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The key is striking the right balance between enough decoration and too much clutter! Enjoy the benefits of a larger space with less upkeep and cost by following our handy tips to make your apartment homier. We’ll help you avoid a cluttered look while making the most of the room you have.

Tip #1: Avoid blank walls

Bare, neutral walls in an apartment can make a small space feel stale. Instead, consider your walls as an opportunity to add some personal touches, creating a warm and relaxed environment.

Use small, finishing nails or double-sided tape to hang tapestries and light artwork. Opt for larger pieces, or create a stylishly dishevelled gallery wall. Let your creativity flourish as you make your apartment your own! If you really want to change the vibe of your place, you can also try some wallpaper.

Tip #2: Opt for quality furniture

The rule of “less is more” certainly applies to apartments. Quality over quantity is a great way to make your apartment feel like home, especially when it comes to furniture. It would help if you also considered furniture that serves more than one purpose. For example, a pull-out couch creates a bed for guests, or a headboard with storage creates more space.

Tip #3: Divide and conquer

Using open shelving as a room divider offers more storage and breaks up the space to make it seem bigger. Ceiling-to-floor furniture can split the room while making use of taller areas of your apartment that would otherwise remain unused. Plus, as both sides of the shelving are open, they are accessible from two directions! 

Sometimes, you simply have too much to organize for a clean look – holiday decorations, skis, family heirlooms, off-road bikes, winter coats, or the boxes of inventory you need for your side hustle. That’s when you need to move the not-necessary-every-day stuff into a storage unit that you can visit once a month. The convenience and affordability of so much extra space can make your apartment life go from “blah” to “brilliant!” Here’s a handy guide to how much storage you’ll need. 

Tip #4: Be sure to fill the corners

If you have a lot of open edges in your apartment, the room can look harsh. Adding corner shelves, artwork, or a standing lamp can be a simple way to rectify this. Try this, and you’ll quickly see how much it changes the feel of the room!

Tip #5: Alter the lighting

Bright lights, while helpful, don’t make for a comfortable feel in the home. So instead, we recommend that you switch to mood lighting in areas that do not need to be particularly well-lit (basically, anywhere except for the kitchen and bathroom). White bulbs create harsh light. Switching to soft, yellow incandescent bulbs or eco-friendly “warm white” LEDs, under-the-cabinet lighting, or floor lamps can be a homey alternative. You can also install dimmer lights for when it is time to relax and unwind.

Speaking of dimmers, before you attempt to install anything requiring wiring (or transform an offbeat object into an arty floor lamp), make sure you’re familiar with the new wiring colours in the UK. When in doubt, call a qualified electrician. 

Tip #6: Think about your apartment’s scent

The presence of a familiar and enjoyable scent creates a relaxing effect. Your olfactory senses are calmed by certain fragrances that you can spread throughout your apartment with air diffusers, candles, and plug-ins.

Tip #7: Fill your space with plants

Arguably, the biggest downside of an apartment is the lack of outdoor areas. Some may have a balcony or small courtyard, but many have nothing. You can offset that by bringing the outside in with plants! As a bonus,  plants improve apartment air quality and have been shown to reduce stress, making them ideal “roommates.” . 

It is important to choose your houseplants wisely and maybe get creative with your placements depending on your available space and how much light the particular plant type requires. 

If you own your apartment…

The myth is that many of us will graduate from apartments to houses, but the reality is that many apartment dwellers eventually buy an apartment instead. In that case, these design tips still apply. However, since owning your apartment home means you’re the landlord, these home maintenance tips may also come in handy.

Always make your apartment your own

The tips above will help to make your apartment a more homey space, but above all, the more of your personality you bring into your space, the better. Displaying your favourite things helps your apartment tell the story of who you are (just be wary of going overboard with too many dust collectors). 

Photos By: Unsplash

You’ve just landed yourself a fabulous apartment in the heart of the big smoke, and now it’s time to think about buying furniture for it and decide how you will decorate it. Will you opt for a luxurious look? Do you prefer an urban industrial aesthetic, or would you like to give your new pad the look of a 5-star hotel? Here are some decor ideas for a big city apartment.

The Kitchen

Chances are you have already chosen a kitchen if your apartment is brand new, or there is already one installed. Whatever the case, if you want to change the look of the kitchen, here are some ideas of how to do it. A modern apartment looks best with a modern kitchen rather than a wooden shaker-style one found in a quaint country cottage. Think high gloss, handleless units in grey, black and white shades with chrome finishings.

Countertops should be sleek, smooth, and shiny like the walls of a futuristic spaceship. Materials such as granite, quartz, and silestone look amazing with modern cabinets as well as being a beautiful focal point in your kitchen.

To match the space-age cabinetry, choose some high-tech kitchen appliances such as a steam oven, built-in coffee maker, wine cooler, induction hob, and pop-up extractor fan. Accessorize with shimmering low-level pendant lights and stainless steel small appliances such as a kettle, toaster, and food processor. For inspiration, visit a contemporary furniture store in Chicago or New York that specializes in products for inner-city apartment living.

The Lounge

You probably bought the apartment for the floor-to-ceiling windows with spectacular views across the city. These views will be the focal point of your lounge room, so it would make sense to keep the room minimalistic in decor so as not to detract from the scenery outside. Keep the color palette for the living room limited. Opt for two or three neutral tones or stick to monochrome and use accessories such as cushions and artwork to give colored accents. A dark leather sectional sofa with a chaise would look stylish as well as be comfortable, as would a couple of iconic Eames armchairs fashioned from oak and black leather.

A low-level square coffee table looks great with modern sofas. Look for one made from dark wood such as walnut for a sleek contemporary look. Line the walls with wooden or chrome bookcases or a sideboard in black or white gloss laminated wood to add to the image.

Accessories such as table lamps, vases, ceiling lights, and ornaments will complete the look. For a high-end hotel image, shop for chrome lamp bases molded into abstract shapes, tall, slim and sleek vases, and artistic sculptures. Always opt for expensive-looking items in leather, chrome, glass, polished metal, and crystal.

The Dining Room

If your apartment has a dining area or a separate dining room, you can make it a luxurious place in which to wine, dine and entertain friends in style. Choose a large table in dark smokey glass and surround it with beautifully shaped leather or metal dining chairs.

Store tableware and beverages in a stylish cabinet with a glass front and chrome detailing. Display exquisite crystal wine goblets and champagne glasses in the cupboard. Install a chandelier above the table that will catch the light and propel it around the room.

The Bedroom

A comfortable bed is one of the most important purchases you will make, so ensure you get the right one for your needs. A modern apartment bedroom looks fabulous furnished with a low-level bed flanked by a dark leather or suede headboard and dressed with crisp, clean Egyptian cotton sheets with a thread count of 600. The lighting in a bedroom should be soft, flattering, and romantic, so install a dimmer on your ceiling light or just use table lamps – one on each side of the bed.

If you have a window with amazing views and don’t want to obstruct it, dress the windows with modern slim vertical blinds that don’t conceal any of the views when fully open. If you treasure your privacy or don’t appreciate early morning sunshine, you hang some curtains in the bedroom. Heavy curtains like those used in hotel rooms will give a high-class look to the room. Go for thick, luxurious fabrics such as velvet and brocade in dark shades with gold or silver embroidery.

Let your imagination run wild when furnishing your apartment. Remember, there is no right and wrong, so if you like something, go for it.