugs, and lighting to create divided zones. Having dedicated space for each activity not only makes your studio apartment feel homier, but also helps make it feel larger.

Once that is done, make sure you can easily pass through each area without tripping or having to squeeze through, because over time tight spaces will become a nuisance for you and your guests.

Organization

In a studio apartment there is no where to hide your dirty laundry, which is why you have to keep everything organized.

It's best to make sure every single item in your home has a place where it belongs. Right after you're done using it, put it back in its place to save your studio apartment from clutter and chaos. You can use shelving, dual furniture, or cabinets to hide your belongings.

Make your storage nice looking by putting it in colorful baskets and boxes, or at the very least, neatly piled on shelves rather than hastily shoved away.

Wall Storage

Since floor space will most likely be limited, you can use the walls for storage and displays.

You can use floating shelves around the ceiling to store books, movies, mementos, and more. If you are unable to put nails or screws into the wall, tall shelves allow you to store a variety of things vertically rather than on the floor.

The best way to take advantage of your wall space is by adding shelving to the length of the room. Put them up high for things you don't use often so that you can add a clothing stand underneath or a dresser to take advantage of that extra space.

Hooks and rods are also a great option for using wall space, especially in the kitchen for storing mugs, pans, or cooking utensils, and in the bathroom for hanging towels.

Double-duty Furniture

Like with any small space, try to only use furniture that has more than one purpose.

Any piece of furniture that can offer maximum functionality in minimal square footage is best. For example, a bed frame that also offers drawers underneath for clothing or an ottoman that opens up for storage.

Brightness

Typically you should keep a small space light and bright because a dark space can feel a lot more confining.

White walls often expand a space, whereas dark walls can make it feel smaller. However, some dark wall paint is better than others if you don't like white walls. If you prefer darker paint, your safest bets are navy blues, deep browns, blacks, and charcoals, but try to steer clear from dark greens, reds, and mid-tone blues, which draw too much attention to the walls and make the room feel cramped.

A lot of natural light will also help open up your space, so don't block your light sources and avoid heavy curtains.

Mirrors

Mirrors are an excellent way to open up your studio apartment and add depth to your space.

They make your studio apartment feel twice as big because they reflect the space opposite of it. Even better, place a mirror opposite a window to create the illusion of a second window and reflect more light into your home.

Décor

Even if your studio apartment is small, you should still make it feel like home by decorating it according to your taste.

Although a lot of clutter, like multiple throw pillows or large gallery walls, can take up space and make your studio apartment feel crowded, you should still hang pictures and add décor items to show your personality in your home. Just do it within reason and with minimalism in mind.

When decorating each area of your studio, try to keep a similar theme and color scheme throughout. Visual continuity will trick your eyes into thinking there is more space than there actually is, whereas blocks of different styles and colors will feel too chaotic.

If you can't find what you're looking for in home stores, try using modern trends for DIY inspiration.