Quick Small Apartment Decorating Ideas to Make Your Place Feel Spacious

Here’s how to make your apartment feel and look bigger than you ever thought possible.

Interior Color Combinations

When choosing a color scheme, white is a no brainer. It reflects more light than any other color and there is no denial that it is a perfect solution for small spaces.

But white does not always need to be just white, it can have a touch of any other color, which makes it a good base for tone to tone schemes. A tone to tone scheme is layering the same color with a different saturation of the same color throughout the room which creates a warm and comfy atmosphere. It seems there are many different colors, but there is no real contrast so it makes it soft and welcoming. And if you like bold colors, stick to clear, bright tones and choose a monochromatic scheme.

Monochromatic schemes create a continuous flow making it difficult to perceive the dimensions, so the room looks wider and larger than it really is. If you want to open the space up, paint the furniture and the walls the same – a piece of furniture in the background in the same color becomes „invisible.“ And match the floors with the walls as much as possible to keep the flow. The orientation of your apartment should also have the word when deciding colors though, if it is north oriented you may want to warm it up a bit, and the opposite goes for south, or south west orientation.

Create a Cozy Home

Mind the furniture scale, but keep in mind that your home needs to be comfortable as well. One large corner sofa will actually make the place look more spacious and cozier than chairs and a two-seater, which will actually fill up the room with furniture. Choose a good sectional that can adjust to your floor plan. Make a compromise on other things, not your comfort.

Room Divider Ideas

Due to the shortage of space one room must serve several functions. So we have sleeping, working, watching TV, entertaining, eating areas, all happening in the same area. If these areas are to be divided you can use shelves, panel or roman blinds, wooden panels, curtains, roller blinds, etc.

Panel, roman and roller blinds are good because they can be lifted up or moved sideways when not in use, and they take up minimum space. Match your panel and roman blinds with window curtains to achieve a perfectly coordinated look. Anyway, any room divider that helps you achieve more efficient use of the space is a good one.

Be Creative and Enlarge Your Space

Use verticals. There is so much unused space on the walls, don’t waste it. Be creative in finding hidden spaces and creating smart and unexpected solutions.

The place above the doors, at the top of the cabinets, at the top of the wardrobes, at the top of the fridge, it is all unused space that can be turned into valuable storage solution.

A floor to ceiling wardrobe is such a precious piece of furniture in a small apartment. If you don’t want to use the whole wall, install the shelves high under the ceiling, which will actually add height to the space, paint them in the same color as the walls. Remember, the more stuff you move off the floor and place elsewhere the space will seem more airy and the illusion of spaciousness will be achieved.

Clear your kitchen worktop, lift and move everything from it. Use shelves, cabinets, spice racks, kitchen organizers, etc., a neat and clean kitchen looks bigger immediately. Hang a lot of hacks in the entry hall, in the bedroom and in the bathroom and place the clothes on hangers instead of leaving them lying around.

Create Visual Illusions

Reflection is the oldest and most famous trick when it comes to small apartment decorating and its effect is undeniable. Mirrors and other reflective surfaces will reflect the light around the room and the space will seem deeper and larger.

A large floor to ceiling mirror is an excellent way to create an illusion of bigger space. Having it on the door of a floor to ceiling wardrobe is a smart solver as it doubles the view of the room. And the best spot to install a mirror is opposite the window, in that position it receives natural light and reflects it back into the room.

Choose metallic wallpaper that also reflects light. Make it the focal point of the room and feature it with frames and things you want to display. Reduce other things in the room to a minimum. The focal point will naturally draw attention and focus off the other less attractive parts of the room.

If you want to make wall to wall book shelves your focal point, spice it up with wallpaper or a fabric with a bold pattern in the back of it.

And if you want to make a focal point that will really stand out, get the photo wallpaper on the wall and create an illusion of depth in space with a unique and spectacular design.

Choose Multifunctional Furniture

Furniture can be a problem in small spaces. By choosing multifunctional furniture you will solve the problem of storage, space saving and organization. You will need anything that is foldable, stackable, anything that can be moved out of the way and hidden.

A pull out storage bed is a must have, a real space saver, it is like having another wardrobe. A coffee table with storage or shelving for books and magazines, an ottoman that is a table and a storage, fold over tables, seating benches with storage inside, a sofa bed, two consoles that turn into dining table, etc. Think well before you choose which pieces of furniture will serve you best as they are irreplaceable and inevitable company in a small space.

Nothing will suffocate your place more than cluttering, there is just no place for it in your small apartment. Not only does it minimize your space, but it also minimizes your productivity; each day, minutes and hours are wasted looking for keys, a piece of paper, piece of clothing, etc. When there is a place for everything, everything is in its place.

So, de-clutter until you achieve tidiness and organization. For the best results you should purge at least once a week. The things you don’t use on a daily basis should be put out of sight and if there is anything you don’t need, don’t like, and you are not planning to use- don’t storage it. You can always donate it or give it away to someone who will find it useful. It is important to keep the space neat and clean.

Play With Light

Lighting is very important fact in decorating and it should not be underestimated. Good lighting will make the place more open, clean and welcoming. Overspread the lighting throughout the room and install the right kind of lighting for different needs. Good lighting is essential in transforming your home and creating a desired atmosphere.

Sophisticated and Transparent

Transparent pieces of furniture are an excellent idea and a smart way to make a statement in your small home. Acrylic and glass chairs, consoles, desks and tables are very sophisticated pieces which make all the difference; they bring airy and refined atmosphere.

Choose right textiles

When it comes to textiles, rugs and curtains, light and airy is what you need. A light colored rug will visually enlarge the size of your room and by grouping the furniture around it, its function will definitely be featured and the need for order and harmony in a small space will be satisfied.

Curtains should be as sheer and lightweight as possible to let the light in. Use the whole vertical and hang them from the ceiling, rather than from the top of the window, which will visually add more height.

The effect will be even better if there is discrete vertical striped pattern on the curtain. They should be the same color as the walls or just a tone lighter to keep the flow. Great curtain solutions for small apartments are also panel blinds or roman blinds.

They are flat and straight, and take up minimal space. They can be moved sideways or lifted up and they are very easy to maintain. Roman blinds with horizontal trims work really nice in minimalistic interiors. Since we have already settled the harmony and given the feeling of spaciousness to the area we can go bold with cushions and accessorize.

What are your small apartment decorating ideas?

Share your tips and secrets in the comment section below!