Apartment Design Ideas

November's Expert - K. Stone of Adore Your Décor™

K. Stone, one of LoveToKnow's own interior design writers, continues as our expert this month. She's an experienced interior decorator, even running her own design business for the past three years, and is definitely up to any design challenge you can send her! Check out her website http://www.adoreyourdecor.com

Question One

I live in an apartment, and I'm not allowed to paint the walls - but the apartment just looks so cold and sterile. Do you have any tips for how I can make the place my own?

Making It Your Own

The dilemma of decorating while renting is shared by millions of people. If you’re tired of bland, generic rooms, then these ideas can jumpstart your rental décor.

• Furniture – The first step is having basic furniture pieces as a foundation for the rooms. Many renters postpone buying “real” furniture and end up sitting on folding chairs and using milk crates for tables. Investing in a few key pieces, will help you feel at home – such as a sofa, an armchair, accent tables, and a dining set. For budget friendly items, shop at garage sales, thrift stores, or retailers like Ikea. Arrange the furniture to follow the architecture of the space and meet the room’s function.

• Fabric and textiles – To add rental-friendly color and texture, use fabrics on the walls, furniture, and floor. Visit your local fabric store and find a fabric with a hue or pattern that appeals to you. Buy several yards and tack up columns of fabric along your walls – this is a great alternative to painting. Also, flat sheets, throws, Indian saris, and shower curtains are economical pieces of fabric that you can use anywhere. Dressing the windows with fabric is another way to insert color and interest. Find a rug that ties into your color scheme, and place it under your seating arrangement for added texture.

• Accessories – Show your personality with art and other portable objects which can go with you when you move. Art prints, sculptures, lamps, mirrors, folding screens, and plants will enliven your rental space. Create blocks of color by painting blank canvases with wall paint or covering with fabric, and then mounting them wherever color is needed. Another non-permanent way to add interest is with peel-and-stick wallpaper products like Walls My Way or Domestic vinyl wall graphics.

Question Two

I had a small flat with 475 square feet to fill. What are some tips for decorating the walls, buying furniture and arranging my home? Where can I find some pictures to help inspire me? -Mbdave

Tiny Treasure

A small living and dining area with great style.

Small spaces hold a lot of potential when you make a plan to maximize your square footage. The first step is to pare down what you bring into the space, so that excess items are not clogging up your design. Surplus items can generate some extra decorating cash, benefit a local charity, or be put in storage. Next, you should create a floor plan on graph paper of the available floor space. This will allow you to play with different furniture arrangements and ideas. Use all of your room, not just the perimeter of it.

• When planning to make the most out of your small space, you should definitely think vertically. Utilize wall areas with modular storage units, shelves, built in furniture, and cabinetry.
• Accessories and wall art should be substantial, but also be the right scale for the wall or table on which it is placed. In a small space, it is better to have a few interesting pieces rather than a curio full of small figurines.
• If there are no walls between your rooms, then bring in a see-through bookcase or a folding screen with a sheer fabric to separate the spaces without blocking light.
• Versatile furniture is a necessity when decorating a small space. Choose ottomans and end tables which have storage capacity inside. If you need a space-saving bed, try a Murphy Bed or one of Inova’s multipurpose furniture pieces. Another great source for affordable, adaptable furniture for small spaces is Ikea. Their store locations and catalogs have displays of fully furnished studio apartments and other efficiently decorated rooms.
• If you need inspiration to get your plan started, check out the HGTV library of 100+ small space projects. HGTV also broadcasts Small Space, Big Style which showcases stylish homes that are 1,000 square feet or smaller. A wonderful book on the subject is Christopher Lowell's You Can Do It! Small Spaces which is loaded with photos and unique ideas.

Related Design Articles:

• Designing for Small Spaces
• Design for Apartments
• Ideas for Room Makeovers on a Budget
• Closet Organization - Downsizing Your Life
• New Ideas for Wallpaper
• Window Treatments Basics