Decorating A Studio Apartment On A Budget – Are you having trouble organizing your rental apartment? Looking for studio design tips that will save you money? I understand you.
When my boyfriend Rick and I decided to try living in a 22m² studio in North London, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to test my ability to design a really small space. And I’m pretty confident that, as a professional interior designer, it’s easy. It is not.
Decorating A Studio Apartment On A Budget
Let me tell you: small spaces on a budget are much more complicated than large luxury apartments. Simply because you don’t have much design freedom. You may not be free in some cases.
Small Apartment Ideas That Make The Most Of Your Square Footage
It’s a challenge, but I’ve discovered a simple 5-step formula you can follow, too. Your rented studio will look big and super functional. The secret is to plan everything in advance and make a shopping list.
In this post I’m going to share my own shopping list, which includes all the essentials a home needs, in style.
I always say that my first approach to designing anything is to start with the layout. At this initial stage, you need to take a close look at the new home and check whether the provided furniture is suitable.
But you have to look at your current situation: is there anything you want to improve? Is there anything you can reuse in the new apartment?
Budget Studio Apartment Decoration And Furnishing Ideas
I suggest you do a lot of organization: as Marie Kondo teaches, you’ll probably get more clarity about your personality and the lifestyle you want.
In our situation, the apartment has basic furniture: a double bed with a new mattress, a double wardrobe (no drawers!), a small synthetic leather sofa (which is not in good condition) and a square dining table. The kitchen has an old electric stove, refrigerator and no oven.
The best way to resolve these issues is to first be very clear about your needs with the agent or owner.
I wanted new electric plates, the ability to move the sofa and dining table, and the freedom to drill things into the walls (as long as I cover the holes while I’m gone).
Small Apartment Living Room Ideas For A Cozy Home Makeover
It wasn’t easy, but after spending a few hours on my laptop, I managed to draw the perfect layout. And we now know it comfortably.
If you need help at this stage, please send me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript to view it. I can easily help you even if you are not in London. For example, click here to see how I helped a client living in Azerbaijan who needed to renovate a small one-bedroom apartment!
*Additional tip: Buy neutral furniture that you can easily move to a new home or sell in the future. Get some color with accessories*
3. Versatile furniture is your friend If it doesn’t serve at least 2 purposes, you don’t need it
Small Apartment Ideas To Make The Most Of Your Space
Versatile furniture literally saved us! That and the fact that our kitchen is a separate room, which is an upgrade from a traditional studio.
We added a folding table with a folding chair to the kitchen so we can work in two separate rooms. Or we can eat in the kitchen when the table is too busy with papers and laptops. Also, the small table provides a more usable surface when cooking, which doesn’t hurt in such a small kitchen. Finally, the chairs can be moved to the main room if we have dinner guests (there are four in total). The table is from Habitat (as are the chairs): AIRO, HABITAT – 2 Seater Folding Metal Dining Table, Black – £40
4. Follow a color scheme for accessories Spend more on what’s most visible
Below you can see the accessories I chose. If you like their look, do not use the list as a reference for your own purchase.
Amazing (and Reversible) Apartment Decorating Ideas
* Please consider that I do not need to purchase all of these. When I say I spent £500 it’s because I’ve bought a few of them in the past (some second hand) or they were given as gifts. I’m sure a budget of £500 will suit most of you.
Did you notice that I didn’t mention dish towels? It’s not on my priority list because we already have it (which I don’t like, but it’s still good and shouldn’t be replaced). A week ago, a friend gave me some tea towels as a birthday present!
He wasn’t told, he just assumed. It was the universe, I wanted some beautiful towels. Also, when I was Elisabetta’s date at the Amara Interior Blog Awards (remember? Italianbark won!), I got a huge goodie bag. Guess what I got there? A Missoni dish towel!
If that wasn’t enough, this week the old electric oven (rusty and dirty) suddenly broke down. Now it has to be replaced and the owner bought a new one. I am very excited to welcome you.
Square Foot Studio Smart Layout And Vertical Storage
This stuff works, or at least it’s worth trying. Manifest what you want (but not on the must-have list) and see what the universe gives you. Good luck!
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I’m Martina, an Italian designer based in London. I spend most of my time on interior design or writing about them. I also like to travel. You’ll find me walking around the East End of London, drinking coffee and stopping at every bookshop I come across.
Strategic Hacks For Decorating A Studio Apartment On A Budget
“5 Studio Apartment Design Tips on a Budget | How I Furnished Mine for £500” It’s no secret that living in small spaces can be a challenge. With less square footage comes the obvious tradeoff of where to put all your stuff and find small furniture that fits both your room and a full-sized adult. And just when you thought those things were challenging enough, a studio is like, “Hold my drink.” Studios are a beast in the small space category. They have a unique set of issues and problems, but boy is it rewarding when you figure it out. While we’re diving down the rabbit hole of studio design (and excited to see if it helps and inspires everyone), today we’ve decided to tackle one aspect of the studio decorating puzzle: the how. To design a space. It feels cohesive and less consistent when you don’t have, you know… walls to define the room or layout.
If you’re working with 500 square feet (or less), you need to optimize every inch of the floor plan. A bed can’t just be a bed – apart from the extra wardrobe that might be visible, it also has to support its weight as a storage piece. Physical space is at a premium, so every item you bring needs to be well thought out and do double (or triple) duty. Those recipe books you got from your grandmother? It has to go somewhere, so why not on your coffee table or media cabinet, right? That’s right. Skip the air mattress (where do you put that thing?!) and invest in a sofa bed to make room for overnight guests. Oh, and that nightstand…a tilting table with shelves might be the best option to make the most of the wall space. In this way, you will have a place to put your laptop (and of course work), a small library and store some decorations while serving as a nightstand.
For style and aesthetics, that’s where we come to help. When everything is on display (again, except for the walls), there’s no room for the “junk drawer” trend, which means you’re left with no corners or closets (outside of containers… ha), they’re perfectly there to hide what you don’t. Not loving or connecting for any reason. Deciding on the decor must be cruel. It’s the ultimate rose ceremony on “The Bachelor” … there’s no room for extras (literally).
We’d be remiss if we didn’t give a shout-out to the reader who inspired this budget living room roundup: Today’s post comes from Ariel from Brooklyn, a studio dweller herself (she lives large, hopefully, at 350 square feet in New York City). She asked for comments on our Dining Table Combo for Small Spaces post for some studio decorating ideas that aren’t too small or impractical.
Top 10 Interior Design Ideas For Small Homes In Low Budget 2023
Here’s what we kept in mind when styling each of these price points. Each room has a storage bed, a sofa bed, a multipurpose desk/shelf, a
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