Genius Design Hacks to Make Small Homes Feel Spacious

Shannon Quinn - August 6, 2022
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Genius Design Hacks to Make Small Homes Feel Spacious

Who wouldn’t like their home to feel bigger than it actually is? But when you’re living in a small city apartment, the need for space becomes that much greater. This is a really common problem that people have, as they struggle to figure out how to make their tiny spaces feel spacious. Here at Home Addict, we have a list of solutions for you to follow in your home decorating journey.

In a small apartment, only display things you actually need. Credit: Decoraid

40. Display What You Need

When you have a small home, you should try to be a minimalist. Don’t let a lot of visual clutter sit around the house, and only display what you need. You can make your items double as both decor and useful things in your home, like a blanket or baskets.

This giant pegboard wall gives you space to display what you own in a small space. Credit: Place of My Taste

“It should go without saying that when it comes to small apartment ideas, less is more. However, our interior designers are always surprised to see just how many extra elements clients think they can manage in a challenging space. That’s not to say that life should be stripped down to the bare essentials, but when you are considering the best interior design ideas for a small house, concentrate on what’s important, and what makes you feel great and inspired daily – these are the pieces you should be living with.” (via Decoraid)

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Always keep your small apartment clean. Credit: Shutterstock

39. Keep Your Apartment Clean

This might sound obvious, but the easiest way to make life in a small apartment better is to keep it clean. Don’t allow clutter to pile up. Do your laundry and dishes, and put things away quickly when you’re done using them. Once your apartment is clean, it can feel cozy, instead of cramped. Cleaning on a daily basis is really the key to keeping an apartment clutter-free. Just tidy up for a few minutes a day, instead of waiting until the weekend to do a bigger clean.

The cleaner your space, the bigger it looks. Credit: Shutterstock

Some of you out there might dread the idea of cleaning your apartment every single day, but it’s just a matter of changing your habits. Getting up to clean for 10-15 minute spurts gets your body moving. Once you train yourself to think like this, it changes your life for the better. (via McKinley Living)

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Hanging your curtains near the ceiling gives the illusion of extra ceiling height. Credit: Decoraid

38. Hang Floor-Length Curtains Higher

A lot of people make the mistake of purchasing curtains that fit their windows perfectly. This might help with giving you privacy and keeping out the sunlight when you’re trying to sleep, but it does nothing to help make the room bigger. If you use floor-length curtains, it will instantly make a space feel larger. It doesn’t matter if the window is significantly smaller than the curtain itself. This is an optical illusion that tricks the eye into believing that the windows are larger than they actually are.

This graphic goes over the best way to hang your drapes for the best effect. Credit: Style By Emily Henderson

“One of our decorators was quick to point out that his first apartment was a small studio with a wall of four-foot windows as a major focal point and pretty much nothing else. To make the most of his small house interior, he thought outside of the box and installed dramatic floor to ceiling sheer curtains to make the space feel instantly larger and more impressive.” (via Decoraid)

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The couch at the foot of the bed helps to start the living room area immediately. Credit: Living in a Shoe Box

37. Create Multiple Zones

Studio apartments are one large space where you are meant to do everything all in one room. Even if you have a one or two bedroom apartment, you might have certain areas of the room that are supposed to be dedicated as a dining room space or a living room space all-in-one open concept area. The best way to split up a small space like this in two different rooms is by designating them in different zones.

These curtains help divide up a space from the bed and the rest of the studio apartment. Credit: Country Living

A large rug can create the illusion of a room space. Pieces of furniture can also separate the two sides of the room. For example, if you have a combination living room and dining room space, a rug and couch will signify where the living room ends and the dining room begins. Sometimes, false walls and room dividers can also serve as a way to split up the space. This can be accomplished with a screen, cube shelving, and more. For more ideas in splitting rooms up into zones, check out our Ikea Hacks article once you’re done with this list. (via House Beautiful)

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A tiny table and chairs like this would be perfect in a small apartment. Credit: Decoraid

36. Buy Smaller Furniture

This advice might seem obvious to some people, but if you have a small apartment, you should buy small furniture. A lot of people keep the same furniture from their last place, inherit furniture from their parents, or buy something from a thrift store. But if you want to make your apartment appear bigger, always use a tape measure before purchasing something new. Make sure that you’re leaving some space around each piece of furniture, instead of having everything right next to each other.

