Apartment Living: Small Spaces

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I have lived in a variety of apartments over the last four years.  And in that time, one of the hardest things for me to deal with was the lack of space in those apartments.  Minimal space is kind of part of the deal when you sign up for an apartment.  Unless you can afford to shell out unimaginable sums for a property you don't even own.  Which unfortunately I can't, so I'm stuck getting creative in my small space.  Over the years I have developed certain systems and work arounds to really get the most bang for my buck in my space.  I have also learned many more tips (thanks Pinterest!) that I'm just dying to try out in my own space.

I know I'm not the only one out there struggling to make do with less than premium square footage, even if you don't happen to live in an apartment.  Maybe you just have a minuscule bathroom, or a teeny kitchen.  Whatever your situation, these tips can help you create the most out of the space you have.  So lets jump right in!

Declutter and Organize

Nearly every organizational or decor blog will tell you, the first step is always to declutter the space in question.  If you're trying to clean up your overflowing foot-wide linen closet, ask yourself if you really need those 6 ratty old towels you never ever use.  If the answer is no, toss (or donate) them.  It is always easier to get the most out of a space when it stores only what you truly need to store.  Once you get rid of excess clutter, you will have a ton of additional storage space available to you.

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The next step is to organize what you have.  Have fun with this step.  You can bring in pretty baskets, go label crazy, or color code to your hearts content.  And an organized space is a clean and clear space.  This makes small spaces seem larger, because everything is neatly corralled in its own "spot".  There will be more visual space, so it will look like the space is larger.

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With just these two steps, you can make dramatic improvements to your small apartment or space.  But wait, there's more!

Setup Zones

I am a huge fan of this step.  In my experience, apartments come with a standard set of rooms: living room, kitchen, dining room (if you're lucky), bedroom and bathroom.  This leaves no set space for those extras such as an office, foyer or craft room.  Luckily, with a little creativity and organization, you don't have to miss out on having those spaces in your home.

In all my apartments, I have made my rooms pull double, and sometimes triple duty.  The bedroom will become the bedroom/office/dressing room, and the dining room with become the dining/craft room, etc.  Knowing how to get the most function out of your room can make you feel like living in a 5 bedroom house, in one bedroom apartment square footage.

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All you have to do is divide your room up into designated 'zones'.  If you have a spare corner in the bedroom, put a desk in there to make an office zone.  Hang shelves or a cork board on the wall above it to really maximize the space of the zone.

I have found that it is quite easy to find walk-in closets in apartments these days.  If you are lucky enough to have a walk-in, but don't quite need all that space for your clothes, convert that into your office space.  Move the clothes to a dresser, and put your desk right in the closet.  Congratulations, you just added a whole 'nother room to your apartment!  This can also be done with an extra regular-size closet, closet-offices are incredibly popular these days.  The closet zone doesn't even have to be an office, it can be converted into whatever you need it to be.

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Another neat trick found on Pinterest (which I think is genius!) is to make your own desk using a bookcase and a table

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Depending on what products you use, you can totally customize the look and size of this baby.  And it is even 2 sided, maybe on side is the office, and the other side is the craft room?  Endless possibilities.

I've shown you a few example of office zones, but this tip can be translated into any number of other zones.  Put a small bench by the door in the living room, and you have yourself an entryway (see how I did that here).  Put all your craft supplies in a rolling cart, and you have a portable craft zone.

Creating zones will also help you keep all similar things together, instead of spread over your apartment.  All the office supplies go in the office zone, all the beauty supplies goes in the make-up zone, etc.  This goes nicely with tip #1, and organizes all your stuff.

Utilize Vertical Space

Let me say that again, UTILIZE YOUR VERTICAL SPACE!  This may be the best way to cheat yourself into more space.  Many times, people will overlook the potential of extra wall space.  This is a huge mistake, and can be easily corrected.

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Shelves will be your new best friend.  Anywhere with blank wall is fair game to add some shelves in an apartment.  This can make use of previously unusable space.  For additional storage in the bathroom, I added some shelves above my toilet (which I'll show you another time).  This space can often be overlooked, and is a storage goldmine.  You can add shelves, a cabinet, or even hang baskets on a couple towel bars.

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Another biggy that is overlooked is the itty bit of wall space between the kitchen counter and upper cabinets.  Melissa and I use this system from Ikea, along with some S hooks, to hang cooking utensils.  This takes them off the precious little counter space, and makes use of the vertical space.  This is another thing I promise I'll show you guys soon.

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Another genius idea I stumbled upon the other day comes from a new blog I'm following, L'amour Chez Nous.  She also lives in an apartment, and has some great decorating and organizational ideas.  I especially fell in love with this one.

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It is so simple, yet so smart!  Shelving above the door.  It's one of those ideas that makes you smack your forehead and go "why didn't I think of that?!"  A previously completely overlooked space, turned majorly functional.

And finally, this last space shows so many great ideas its hard to know where to begin

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They hung a pot rack from the ceiling, which takes care of one of the hardest things to store in a kitchen.  They also hung a shelf in front of a window!  I love that they didn't let something as concrete as a window get in the way of adding some amazing storage to their kitchen.  And it still lets the light in, and looks amazing with those decorative and functional jars.  My heart skips a beat for this picture.

Decorate

When you think of space saving, decorating isn't usually the first thing that comes to mind.  But it can play a huge role in how cramped or expansive your space feels.

Pick your furniture carefully.  Both the style of furniture and the amount you own can affect the feeling of your space's size.  If you have a huge sectional that takes up half the living room, it is going to feel smaller.  In the same way, if you try to pack to much furniture into a small room, you'll get the same effect.  See how I fixed that mistake here.

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You can also trick your apartment into feeling larger by choosing your colors carefully.  A general rule of thumb is that lighter and brighter colors will make a space feeling larger, while darker and duller colors will make it feel smaller.  Unfortunately, I'm stuck with dark green seating in my living room until I can afford to replace them.  I can't wait to switch them out for something lighter, which will hopefully open up my living room space even more.

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Finally, even decorative accents can impact the size of a room.  Mirrors are the best choice for this trick.  Mirrors reflect light, so a well placed mirror can make a space seem larger than it actually is.  The best place to put a mirror is where it can reflect either a window (which will also reflect the dimension provided by the outdoors) or a larger light fixture (like a chandelier).  I added a mirror into my dining room, and it has done wonders for the feel of that room.  This gigantic mirror does a great job reflecting the windows and enlarging this living room.

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I hope you've gained a little inspiration to truly make the most out of your apartment or small space.  The sky truly is the limit, as all of these tips can be tweaked and adapted to any space.  I hope I've shown that it's not the end of the world to live in a small space, and your home can have even more space than you think it does.

What is you favorite small-space tip?  Who else loves using shelves to amp up extra wall space?  Anyone else now want to put a shelf above every doorway in their home?  Just me?

If you liked this post, you should check out all my other tips for Apartment Living!