So, you’ve decided to take the plunge and embrace living in a small apartment. You’re probably wondering how to furnish a studio apartment now. When you’re living in a small space, you want to make the most of everything from the storage space to the floor space. But what is the best way to furnish a studio?
It turns out that living in a studio apartment opens up a world of big possibilities for creativity. From making the best use of vertical space to buying apartment furniture pieces that can serve more than one purpose, there are plenty of ways to make a tiny apartment feel like home.
Our team has created this handy guide that explains how to furnish a studio apartment on a budget. Read on to learn how to make the most of the limited square footage in a smaller space.
Start by taking stock of your studio apartment
As you wonder how to furnish a studio apartment, you might think that your first step should be looking at studio apartment furniture. However, before you even start doing that, you should take a moment to analyze your space.
Most studio apartments are about 300 to 400 square feet. When you compare a studio vs. a one bedroom (which is typically 700 to 1,000 square feet), you quickly realize that you have much less space to work with. You’ll need to think about your apartment’s size constraints as you start acquiring studio apartment décor and furniture.
In addition to thinking about the size of your space, you’ll also need to consider your studio apartment floor plan. All studio apartments have the living area and the sleeping area in the same room. However, other aspects of the layout can vary.
- Your studio might have a living area and a sleeping area in one room and a bathroom and a kitchen in separate rooms. The kitchen may also have a dining room of sorts attached to it.
- Some studio apartments have a floor plan that places the living area, the sleeping area, and a kitchenette all in the same room. Only the bathroom and maybe closet space are in separate rooms.
Knowing how your space is set up will help you determine how to make the most of it because there is no single best way to furnish a studio apartment.
Turn to size-appropriate furniture that can do double duty
When you’re thinking about how to furnish a studio apartment on a budget, you’ll want to look for furniture pieces that can serve more than one purpose. After all, in a studio apartment, you likely won’t have the extra space to house a coffee table, a dining table, and a desk. As a result, you’ll want to find a furniture piece that can serve the functions of all three pieces at the same time.
In addition to finding a table where you can eat and work or study, you’ll also want to look for seating that can perform multiple jobs. For example, there are options like futons and daybeds that can be a bed at night and serve as extra seating during the day. Speaking of extra seating, comfy throw pillows can often serve as floor cushions when you have guests over.
Finally, you may be able to fit both a bed and a sofa in your studio apartment if you pick items that are the right size for your floor plan. That might mean purchasing a twin bed and a loveseat instead of a full or queen-sized bed and a sectional sofa. Smaller furniture pieces can be just as comfortable and stylish as their larger counterparts.
Get creative with separating your bedroom area from the rest of the space
One of the best small apartment ideas is to separate your living space from your sleeping area. Doing so provides more privacy and a more peaceful environment to promote sleep. However, that’s not all: It can also make your space feel larger and almost as if you have a separate living room and bedroom.
The layout of your studio apartment and the amount of space you have will help determine the best way to separate your bedroom from the rest of the studio. Below are some studio apartment ideas that can work for many different arrangements.
- A simple solution is to purchase a bedroom divider or hang a curtain to separate your small apartment living room from your sleeping area. You can also use a floating shelf to divide the space.
- You might also consider purchasing a daybed or a Murphy bed. While a daybed can be converted into a seating area during the day, a Murphy bed can fold up into the wall when you aren’t using it.
- If you have a very small room, you may want to use the vertical space in your studio to create a separate bedroom area. This would involve getting a loft bed. Doing so gives you space under your bed that you can use for your living area.
- Finally, an easy way to create a dedicated bedroom area in a small studio apartment is to place a rug under your bed frame. This doesn’t take up any extra space, but it’s attractive and identifies the sleeping space as separate.
One final tip about beds in a studio apartment is that you should always make your bed in the morning. You might have heard this advice a thousand times already, but it really is important in such a small space. Without making the bed, the entire room can look cluttered and messy.
Give your space some personality with decorative touches
As you think about how to furnish a studio apartment, don’t forget to think about the décor. This is a great way to make your space your own, and many decorative touches don’t have to make the space feel crowded. For example, you can do an accent wall with photos or artwork. It’s a great way to add personality to your apartment while taking advantage of the vertical space in it.
Textiles are a wonderful way to add decorative touches to your apartment without taking up too much space. We recommend finding a comfortable and stylish quilt or bedspread as well as some throw pillows (less is more in a studio apartment) to add warmth and style.
As you wonder how to furnish a studio apartment, you shouldn’t forget about light fixtures. Lighting can also help provide a cozy decorative touch to your home. Depending on the amount of space you have, you might opt to purchase a floor lamp or a desk lamp to brighten up the studio.
Also, instead of purchasing a TV stand that can take up extra space that you don’t have, think about mounting your TV on the wall. This is a popular small living room décor idea for a good reason. Not only does this save space, but it can also look sleek and stylish.
Don’t forget to think about storage solutions
Too many people forget to think about storage in a studio apartment until they’re already moved in. It’s easier to stay organized if you move into the apartment with most of the storage essentials you’ll need while living there.
A shelf can work wonders in a studio space. This is a prime example of a piece of furniture that can serve more than one important purpose. Not only can a shelf help divide your apartment into different areas, but it can also serve as much-needed vertical storage. You can also use it to display everything from your books to decorative pieces.
You’ll also want to invest in some storage containers for the kitchen space and the bathroom. This helps ensure that all those cooking utensils and grooming products have a place to live that isn’t your countertops. That precious space is already limited, so you don’t want to clutter them up.
Finally, you’ll want to think about clothing storage. Many studio apartments come with a closet. However, you might find that your studio’s closet is tiny or nonexistent. In that case, you’ll want to think about purchasing a portable closet. There are plenty of stylish options that can work in just about any space. You just need to pick the one that works best for you.
You don’t have to wonder how to furnish a studio apartment with Common
We know it can be overwhelming to know how to furnish a studio apartment. Luckily, Common offers fully-furnished studios. With convertible furniture that makes it easy to sleep, relax, work, and have friends over (even in a small space) you won’t have to worry about finding the perfect love seat or storage solution.
You’ll also have access to gorgeous amenity spaces, a built-in community, and discounts to local and national brands to make city living even easier. Explore our apartments in today!
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