Whether you are renting out a small unit or have recently bought and decided to furnish one, it can be difficult to figure out how to format how you live. However, there are ways to make a small unit feel larger and more open, as opposed to small and cramped. One of the easier ways to do this is to go room by room and to determine what you want your overall aesthetic to be. That way, you can have an idea of what types of furniture and decor you want to purchase.
In the Kitchen
A kitchen is one of the most important areas in any home, and if it feels cramped, this can make it difficult to function. Storage is one of the biggest problems, but fortunately, there are ways to better use the space you do have.
Maximize the vertical space that you have available in your kitchen. In your cabinet spaces, install hooks for items like mugs and pans to hang. Including things like lazy susans or spice racks in the cabinets can help to make the cabinet space more practical and usable. To help keep the countertops clear and uncluttered, make sure that any item that isn’t typically used has a space to be put away. Having a few commonly used appliances on the counter to save on some cabinet space isn’t a bad idea.
For upper cabinets, store items that are not normally used on the top shelves. Stacks of plates, bowls, glasses, and other commonly used items can all be placed on the lower and more easily accessed shelves. Consider putting in an industrial metal shelving unit if you need more storage. Along with giving you more space, it gives the impression of a professional kitchen.
Organizing the Living Room
It can be a struggle to determine how to arrange the furniture in your living room set, especially if the room is on the smaller side. There are several ways to make your living room feel more open and comfortable. Before you buy pieces of furniture, measure out the size of the piece that you would want and tape the size out on the floor. This lets you see how much room would be taken up and lets you know what size pieces will fit.
Make sure that you have some space around each piece of furniture because this makes the living room feel less crowded. The couch should be spaced away from the wall, and your end tables or coffee table should have space between them and the couch. Another key thing to be aware of is that a piece of furniture should never be as long or longer than the wall it is in front of. If it is larger, then the room ends up feeling cramped.
Walls and Decor
Dark-colored walls are terrible in a small rental, as they make it feel dark and cramped. Fortunately, the majority of rentals are painted with light and airy colors, but you could find yourself in a rental that is painted a darker color and you end up being stuck with it. To brighten up the space, look into removable wallpaper items that can add color and depth. You could even turn one of your walls into a bright accent wall. But if wallpaper isn’t your favorite thing to work with, rugs and curtains can also help to brighten up and provide interest in a space.
Determining how big your decorative items should be in a small space can be difficult, but there is a solid rule of thumb to go by. This is referred to as “the cantaloupe rule” and it states that no decor item should be smaller than a cantaloupe. While this may seem counterintuitive when decorating a small space, pieces of decor that are smaller quickly crowd a room and make it feel cramped. To choose your decor pieces, pick a color pallet or look at items that are different shades of the same color. Once you have your aesthetic chosen, find a few pieces to be statement pieces.
Sort Out the Bathroom
Getting creative with your storage is one of the biggest keys to making a bathroom feel larger than it actually is. Use items like magazine racks to hold towels and install racks in any cabinets to keep your counters as clear as possible. If your sink doesn’t have a set of cabinets or drawers beneath it, take some measurements and purchase a small storage piece that will fit underneath it.
To add interest to your bathroom, add some peel-and-stick tiles either to existing tiles or to the walls. They are easy to apply and remove as needed, and let you switch them up whenever you want to. To keep costs lower, choose a small area to apply them, such as the backsplash area behind the sink.
