Guest Blog: Designing A Small Apartment That Speaks For You
With property prices shooting through the roof in downtown areas, very few of us can dream of owning sprawling apartments. A far better option is to go for limited carpet area and then make it come alive with space saving decor. At the end of the day, you are not only going to be relieved that you are not living under a mountain of debt, but more importantly, you will love showing off an apartment that embodies your personal signature. Here is then a handy guide to designing a small apartment that speaks for you.
Keep furniture light
Granted you have always fantasized about that rosewood divan in ornate designs giving your home a colonial grandeur but for a small apartment, heavy furniture is a strict no-no. Not only do they take up major floor space, but their solidity makes for fussy blocked interiors. Instead look for furniture with clean, flowing lines and in materials like glass and steel. These will literally take less space and create a lighter airy look. To add warmth and texture to your interiors, use throws and rugs that complement your furniture. Additionally explore multi-purpose furnishing ideas like an Ottoman which can serve as a comfy footstool but also double up as seating or storage when guests are around.
Colour Right
Needless to say, the lighter your interior’s colour palette, the roomier they will look. Have fun checking out shade cards which are easily available from major paint brands. Pastels come in warm and cool schemes so choose according to the climate of your city. A rule of thumb is never to cram in more than three colours in a small room.
In order to break the monotony of light coloured interiors, you can add accents or textures to highlight a particular wall. In fact some designers are of the opinion that a bold choice like painting one wall of your bedroom a Damask Red can add drama to your room and actually take the focus away from its limited size.
Store Away
While installing additional storage can stretch your budget, the end result is definitely worth it. The more odds and ends are open to view, the less spacious a room is going to appear. Pay special attention to spaces which tend to accumulate clutter like kitchen and bedroom. Washrooms particularly need storage so that unsightly stuff like brooms and mops can be stowed out of sight.
In fact, if you have kids or pets, safe storage becomes all the more important to put away chemicals like disinfectants and cleaning liquids. So look for modular furniture with concealed space or cabinets that blend with your interiors. A clutter free interior will not only make your apartment look bigger but actually open up the flow of positive energy in your home.
Go Higher
One of the best-kept secrets of interior designers to make a room look larger is to hang curtains higher. Conventionally curtain rods are fixed to coincide with the window’s dimensions but if you install them nearer to the ceiling and have your curtains fall from there, it is going to create an illusion of height and more space.
Mirror Mirror on the wall
Or maybe even on the ceiling. Plumb the depths of your creativity to envision areas that you can accentuate with mirrors. The simple physics behind the idea is that mirrors help reflect light and hence add to the illusion of space so they are ideally placed in front of a window or lamp. Besides, a grand mirror with colonial frames or shimmering mini chandeliers can add that flamboyance to a room to dismiss all thoughts of its limited space.
Himanshi Goel has been associated as a Social Media Expert with 
Your tips are very useful. I liked reading your post.
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