Unless you are absolutely loaded with cash, living in the city means enjoying small spaces. Making the most of your living room that doubles as a dining room and is no more than an extension of the kitchen is all part of city life. You will soon learn that every area of your home needs to be multifunctional and that clutter is your enemy. Indeed, designers and decorators have come up with many ways to help small city apartment dwellers make the most of their space. Here we share some of the best of these ideas.
Clever and organised storage space!
The trick to small apartment living is storage. You will forever feel like you lack enough space for your things, and making sure you keep only what you need is essential. However, once you have decluttered, you will need to be imaginative with your storage. The big tip here is to buy furniture that has a dual purpose. Your comfy chair could lift at the seat to reveal a space for your things, for instance. Equally, there could be drawers under your bed or a storage bench by your door, doubling as a seat for putting on your shoes.
Furniture makers have spent years being creative with design, providing comfort storage and practicality within every item in the home.
Hideaway/ extendable items
Continuing the furniture theme, you also need to use items that fold out of the way or seem to disappear entirely. For instance, you may need a desk for working from home, and installing a hideaway desk that folds up against a wall could save a significant amount of space. There is also the extreme of the fold away bed in some smaller apartments, which is a great way to create another living space in your small home.
If you are going to have visitors to your small space, you might also want to invest in extendable furniture. For instance, there is a table that can unfold or pull out, and there are chairs that can accordion-like unfold to make a seating space for a friend.
Maximise the vertical
When floor space is at a premium, you need to do all you can with your walls. When buying shelves, for instance, go all the way from floor to ceiling to make use of all that space. Equally, rather than having a television or monitor on a stand pushing out into your room, buy a bracket that attaches them to the wall.
Mirrors and other visual tricks!
Sometimes, there is a need to give the impression of size in a small space. Putting mirrors on the walls opposite windows can increase the light in the room and make it feel bigger. The reflected space from the outside will also give an illusion of there being more room for you.
You can also use paint creatively to distract the eye of your visitor. For instance, a large horizontal stripe on the wall can lead the eye down the length of a hallway rather than focusing on its narrowness. It is especially effective if this line is painted close to the ceiling, as it pulls the eye up.
Equally, putting up many pictures in a gallery format all over a single wall tricks the eye and keeps attention away from how small the room is.
Section off open spaces
Rather than putting up partitions, embrace open living. You can then create the different zones for living with your furniture, sectioning it with a well-placed bookshelf or the back of your sofa.
There are now clever metal frames with wooden hinges, called a Lynko System, which can be configured differently. It can act as a wardrobe or be used as a room separator, and you can add mirrors and hooks, hangers, and trays.
Statement walls and earth tones
When decorating your small city apartment, you need to be clever with your colour choices. While it might feel counter-intuitive, having one dark wall is a great way to draw attention away from the size of the room. A statement wall in a dark blue is on trend this year.
However, if you prefer softer colours, then earth tones and neutral shades can bring light and softness to your space. Neutral colours will make a wall feel as if it recedes into the background and better reflect the light, which is important in a small apartment. Painting the longer walls a darker colour than the shorter walls will emphasise the length and create a visual illusion of more room.
Making it your home
While all these hints and tips work, you need to make your small city apartment your home. If you are making decisions for others and perceiving size, stop a minute and decide if it also makes it comfortable for you. Any space is a wonderful place if you feel at home. You should check out Burrow’s furniture pros and cons and see if any of their furniture could improve the look/space within your home.