HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF A SMALL SPACE
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I am SO EXCITED to announce that I will be moving back to Boston this summer!! Any one who knows me, knows I have been living down in the NYC area for way too long and I miss Boston. I am so happy the day has finally come when I get to move back to my favorite city in the world and truly call it home.
I am writing this blog post kind of as a check list to myself. Jon and I really lucked out with our current apartment. We live right over the river in Jersey City and we have an 800 square foot apartment with views of the Hudson River and NYC skyline. It’s truly beautiful and I will always be thankful for experiencing it (especially as my first apartment). We lucked out with that building because truly, 800 square foot apartments really don’t exist anymore… A typical one bedroom is now 500 square feet. We have decided to sell all our current furniture and start from scratch for our new apartment. I want this apartment to be beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, but also feel like home.
Here are my top tips to make the most out of a tiny apartment:
MIRRORS
Mirrors can be your saving grace in a tiny apartment! They make the room feel bigger while also adding more light to the room if they are positioned correctly. You can strategically place your mirrors so they reflect the natural light from your windows into darker corners of the room. This will create an illusion of depth and make the room feel much bigger than it really is. You can also use mirrors in place of art works to spruce up your walls.
COLOR SCHEME
The smaller the space, the lighter your color palette needs to be. If you have a tiny bedroom and put all dark color furniture in it, the room will instantly feel smaller. Try using light colors like white, light grey, soft pastels and the room will feel brighter and more open. Naturally, the human eye will be drawn to the darker color, if you keep everything light and muted, your eyes will feel like the space isn’t as crowded.
MULTITASKING FURNITURE
This is a great idea to save space in tiny apartments but still have the storage you need. Try investing in a couch that has storage under the cushions or a sleeper sofa if you tend to have guest overnight a lot. You can also get a coffee table that doubles as hidden storage. I also suggest going to Target or Walmart and buying storage cubbies that will fit under your bed. Those definitely come in handy!
PLANTS
Now, this might not make your space look bigger, but it will definitely make you feel less like you are living in a tiny box. Plants remind you of the outdoors. They almost have a calming affect on the body that just makes you feel good. Having a vase in your kitchen area with some fresh cut flowers will make your apartment feel more put together. If you have the room, getting a nice green leaf plant (fake is easiest) to throw in a corner will add some liveliness to your apartment that should make the apartment feel more homey.
TRY TO HAVE SOME ORGANIZATION FOR THE SPACE
This is something Jon and I do NOT currently have. I was still in college when Jon moved down to NYC and I moved down after graduation. We didn’t get to deign the space together, he basically just got what he could, put it in the apartment, and called it a day. When I moved down, I was moving my stuff into a place that already had a lot of “stuff.” When we move back to Boston, we are going to start from square one and completely design this place ourselves to make it what we both want. So, this gets to my point, organization is KEY. Also, try to only keep what your truly truly need. There is so much stuff in our current apartment that we never use. When you are living in a tiny space, clutter will start to drive you crazy!
VERTICAL STORAGE
Vertical storage is key for small spaces. Shelving units, stacked cubbies, etc. These are all places that you can use for stores and you can also use them for decor. You will get the most out of your square feet when you maximize your wall space.
LESS IS MORE
At the end of the day, if you know your space is small, all these tips will help with the illusion and the feel of a bigger space, but they won’t add square feet. Abiding by the “Less is More” rule, you won’t feel as “trapped” in your tiny space. There is no need to fill every wall with artwork and pictures and every corner doesn’t need something in it. “Less is more” will help your brain view the space as less cluttered. If clutter stresses you out like it does for me, this will definitely help!
I hope you have found these tips to be helpful! It’s truly about being smarter with your space, it’s not about having more space. There are so many ways to make your tiny apartment feel open and breathable!! If you are on the hunt for an apartment like I am now, definitely keep natural light at the top of your list!
