Last summer, we moved from one 645 sq. ft. apartment to another. I remember getting all of the boxes inside, and looking at each other like “how in the world is this going to work?!” Every space is so different and requires creativity to make it work for you and your belongings. Although I’m excited to have room for a kitchen table again one day, I do love our tiny apartment. It’s simple, low-maintenance, and cozy. If you live in the city, or just prefer a tiny home/apartment, I want to share the tips I’ve learned along the way on how to make the most of tiny spaces.
Utilize wall space for shelving
If you can’t spread out, build up! We didn’t have enough floor space for all of the furniture we had in our old apartment. We went out and bought a couple of shelves that fit perfectly into the corners of our new place. They can be functional but also decorative. Any shelving already in place, we stacked to the ceiling for storage. Fortunately, most of those areas are hidden!
Create focal points In each room
Find wall art or decorations and be bold! We personally love maps and used them as the focal point in our living room and bedroom. Just be sure not to fill every wall, or to overfill one wall. It has a way of making a room feel even smaller. That works great for large spaces, but not so much for small ones. We decided to leave at least one wall in these rooms empty to give an illusion that the room is bigger than what it really is.
Natural light
Fortunately, we have large windows and tons of natural light! It truly does make the space look more open and inviting. Even if the windows in your home are few and far between or if natural light doesn’t flow in, good lighting (even artificial) makes a difference.
Mirrors
You’ve probably heard this one before, but mirrors give the allusion of a larger room. I’ve noticed this in hotels in particular, and would love to add more to our home one day. They are lovely and really do the trick.
Declutter
We got rid of SO much in our last apartment, and then again when moving to Indy. Unless a piece of furniture or item was really sentimental, we really had to consider keeping vs. selling/donating. Simple is better if you’re living in tight quarters. Consider keeping the things you use daily or need, and decluttering the rest. There usually isn’t a lot of storage, and it can easily look chaotic if you have too many things sitting out.
Thanks so much for reading about our humble abode and how to make the most of tiny spaces! If you have any tips that have helped you, leave them in the comments below!