6 Common Mistakes You Should Avoid When Decorating Studio Apartment
Have you just begun your adult life, and you want to get independent quickly? A studio apartment is a perfect start for a single or a childless couple. There is a common question: how to furnish a small apartment to make it functional and comfortable? Many homeowners make mistakes at this stage. Learn the most common ones, so you can easily avoid them.
Avoid these mistakes when decorating a studio apartment
When looking for small apartment ideas to design the interior, one might make several mistakes. Some of them are barely noticeable, whereas others might turn everyday return from work into a nightmare. If you’re not thrilled by this scenario, remember - to win the battle, you should know your enemy. It’s the same in this particular case. If you analyze the mistakes that might arise during a small apartment decoration, you will be able to avoid them.
Poorly chosen lighting
Wrong lighting is a common problem - not only for small apartments, but also larger interiors. Lack of natural lighting, not enough artificial lighting sources or their wrong planning - those are issues affecting 30% of the whole population. Where do those difficulties come from?
To estimate how many light points are needed, you should carefully analyze your project. The lighting should help along everyday activities. To choose the right lamp or even think about placing it, you have to know the exact spots at which you are going to prepare meals or read books.
Lights arrangement mistakes arise because few think holistically at this stage. Instead, one adopts general schemes: the main lamp hanging in the middle, some lights on the wall. Meanwhile, small apartments tend to be unusual in terms of structure, and certain pieces of equipment do not always stand in the most obvious spots. This way you might accidentally fall into a trap.
Too large furniture or… too much furniture
A studioo apartment might be difficult to furnish because it’s not easy to estimate the right size of the furniture. Many homeowners wonder whether all the elements will fit in there - and more importantly, how will they look like.
One cann be certain of one thing: if you decide on a small apartment, you will probably have to forget about a large living room set you could spend time watching TV series on. A small, stylish sofa or a corner settee will be far more functional.
Instead of free-standing furniture, you could also choose custom furniture designs. Thanks to this solution, you can spare a lot of space. They also might look far better.
The size of the furniture is not always the problem - the number of pieces might be also an issue. Keep in mind that small apartments do not have enough space to put any equipment in them. It might easily lead to clutter - and that’s not the point, after all.
Think carefully what do you really need. Choose accessories that complement each other, forming a consistent but not overwhelmed space. This way you can achieve a well organized and functional interior.
No space for storage
Small apartments designs require more attention mostly because of the need for storage. Unfortunately, if you design your studio apartment yourself - it’s something easy to forget.
A studio apartment design should include clever and functional closet or cabinet systems. It’s perfect if there are recessed walls in the studio apartment. Although it seems they disrupt the general look of the interior, they might be helpful in this particular case. They are ideal for a in-wall closet. Even if it’s not very large, you can fit at least some of your belongings inside.
There’s not enough space for such a solution? Try something else. Some elements can be stored inside the furniture. Pouffes with storage are a perfect examples. On one hand, one can sit on them, and on the other - you could keep some sheets, towels or winter scarfs and beanies in them. The market also offers coffee tables with drawers. You can use one to store CDs, books or electronic gadgets.
A multitude of styles, textures and colors
A small studio apartment does not like chaos, therefore using many styles, textures and colors will not be effective in this case. Before decorating your small apartment, it’s advised to decide upon one main theme. Matching strong colors might create an effect of an overflow. When entering the apartment, one will not be able to focus on one thing. It not only does not look well, but also has a negative impact on the mood.
A mixture of various elements might work well in some cases, e.g. when you decorate an apartment in vintage style. It tends to draw inspiration from various notions. However, it’s not a recommended style for small apartments.
Sticking by designs presented in catalogs
Studio apartments designs look fantastic in sales catalogs. Keep in mind, however, that they don’t fully reflect what it’s going to look like in your case. A tiny difference in the studio apartment layout or size - and the brilliant design will look completely different - not always better.
Hence, you shouldn’t transfer everything 1:1 to you own interior. Draw inspiration from specialists, but don’t treat it as a stiff canon that you cannot alter.
It’s a good idea to choose several projects that you really like and analyze them. Mark something that is particularly attractive to you and something that you dislike in each of the designs. Using the method of trial and error, try to match individual elements. This way you have a chance to create a unique project that will fit your interior perfectly.
Excessive order
When you enter some apartments, do they seem exceptionally sterile to you - a neat row of furniture by the wall, an empty space in the middle? It doesn’t look good at all - just like a surplus of elements. What’s more, by leaving an empty area in the middle, you waste space that could be used in a functional way.
If you don’t have any idea on how to decorate a studio apartment and its central area, start from placing a sofa in the middle. It might become a starting point for further changes.
How to decorate a studio apartment - with a specialist or by yourself?
A new apartment requires good planning from the beginning. At this stage, one can make a lot of mistakes that will affect the comfort of living in the future. Of course, you might design everything drawing inspiration from the internet or sales catalogs. It requires a lot of attention and takes a lot of time. Matching the right furniture, accessories and finishing materials might be problematic in some cases - even for a specialist. For this reason many homeowners consider hiring an interior designer.
Thanks to modern graphic software, a specialist is able to prepare a draft of the project, along with a full visualization. It will help you to get the idea how a particular interior might look like and allow you to implement necessary changes - without really affecting the apartment.
Are you wondering how much hiring a professional designer costs? It all depends on how big and complicated the project is. The full service usually involves designing a project and a supervision during the furnishing process. The more unusual the project, the higher the cost.
Small apartment ideas - where to take them from?
The biggest source of ideas for small apartments is the Internet. You can find plenty of pages and blogs on this topic with plenty of pictures of cute apartments. Some of them are run by people who design and finish interiors as a hobby.
There are many interior design magazines on the market, where you can view projects from renowned designers. Interior design TV shows have gained popularity recently - you can learn a lot of interesting ideas from them.
Are you looking for small apartment ideas? Are you wondering how to furnish a studio apartment? Visit local furniture stores. You can also plan a trip to IKEA, where you can see expositions of interesting designs.
Remember that apart from aesthetics, practicality also matters. Even the most beautiful small apartment will not satisfy you if it’s not functional. Therefore, pay a close attention to the elements you choose, to avoid common mistakes and disappointment.
You can also use some ideas for home interiors we’ve prepared. Check how to furnish a small bathroom, hallway or how to make a mezzanine into a functional space.
đź“Ť How to organize a studio apartment?
One of the most important aspects of a functional studio apartment is storage. Use the available space - you could build an in-wall closet if you have a recessed wall. Choose functional furniture like poufs with storage or a coffee table with drawers.
đź“Ť How to arrange a studio apartment?
You can draw inspiration from furniture catalogs and the Internet - but to not stick stiffly to a particular project. Browse through ideas and choose the ones you like the most, and think how to fit the best ellements into your own studio apartment.
đź“Ť How do you arrange furniture in a studio apartment?
Make sure that your furniture has the right size. You shouldn't cram too many pieces of equipment on a small space, otherwise you will cause clutter. Plan everything in a moderate way - focus on functionality and organization, but do not make the space look sterile.
đź“Ť How to style a studio apartment?
Choose one dominant style and make sure not to overwhelm the space with too many colors and textures. Small apartments do not benefit from chaos - make sure to organize everything neatly and pick matching decorations.
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