Ikea sells furniture that is specifically designed for small spaces. Credit: Ikea

“With city living heavily trending over the past two decades, there are plenty of brilliant furniture makers intuitive enough to bring your small apartment ideas into reality with beautiful furnishings designed for tiny homes. And when it comes to interior design ideas for small house, there’s plenty to choose from, just be sure to approach your project with a keen understanding of design styles so everything appears to work harmoniously together, rather than come off as random.” (via Decoraid)

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The closet doors were removed and replaced with curtains. Credit: Schoener Wohnen

35. Remove Your Closet Door

One option to make a bedroom feel larger is to remove the closet door. After doing this, it opens up the square footage and makes it part of the room once again. I have personally done this. After removing my closet doors, I placed a dresser and a bookshelf inside. Removing the closet doors forces me to keep things clean at all times, because it’s part of the room. For me, making the room feel larger is worth the extra effort to keep things clean.

This closet door was removed and used for multi-purpose storage space. Credit: InspiringHome.org

If you’re renting, the suggestion might make you nervous. The thought of removing doors seems like a nightmare when it comes to getting your security deposit back. But in reality, you can take the door off of the hinges and store it somewhere. Once your lease is over, simply put the door back on the closet, and there is no harm done. (via Home Advisor)

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This white wall serves as the perfect base for this bookshelf filled with plants and books. Credit: Schoener Wohnen

34. Paint Your Walls a Neutral Color

As human beings, we perceive colors in a certain way that gives us the illusion of space. For example, dark colors make us think about something that is enclosed or cozy, maybe because it reminds us of a cave. White and other light colors as well as sunlight reminds us of the great outdoors. The color white can also reflect light off of it, so it bounces it through the room. So, obviously, if you’re trying to make a space feel larger, you need to do the opposite of being in a dark, cramped den by painting everything in a light color.

Light colors make a space feel bigger. Credit: Shutterstock

Some people out there don’t like the idea of having an apartment that is all white or cream. After all, many apartments come with this paint color as its default, and there’s not much design to that. Painting is fine, but you might want to consider only using color on one accent wall instead of the entire space. If you want a darker wall color, white furniture and blonde woods can also give the illusion of more space. (via Jip Seco Studio)

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This modern, stylish coffee table is small but gets the job done. Credit: Wayfair

33. Use Multiple Side Tables Instead of a Large Coffee Table

Coffee tables are popular in almost every living room, because they serve as a place for you to put your drinks down when you’re in the middle of watching a show or entertaining guests. Many people would consider them to be absolutely necessary in their space. However, that’s not always the case. If you live in a studio apartment, your living room zone might be so tiny that you would have to sacrifice precious living space if you chose to have the coffee table. Even if you have a larger one to two bedroom apartment, you might still want more space.

These two golden end tables can replace a coffee table. Credit: Wayfair

An alternate solution to a coffee table would be to use small end tables instead. These can be moved to the side of the couch or bed when you’re no longer using them. There are also foldable TV dinner trays that can be hidden away behind your couch when you’re not using them, and unfold when you need a place to put down drinks. If you want space to do yoga, workout, or let your kids play, eliminating a large coffee table could potentially be the solution to creating that space. Alternatively, find a coffee table that you can easily move out of the way. (via House Beautiful)

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This apartment has been divided into sections, every square inch utilized. Credit: Schoener Wohnen

32. Use Every Surface of Your Home

When you live in a small space, you need to use every square inch of your apartment to the fullest. Plan out what pieces of furniture go where, and decide how you’re going to organize your belongings to fit within the space you have allotted for yourself.

