When space is at a premium, it can be hard to know how to furnish and style without it feeling cramped or uninviting. This certainly goes for small apartments so we’re sharing our best (stylish) space saving ideas for how to style a studio apartment.
Get the most out of your home with our top styling tips when space is at an all-time premium.
Related article: 16 back of door storage ideas to get the most out of your space
Related article: The Block 2020: Week 11 — Studio and garage reveal
Make a plan… before you go shopping!
Look, we get it! Styling and furnishing a new space is exciting and it’s tempting to rush out and buy all your favourite things! But furnishing a house without a plan is a recipe for disaster. Especially when it’s for a studio apartment!
When it comes to how to style a studio apartment, you’ve got a lot less wriggle-room. And a wrong purchase could take up more space than you can afford! Remember, it pays for everything to have a purpose rather than just looking pretty. Yep, that even goes for your décor pieces.
Get to know your space, measure your room and even sketch out how you’d like your layout to look. Some furniture stores even offer visualisation tools on their website, allowing you to virtually place pieces in your space before you hit the ‘buy now’ button.
Don’t forget to double-check your measurements and be mindful of windows or doorways that you don’t want to block.
Get more bang (and room) for your buck with a sofa bed
We all need a sofa and we all need a bed. But in a studio apartment, you can’t always have both… separately. So here’s when a sofa bed is your best choice.
By day it’s a place to sit and relax. And at night, when you extend it out, it becomes your bed.
Not only will it give you the space you need to move from sofa to bed, but during the day that reserved area guarantees a more spacious-feeling home. Think of it as an investment in space and comfort!
Styling tip: A sofa bed should be the first item you include when making your studio apartment plan. Measure both the sofa and the extended bed and choose everything else to fit around it.
Make storage your best friend
The most logical spot to place your TV is in front of your sofa bed. It may be tempting to go for a small and compact TV stand. But think a little smarter and your TV unit could also be useful storage space.
Opt for a unit that provides you with clever storage, as well as space for your décor pieces. A few great options are a modular unit that you can change up every few months to keep things fresh and new. Or you may prefer an asymmetrical unit which can make your studio feel more spacious.
Consider a bed cabinet
We’ve probably all come across sofa beds, and possibly even wall beds, but have you ever seen a bed that can fold away into a cabinet? If floor space is limited, this genius solution may just be the answer you’ve been looking for.
By day, cabinet beds look like any other piece of furniture, then when it’s time for sleep, they slide out to become a full size bed in seconds. While Murphy beds (also known as wall beds) fold vertically into the wall, cabinet beds offer a freestanding alternative that packs away when it’s not in use. Plus, because they don’t require wall mounting or permanent installation, they can be a more renter-friendly option.
In a studio, it means you can reclaim valuable floor space during the day while still sleeping in a proper bed at night!
Create a fold-away dining nook
On the topic of furniture that can fold away, one zone we often can’t fit into a studio apartment is a dining space… or can we?!
From IKEA hack fold-down dining tables to tabletops cleverly disguised behind artwork, there are so many creative ways to turn a small section of wall into a hideaway dining nook that virtually disappears when it’s not in use.
Or if you can’t fix anything permanent into your walls, we’ve also seen plenty of fab console tabes that extend into full-size dining tables in minutes. So before you think you have room for a dining table, do a little out-of-the-box thinking and see what possible!
Be clever yet considered with your wall space
When it comes to how to style a studio apartment, you need to make every centimetre count. And one of the most overlooked opportunities is your walls.
Elevated storage won’t take up valuable floor space so look up! Think wall hooks, wall shelves and even wall-mounted cabinets to provide plenty of practical storage while keeping the lower part of your studio free.
Just be careful not to fill every available wall as it can create the sense of the walls closing in on you. Even your walls need a bit of breathing space! Our tip is to mix open and closed storage, and to avoid placing anything on walls close to pinch points in your apartment like walkways or high-traffic areas.
There’s also plenty of space you can maximise behind doors. We share a range of clever ideas of what to store behind doors in this article.
Styling tip: if you’ve chosen a TV unit with wall storage, keep the opposite wall to a minimum. While extra storage is handy, having wall storage on both sides of an already tight space can make your studio apartment feel cramped and cluttered.
Keep to a light and fresh colour palette
Your home should reflect your personality. But when space is at a premium, going for a light-coloured palette will keep your studio apartment bright and give the feeling of space.
Use light, fresh colours on the walls, including any curtains or window coverings. Then, add in pops of colour through your décor.
Go for elements of green through the use of indoor plants (or realistic fake plants if you have a real brown-thumb!). Cushions are another great way to add colour. Plus they can easily be switched out depending on your mood, style or season.
Are you styling a studio apartment or other small space? We hope this article has given you some tips and ideas to help. If you have any questions or just want to say hi, we’d love to chat to you in the comment section below.
More small space ideas here
