6 Easy Ways To Create More Space In Your Apartment

Apartment living often means living in a neighborhood with hip corner cafés, great restaurants, and convenient mass transit options (which is great!), but the tradeoff for all those urban conveniences can be dealing with having much less living space than a suburban homeowner.

Which is not a bad thing – there’s something to be said for having less stuff to worry about. The trick is using your décor to maximize your available space without losing the personalized touch that helps make your apartment home.

New decor is exciting, but the first step is to creating space in your apartment is decidedly less glamorous – you’ve got to clear out the clutter. Having too much stuff around is not only frustrating in a small space, but it makes everything appear smaller.

Start by giving away or recycling anything you haven’t used in the past six months. Store the things you want to keep but don’t have room to display or use. Stow non-essential items in hidden spaces such as closets or under beds. If that isn’t an option, you can hide things in decorative boxes or inside storage ottomans.

Once you’ve de-cluttered, you’re ready to start the fun part! These 6 tips can help guide you down the path to a more spacious feeling apartment in no time:

• Room color makes a huge difference: Use different shades of the same color throughout to help make your apartment seem bigger, especially if you have an open floor plan.
• Let light in: You can do this through lamps or recessed lighting, or by selecting lighter drapes that allow more of the sun’s rays inside.
• Mirror, mirror:  Reflective surfaces are a great way to give the impression of more light and room in a small living space.
• Bigger is not always better: Opt for smaller-scale furniture when decorating your apartment. You’ll be more likely to have everything fit the space.
• Know when enough is enough: Don’t go overboard with too many smaller pieces of furniture. You worked hard to clear your space – don’t let clutter creep back in.
• If you do go big, unify: Though bigger items can help create a more dramatic décor, be sure to focus on selecting a few streamlined furniture designs that will anchor the room.