Notice how all of the spaces have a purpose. Credit: Shutterstock

“When it comes to small apartment ideas, the sky is literally the limit. Take a cue from the room illustrated above and go vertical to maximize use throughout every inch of your small home. When everything is organized and has a rhyme and a reason, together, they will never come off as looking heavy-handed.” (via Decoraid)

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Small settees are a great option instead of buying a couch. Credit: Dedoraid

31. Buy a Settee

Huge, comfy couches are the dream for a lot of people. But unfortunately, they won’t fit into a lot of small apartments. Or, if they do fit, they will take up the entire room and make it difficult to move around. That’s why you need to think about smaller sitting alternatives, like a settee or a loveseat.

Smaller settees work better than larger couches. Credit: Shutterstock

“Perfect for any small house interior, a settee or bench is a must when looking to entertain elegantly without having to bring in a heavy, overstuffed sofa that’s width will eat up floor space and leave you with little room for anything else. Plus, they are much less expensive than a traditional sofa, are easier to move around, and are much more unique, too.” (via Decoraid)

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A Murphy bed can add a lot of floor space to your apartment. Credit: Shutterstock

30. Sleep on a Murphy Bed or Sofa Bed

If you live in a studio apartment, your bed is going to take up a third of your living space. This instantly makes your space feel a lot smaller. On top of that, it also makes maintaining your mental health difficult when you are trying to work from home during lockdown. Our brains need some kind of transition to go between our work space versus the place where we sleep and relax at night. The perfect solution to this problem is to purchase a Murphy bed, or a sofa bed so that you can change the function of your space from day to night.

Sofa beds are a great way to hide your bed in the daytime. Credit: Shutterstock

A Murphy bed looks like a cabinet during the daytime, and it gives the illusion that you’re walking into a normal living room. But at night, you pull the bed down, and that space instantly becomes your bedroom. Similarly, a sofa bed folds up and becomes the couch in the daytime. The only downside to a sofa bed is that it’s never very comfortable. After a while, you can feel every spring and metal bar underneath you. Both options will set you back around $1,000 as well. Personally, I’d go with the Murphy bed if you had to choose. But it’s most likely easier and more affordable to find a sofa bed. Remember: Never underestimate the power of a good foam mattress topper! (via Lori Wall Beds)

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Mounted wall lights are perfect for a small apartment. Credit: Decoraid

29. Hang Mounted Wall Lights

Having good lighting in your apartment is crucial, but you may not have the floor space for lamps in every room. That’s why buying mounted wall lights may be a good idea for you. Don’t worry, you don’t necessarily have to do a lot of wiring. Many of these lights can be plugged in after being mounted on the wall.

Hanging wall lights can add a lot of style to a space. Credit: Shutterstock

“Again, when it comes to serious small house interior design, every inch matters, so make the most use of your space with wall-mounted extras and lighting to free up space on tabletops while setting a mood with smartly placed lighting fixtures on your walls for added drama.” (via Decoraid)

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Folding tables are great for small spaces. Credit: Decoraid

28. Use a Folding Wall Table or Desk

Working from home in a small apartment? Consider getting a fold-up desk that you can put away when you’re not using it. This will clear up some floor space, and make your apartment feel that much bigger when you’re done with your work.

A table like this gives you the option to expand when guests come over. Credit: Shutterstock

“For more floor space, make the most of small apartment ideas with collapsable wall-mounted tables and desks, or tables that you can fold and easily store. This is perfect anytime you need more floor space for extra guests, games, or to keep items out of sight that you do not use daily.” (via Decoraid)

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Keep fewer items in the kitchen if you only need to serve one or two people. Credit: Shutterstock

27. In the Kitchen, Only Keep One or Two of Everything

Most people assume that when you move into a new house or apartment, you need a full set of dinnerware. This could be used if guests come over, and you have backup dishes when others are dirty. However, let’s face it. If you live in a small studio apartment, you’ve probably never had dinner parties, anyway. You may have had one or two people over at once, max. Make your life easier and kitchen cabinets more organized by only keeping one or two of everything.

