6 Ways to Maximize Space in a Studio Apartment
If you’re planning to move into a studio apartment, whether you’re looking to downsize or prefer the minimalist lifestyle, you should keep in mind that you won’t have space for anything extra.
When you have limited space and each square foot counts, you may need to consider various self-storage tips if you don’t want to get rid of items you’ve accumulated over the years.
Reducing clutter for a small space can be quite challenging, and putting items at the wrong place can easily overwhelm the entire design of your home, making it look and feel overcrowded. But with the right tactics, it’s possible to design a neat and tidy studio apartment with every piece placed at the ideal point.
Here are some ideas to make your studio apartment look organized and roomy:
1. Make use of vertical storage space
Whenever you have limited floor space for storage, the first place to look for a solution is the unused vertical space on your walls. There are different ways to take advantage of vertical storage space. Wall-mounted shelves provide an easy way to add storage and save space while giving the impression of a larger room.
Shelves are readily available, cheap, and easy to move around whenever you need to rearrange your house. Items placed on your shelves are visible and easy to find. As well, because they are above the floor space, it becomes easier to keep your home clean.
There are other ways to use vertical space for storage, including:
- Adding a shelf above the bathroom door trim to store toiletries and towels
- Adding shelves on your closet doors or adding another hanging pole
- Hanging your pans and pots from a ladder connected to the ceiling
- Creating a vertical plant stand.
2. Use furniture with concealed storage space
Furniture takes up a lot of precious floor space, so it’s important to ensure that each item serves more than one purpose to maximize the limited space available. Fortunately, most of the useful pieces also provide additional storage space, such as:
- Drawers under the bed
- A low ottoman with internal storage that can be used as a coffee table or extra seating
- A TV stand with drawers
- A sofa-bed or futon
- Coffee tables with shelves or drawers
- Nesting side tables that can be relocated as needed
- Shelving units that also work as a room divider, storage facility, and display unit
- Two-way bookshelves that serve as room dividers with access from both sides
- A kitchen island that serves as a food prep area, dining area, and work desk.
Make sure that each piece of furniture earns its keep, and fits the space. When buying multi-purpose furniture, avoid bulky or oversized pieces.
3. Purchase furniture that can be hidden
Besides purchasing multi-functional furniture, you can also consider getting pieces that are used either during the day or at night, so you fold them away when not in use to free up space. For instance, you can opt for Murphy beds to instantly transform your living area into a bedroom with little effort.
The Murphy bed can stay hidden behind a pivoting door that remains closed during the day. There are different sleek options for pull-down beds that don’t necessarily need a door or extra shutters to conceal the folded up bed.
4. Organize the space into distinct areas without partitions
Physical partitions may make your rooms appear small. On the other hand, creating discrete boundaries between different zones of your apartment can give the impression of more space. This requires a well thought out layout with proper furniture positioning. You can experiment with different layout ideas for the living area, sleeping area, and dining area for the best effect.
The living area can then be marked using a floor rug with the sofa around it, with the back of the largest sofa marking the dining area. A kitchen island could also separate the kitchen and living areas.
5. Use colour and light to create the impression of space
Colour coordination and lighting can influence how the mind perceives space. However, it can be challenging to create harmony in a space where there are so many different things serving different functions. The best solution is to choose the colour palette you prefer and vary the tones for different areas or zones to be unique yet harmonious.
Other ideas for colouring and lighting include:
- Using light colours to amplify and reflect light
- Placing mirrors strategically to create the impression of larger space, and to reflect and enhance light
- Maximizing natural light to eliminate the “tiny” feel of dark spaces
- Eliminating partitions that block natural light (using translucent options instead)
A clean and organized house will also make it appear spacious. This can be achieved by arranging items symmetrically to make the space look balanced, and controlling the build-up of clutter in your studio apartment by creating a regular laundry and cleaning routine and clearing the work area at the end of every day.
6. Use self storage strategically
An additional tactic used by many is to use outside storage for seasonal items (like sports equipment including skis or golf clubs). Finally, if you can’t fit some of your favourite items in your studio apartment and don’t want to sell or donate them, consider self-storage until you’re ready to move into a bigger house or find other use for them.
To learn more about how you can maximize space in your studio apartment, call Abacus Self-Storage at 905-763-8600 or contact us here.