How to make a studio apartment feel much, much bigger

 

Photo by Patrick Perkins on Unsplash

Studio living is becoming more common thanks to spiralling property prices and rental costs in big cities. While single-room apartments often come with the advantage of an excellent location, they also present their occupants with a challenge: how to make such a small space look as big as possible.

Clever tips, tricks and hacks mean that this task isn’t as stressful as it could be. Here are five size-busting ways to get the most out of your studio.

Maximize architectural oddities

Most buildings, especially old ones, have their own unique feel. Depending on their age, they might have bay windows, extra roof space or cubby holes that make them stand out from other properties.

Every square inch counts, so make sure you use these quirks to maximum effect. Could you turn that bay window into a comfortable seat? Use the roof space for extra storage? 

The more resourceful you can be with these features, the bigger your apartment is going to look. Sometimes all it needs it a moment or two to stop and think before an ingenious idea springs to mind.

Add a room divider

Installing permanent interior walls is a time-consuming, not to mention costly, exercise – and also difficult to reverse if you don’t like them.

Room dividers, then, give you the luxury of choice. They help to break up the space, giving the illusion of extra rooms, and act as a design feature if they fit into the apartment’s overall design theme. You can also take them down in seconds once you’re finished with them. 

Dividers help us think in terms of zones, too. It’s a well-known fact that using an electronic device, especially for a stimulating activity like watching TV or playing an online casino game, before bed is bad for sleep: a well-placed divider separating your bed from the zone of activity gives your mind the impression that you’re moving away from that, into a peaceful zone. 

Use mirrors

Mirrors are a key tool in the quest to make rooms look bigger than they are. They bounce light off the windows which tricks the brain into thinking you’re in a bigger space. 

It’s important, though, not to overdo it. Perhaps a well-placed decorative mirror on three of the walls is enough for a small apartment: any more and your guests might start to feel like they’re in a house of mirrors. 

If you’re a fan of bright rooms full of natural light, then mirrors are your friend. Instead of absorbing light like a dark wall would, they bounce it around the room and light it up. Just be careful not put them in direct sunlight, as the glare might damage someone’s eyesight!

Use ‘floating art’

Room dividers don’t have to be just curtains or partitions, they can also be pieces of art. 

Hanging paintings between different areas not only serves two purposes through creating a border and making the room look nice, but it also plays a cool little psychological trick. The viewer sees extra depth in the room as they look into the painting space. A landscape drawing is perhaps best suited for this; the vision of a sea or rolling hills, for example, help to amplify the space around the painting. 

The concept of ‘floating art’ has been recommended by several interior designers, including Max Sinsteden, who specialize in making getting the most out of any space. Give it a go to not only bring your living area to life, but to make it look larger.

Get smart with storage

Clever storage is crucial in a small living space; just a few loose items start to make it look cluttered, which is not only an eyesore but is proven to stress many of us out. It also fits in with the modern concept of minimalist design, where everything but essential day-to-day items are kept out of sight.

First, consider storing things on walls. Shelves go without saying, but also hook chairs to walls, or even larger objects like bikes. These free up space and look kind of cool, too.

Also, look into getting a stowaway bed. The big drawback of studio apartments is that beds are in the same space as the living area, so folding them up and storing them under a platform like a table or sofa is perfect. 

If you can store well, then you’ll start to see that free space appearing – and your living area will look noticeably bigger.