Stylish bowls like this look great out on display. Credit: Shutterstock

When I was in college I shared a studio with a roommate, and we only had a kitchenette. Since there wasn’t even a cabinet to put things away, We both only kept one bowl, one plate, one mug, and a set of cutlery for each of us. As soon as something got used, we had to clean it immediately, because we knew that we would need to use these objects again for our next meal. In modern times, we have become spoiled by dishwashers, or lazy by allowing massive amounts of dishes to add up over time. This trick saves space, but it also helps get you in a habit of doing dishes very quickly. (via Pinterest)

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This couch has hidden drawer storage underneath of it. Credit: Shutterstock

26. Buy Seating With Built-In Storage

One of the most popular tricks people like to use in a small apartment is to buy furniture that doubles as storage. This extra storage clears out the clutter, which results in a cleaner and more open space. Storage ottomans are great for this. It’s a perfect space to store extra blankets, or your kid’s toys. You could use it as a coffee table, put your feet on it, and enjoy it in your living room. Some people also put these ottomans at the foot of the bed to hide their shoes or extra linens when they need to wash their sheets.

This bench has storage underneath. Credit: Shutterstock

“Another genius small house interior design hack is to have built-ins lining walls that double as concealed storage areas as together they’ll take up less space while lending your home the feel of endless upgraded amenities. Imagine if the kitchen featured above had its table and chairs situated in the middle of the room – now, wouldn’t the room come off as much smaller, more cramped, and worst of all, badly styled?” (via Decoraid)

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Sometimes apartments look better if you remove the curtains completely. Credit: Shutterstock

25. Remove Curtains Completely

In very few specific cases, curtains might actually take away from the space or the light in your apartment. For example, many cities have a lot of old brownstone buildings with big windows encased in brick. And you’ll have a lot of apartments made from converted industrial buildings. These apartments are also made of brick, and have huge windows that were meant to let in the light for factory workers over a hundred years ago. If you live in a unique architectural urban setting like this, it’s difficult to find curtains that fit the size of these windows. Honestly, if you covered the windows in this kind of apartment, it would take away from the much-needed sunlight. It would also cover up the gorgeous character and charm of the building that probably attracted you to move there in the first place.

This city industrial loft looks great without curtains. Credit: Shutterstock

The only obvious downside to skipping curtains is that you need to be prepared for neighbors to see inside. Use your better judgment, and always go with curtains in the bedroom. If your apartment is not architecturally unique, curtains are a must-have thing. In most other buildings in the United States, a room without curtains gives off the vibe that you don’t care very much about your space, and it makes people feel exposed and uncomfortable, even if they can’t put their finger on why. I once met a man who insisted on never hanging curtains in his living room, because he wanted the sunlight. When the time came to sell his apartment, no one wanted to buy it. Dozens of people saw the place, and it only sold once he finally caved and hung curtains. I promise that curtains will transform the room completely. (via Kwik Hang)

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Remember to keep your small apartment feeling cozy. Credit: Decoraid

24. Keep Everything Cozy

When you have a small apartment, you may want to consider learning about Hygge. Check out out post on Decorating Tips to Make a Home Cozy in the Winter.

The cozier, the better. Credit: Shutterstock

“When it comes to small apartment ideas, keeping the space cozy should be a no-brainer. But then again, you’d be surprised at clients who think they can go for rigid and grand in a compromising space. And since you can’t make that kind of magic happen without severe compromises, be realistic with your approach and do create cozy nooks to make your space feel like an inviting home.” (via Decoraid)

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Decorating in neutral tones will help an apartment feel larger. Credit: Decoraid

23. Decorate in Neutral Tones

Earlier on this list, we mentioned how painting the walls in neutral tones help a room look bigger. The same can be said about your furnishings like your furniture, pillows, blankets, and more.

