Tiny apartment ideas to design and decorate

A tiny apartment has many advantages. It’s generally cheaper to rent, closer to attractive areas such as downtown entertainment areas, and has its own cozy charm. However, figuring out how to decorate tiny apartments is hard.

Too often, decorating tiny apartments falls into the trap of thinking about the functionality of the space, not the design of tiny apartments. That’s not the case.

You don’t have to bare your small apartment just because of its size. Your decor can still be very stylish. The key is to be smart about how you use space.

Image source: Georgiana cause

The balance between space and design is the most important thing for living in small apartments. It has to be comfortable, good looking, and manageable.

Your tiny apartment needs to be filled with things that meet your needs and display your preferred aesthetic. Here are some great small apartment ideas that you can use to decorate your small apartment in many elegant styles.

Rethink your unused spaces

Image source: Black and Milk | Interior design | London

It can be difficult to reconsider a place that you have lived in for a while. You’re stuck in routine thinking. You have your designated storage locations, your extra boxes, and wicker baskets hidden under your bed. However, you may still not be using all of the available space in your home.

Take a look around your tiny studio apartment and identify the dead rooms that are not being used. There are likely to be unused corners and empty walls.

Image source: Robeson design

Once you discover these spaces, start thinking about how you can use these spaces. If you have a large window sill, use it as a work area.

Try to get corner shelves to use around the corner that was empty. Put a couple of baskets or boxes on top of your fridge to store extra plates and utensils. Even if you have a very small apartment, you will find a lot of unused space that needs to be used.

Use layers for extra depth

Image source: Crown photo

Tiny apartment designs tend to have no depth because they are so small. There just isn’t a lot of space. You can help add depth by overlaying the design in a very simple way that doesn’t take up that much space.

Use shadow boxes on your walls and add rugs to cover your old battered carpet. Use multiple blankets and pillows on your bedding and seating to add depth and give the room a cozy feel. You can find many areas that will benefit from layering.

Image source: Nicola Paull

Remember, even if it seems like it, layering is more than just stacking tiny apartment design elements on top of each other. Instead, it’s a carefully thought-out contrast creation exercise.

Select elements that you want to overlay based on their different patterns, textures and colors. Add boldly patterned pillows to a neutral sofa. This creates a fascinating feeling of depth and balance.

Follow the floating design trend

Image source: The Galeana group

Avoid bulky furniture in your tiny apartment. This makes the room even smaller and closed. Instead, use tiny apartment furniture for your small apartment and add floating elements.

This opens up the space and allows the eye to move around the room and maximizes the functionality of your small apartment.

Image source: Studio osmosis

Use floating shelves instead of a bookcase. Look into a floating sink instead of a more traditional large vanity. Furniture with legs takes up less space, both physically and visually, than furniture that stands directly on the floor.

Image source: Michael K Chen architecture

Look for airy pieces like see-through acrylic coffee tables or those with an open metal base. These elements appear airy and make your small apartment appear less crowded.

Beyond the practicalities, use floating design in your decor. This will help tie the look together. You can use floating shelves of different sizes to create a gallery-like display and then move them to add a fun personality.

Image source: Errikos Artdesign

Fill these shelves with a variety of objects including art, photos, sculptures, and other accessories. This is an easy way to create an in-home art installation that reflects your personality and prevents your home from getting boring.

Match the curtain color to the wall color

Image source: Studio 29

To create a greater sense of space, choose curtains that blend into your walls. This creates an uninterrupted line and makes the room appear larger.

Look for downsized pieces of furniture

Image source: Elayne Barre Photography

Smaller furniture is better for a tiny apartment. Tiny apartment furniture is pretty easy to find these days, even for traditionally bulky items like sofas and armchairs. This type of furniture is often narrower than traditional furniture. These dainty items are also often very budget friendly.

Let furniture pull double duty

Source: orly eran – architecture & design

You can make good use of a lot of furniture in different ways. Use an old stool as a side table and seat. An ottoman with a tray on top can serve as a coffee table that can easily be made into additional seating. A bench can serve as a bookcase when not in use. Be creative and see what other things can be used for.

Use sneaky storage

Image source: Reverse architecture

Prevent your tiny apartment from becoming cluttered by using furniture with a little more space to store items. You can put baskets on the lower shelf of a coffee table or tuck boxes under a bench. Buy hangars for your doors above the door to create more hanging space for jackets and sweaters.

There are a number of Ottoman designs with removable tops and storage space inside. Use every available space as storage space to prevent the clutter from cluttering the small space in your tiny apartment.

Create wall displays

Image source: Studio 29

Hang up your jewelry. Get a nice looking cutting board and hang it up. These items serve as unique art exhibits and clear out all of your drawers.

Things to Avoid When Decorating a Small Apartment

Image source: Aflux designs

• Do not drape curtains directly over window frames.
• Don’t drown the room in too many patterns.
• Don’t overload your tables with lamps and photos.
• Don’t buy an oversized sofa!
• Don’t use cabinets in your small bathroom.
• Don’t use too many dark colors.

Conclusion

Decorating a tiny apartment can be a challenge, but all it takes is flexible thinking and careful planning.