10 Smart Ways to Decorate a Small Apartment or House

Wondering how to make the most out of your home’s small spaces? Whether you live in an apartment or in a smaller home, you might be looking for ideas on how to decorate small rooms and spaces. You might also be wondering how you can make those rooms look more spacious, appealing, and inviting. Your home is your sanctuary, and you want to relax and feel comfortable when you’re there. Read our tips on how to decorate small spaces and make the most out of your home.

1. Eliminate Clutter.

Do you have odds and ends cluttering your apartment or house because you’re lacking in storage space? Are big, clunky storage containers littering your house? The first step to making the most out of your small spaces is learning how to declutter. Pick a day when you have enough time and go through your items one by one. One rule of thumb in deciding whether or not to keep an item is to ask yourself if you have used it within the past year or two. If you haven’t, put the item in one of three piles: “to sell”, “give away” or “throw away”.

2. Smart Storage.

Once you’ve decided what items you want to keep, purchase affordable, stackable containers, big and small. You can put your rarely used items in long, slim containers and store them under your bed. Use smaller, stackable containers to store items under your sink, such as cosmetics, health & beauty aids, or soaps and lotions. In your kitchen, store spices, teas or coffees, and small utensils in small, stackable containers and keep them on your countertop.

3. Start Consolidating.

One way to make a small room look bigger is to reorganize your floor plan. In smaller homes and apartments, floor space is always at a premium. But, if you have some space to spare, you can use cube bookshelves, which are more open and airy than traditional bookshelves, to display books, knick-knacks, or other items. You can also use a digital photo frame to store and display your photographs, instead of displaying many photo frames throughout your home.

4. Use Walls and Doors.

If you don’t have much floor space, use your wall space and doors for décor and storage. You can mount floating shelves on your walls to display your favorite items, and use decorative “over the door” hooks for your clothing, towels, or purses. Installing a row of decorative wall hooks can also make a room functional and beautiful, and will keep those readily-needed items within easy reach.

5. Find Furniture That Multi-Tasks.

A great apartment or small home decorating idea is using attractive furniture that also serves as storage. Ottomans are not only comfortable for resting your feet, they are also a great place to keep remotes, game controllers, games, and books or magazines out of sight. In the kids’ room, a captain’s bed is an efficient way to store kids’ clothing, toys, games and books, and it eliminates the need for a dresser and bookshelves. Trundle beds provide an extra bed in a jiffy, too. When it comes to furniture and decorating, get creative and recycle items for multiple purposes. Paint a large wooden box the color of your choice, for example, and use it as a coffee or side table and a storage unit.

6. Become an Artist of Illusion.

Another way to decorate small spaces is to make them look bigger than they really are. One small apartment idea is to install a wall-length mirror. Painting your walls a lighter color will also make a big difference when you are trying to create that big room illusion. Using the same colored draperies, curtains, or blinds as your walls, too, can create a big room feel. Hanging your curtain rods a few inches from the tops of your windows and pulling your furniture a few inches away from the wall can also give your home a more spacious look and feel.

7. Make Multi-Purpose Rooms the Mark of Efficiency.

So, what other things can you use for tiny rooms? Well, for one, you can opt to purchase small scale furniture, instead of larger, space-consuming pieces. You can sell old furniture to buy the new, and if you need a few extra dollars, get access to quick cash with a short-term loan from Advance America. If you need office space, but don’t have room for a full-fledged office, you can place your laptop on a bookshelf or breakfast bar while working or studying. If you live in a studio, you can use your bed or futon as a sofa during the day. Think mobile, too. Moveable furniture on wheels, such as chairs, sofas, kitchen islands, and tables, can all be easily moved to change the arrangement of your room depending upon how you intend to use it.

8. Think Lighter.

Light-colored, see-through furniture made of acrylic, glass, or clear plastic, is a great apartment decorating idea that will make your living area look less cluttered and more modern, light, and bright, especially in rooms that are used for multiple purposes.

9. Create Space.

If you are living in a one-room studio apartment, you still may want to create the illusion of having a private bedroom. You can easily create privacy in a number of ways, and give your sleeping area more appeal. Try hanging a curtain next to or over your bed. Or, use a decorative room divider, or accent rugs, to create separation and transition one living area into another.

10. Bring the Outdoors Back Inside.

The color green will brighten any room, which is why displaying live plants is a popular small apartment decorating tip. Hanging plants, or plants in pots with moveable casters, can add a splash of color and make your living spaces look more alive, vibrant, abundant, and healthy.