Neutral tones help this studio apartment look bigger than it actually is. Credit: Apartment Therapy

“For the best approach to interior design for small spaces, go for tonal colors or shades of the same color to create a calming, soothing oasis – no matter the size. That said, we suggest bright, optical white as it can make any room feel bigger, brighter, and bolder. However, smaller spaces tend to appear dirtier faster, so be sure that high traffic areas are well-judged as a smaller home will highlight inevitable daily wear and tear.” (via Decoraid)

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A large rug can help designate a space and make it feel bigger. Credit: Decoraid

22. Buy a Large Rug

When you’re trying to make an apartment appear larger, always go with the biggest rug possible. Measure the room so that you have only a few inches left on each side. Or, use that rug to frame out a certain area of the room into a “zone”. For example, in my bedroom, I use a large rug to separate the “bedroom” area from the “office” area, since I have my desk set up to work from home. Even though it’s subtle, it feels like you’re moving into a different area once you cross the line made by the rug.

This large rug helps to define the living room space in a small apartment. Credit: Square Inch Home

“We tend to consider flooring the ultimate interior design foundation and suggest starting with flooring when considering small house interior design concepts to make the most of your space. Go for a two-tone or neutral rug and go large to make the room appear more expansive and expensive. Stick with a larger rug as a petite one can help to make the room appear smaller than it really is.” (via Decoraid)

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This man’s bed is elevated all the way to the ceiling so that he has additional space during the daytime. Credit: Decoist

21. Elevate Bed for Additional Storage

When you live in a tiny apartment, storage options are limited. If you’re lucky, you might have a closet in the hallway, but it’s usually not enough space to fit everything. This is especially true if you had to move to a new city that requires you to go on an airplane. Where are you going to put your luggage? The solution to the problem might be familiar to you if you have ever lived in a college dorm. Elevate your bed off of the floor by several inches. This can be accomplished with bed risers that you can buy online that will give you an additional 5 to 8 in of space underneath your bed.

This apartment has an elevated bed loft that you need to access with a spiral staircase. Credit: Decoist

This might not sound like a lot of work just to get a few extra inches of space, but it can make the difference between putting your luggage underneath the bed versus having it taking up closet space. You can also take a lot of objects that were cluttering up your apartment and put everything under the bed in containers. If you want to hide this, simply have a long you have a cover or bed skirt to hide what’s going on underneath the bed. (via Wiki How)

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These nesting tables look great in a living room. Credit: Decoraid

20. Use Nesting Tables

Earlier on this list, we recommended buying smaller side tables instead of one large coffee table. A great option for this is to buy nesting tables, which stack into one another. This allows for so much more space, and gives you double the work space when you need it.

Nesting tables can work as a makeshift desk. Credit: Shutterstock

“While we recommend glass-topped tables since they take up less visual space, two petite nesting tables instead of one large coffee table can make for clever small apartment ideas as they’ll be easy to move when you need more floor space. And since they shouldn’t break the bank, you can easily switch them out when you tire of their style to quickly refresh a room with ease.” (via Decoraid)

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Play with the scale of your furniture and art in your apartment. Credit: Decoraid

19. Play With Scale

Instead of just filling a small apartment with small furniture, play with scale. Have a mix of both large and small pieces to make things more interesting.

Notice how the wallpaper really helps to make a statement in this space. Credit: Shutterstock

“One of the most fundamental small house interior design lessons to be learned is that scale applies to every single décor item you bring in. From lamps to side tables, everything should work in sync with each other. That said, for extra visual interest, incorporate one to two larger furnishings in each room to create richly layered interior design for small spaces that keeps the eye moving rather than stuck in one corner.” (via Decoraid)

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By hanging the bike on the wall, it clears up so much floor space. Credit: Shutterstock

18. Hang Your Bike on the Wall

If you live in a city, driving a car can be a nightmare from parking to dealing with traffic. This is why a lot of people opt to use a bicycle to quickly do their errands or commute to work. However, a bike takes up a lot of floor space. The solution to the problem is to hang the bike on the wall with a bike rack. This keeps it up off the floor without taking up any floor space at all, and it also doubles as some cool wall art.

