Not everybody has the luxury of a suburban block and a four bedroom home, but for those who live alone, or with a partner, this amount of space can be unnecessary. A lot of people prefer to live in the city, close to work, restaurants and shops, and a studio apartment is a great alternative. Once you have found your studio apartment, and the removalists have helped you shift your belongings in, it is time to use your space, or should it be lack of space wisely. Decorating a studio apartment doesn't need to be difficult, just follow a few simple tips to make the most of the space you have and create a sense of openness to give the illusion that your living area is bigger than it actually is.
Separate areas
Large Bean Bag Furniture
It is important to remember you are creating a home, so you want it to feel warm and inviting and not just an area where you spread your belongings out. You need it to be functional as well as liveable, and a good start is to create distinctive areas within the space. Separating the area where you sleep from the living space is important, as you need to create a private bedroom area, and if you can tuck the utility areas away, like the bathroom and laundry, then you won't be having to hide your dirty laundry away every time you have guests show up.
Decorate to scale
When buying furniture for a studio apartment keep in mind the size of the space and buy furniture to match. A very large lounge suite, for example, will completely dominate the room and make the space appear more cluttered than it actually is. Also choose furniture that is lower as visually the room will look larger. Any tall furniture should be placed up against the wall. A clear sight line across the room will ease the look of any clutter as well.
Traffic
Arrange the furniture carefully to create a good traffic flow within your apartment. Try to end up with one main route throughout the space that can be used to reach all the different areas of the apartment. You don't want to be forever having to weave in and out of furniture or find yourself knocking into things. An 'L' shape pattern can help to separate areas and keep you from knocking into guests, as well as create more space for your furniture.
Extra beds
Having the unexpected guest staying over doesn't need to be a problem as there are lots of great alternatives to a spare bed. There are fantastic quality sofas that fold out into really comfortable double beds, or instead of a normal couch why not have a daybed that looks great with a few cushions on it to sit on during the day, but is roomy enough, and supportive enough to sleep on. You can also get double beds that fold down out of a handy cupboard unit which won't take up any space against the wall.