This bike looks like a piece of art sitting on the table. Credit: Shutterstock

However, if you do this, you need to make sure you’re distributing the weight of the bike on two hooks instead of just one. When it’s so heavy, it could fall down and create a hole in the wall. If you’re renting, you’ll need to hire a handyman to fix the wall so that it doesn’t come out of your security deposit. And if there’s an earthquake, it could fall and injure you, or break furniture. So if you choose to do this. Make sure it’s in a secure, strategic spot. (via Wiki How)

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Consider putting furniture in the middle of the room. Credit: Shutterstock

17. Keep Furniture Away From the Walls

One of the most common mistakes people make when decorating is that they try to create space too literally. They think that by pushing their furniture up against the wall, it will take up the least amount of space. In theory, they might be correct, but this leaves space in the middle of the room. It might make it easier to walk across the room from one end to the other. However, it actually gives the impression that this was necessary, because the room is so small. It also usually looks awkward, and it’s difficult to design around.

Don’t put all of your furniture directly up against the wall. Credit: Shutterstock

A better strategy is to place your furniture in a good design, even if it means going in the middle of the room. For example, if you’re converting a second bedroom into a home office, you could put the desk in the middle of the room, and have the shelving against the wall. This gives the impression that you have plenty of space to pull off that design. And if the room truly is too small to put your furniture anywhere but the wall, try to work with the angles of the room. Even something as simple as a chair in the corner can give the space variety. “One of the easiest small apartment ideas to manage is to keep all furnishings drifting towards the middle of a room rather than against walls as the space will come off as cramped and uncomfortable for no good reason.” (via Decoraid)

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Seating that’s low to the ground will help your ceilings look higher. Credit: Decoraid

16. Buy Low Seating

Typically, we would recommend buying furniture with long legs if you want to decorate a small space, because it gives you the illusion of more room. However, having seating low to the floor gives the illusion of having a higher ceiling. So, depending on your particular situation, this can be a trade-off.

Low furniture has that cozy feel. Credit: Shutterstock

“Buy low lying furnishings where all seating hits at the same eye level for visual continuity, to keep parlor style conversations flowing, and to make your ceiling appear taller so each room comes off as much grander than they really are.” (via Decoraid)

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This kitchen cabinet helps to organized all of the supplies needed to cook in this kitchen. Credit: schoener wohnen

15. Keep Your Space Super Organized, and Eliminate Clutter

With TV shows like Tidying Up With Marie Kondo and The Home Edit on Netflix, you might have seen a lot of different storage and organizational solutions already. However, once you go to the store, it all seems daunting. Everything is expensive, and you might be afraid of getting it wrong. Please keep in mind that there is no “right” way to organize your apartment. There are a lot of different products and methods out there for cleaning an organization, so it’s okay to experiment to see what works best for you.

Learn to organize your space. Credit: Shutterstock

Don’t feel limited to the organizational tools just because the store has those items in a certain section. For example, something you might find in the bathroom section of the store might work perfectly in your living room. Or a makeup organizer could be used for art supplies. There have been plenty of times where I nearly missed an organizational item I was looking for simply because it was in a different aisle than I expected. Check all of the aisles to see your options before you settle in a product. And if it doesn’t work out the first time, don’t be afraid to start over and use your new product in a different room in the apartment. (via Home Addict)

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Storage like this rolling cart help to keep your small spaces clean. Credit: Decoraid

14. Use Storage Wisely

“Making good use of the storage space you’ve got is, of course, essential. Space is at a premium in the kitchen area (ask any interior designer); there are loads of interior design hacks for kitchen cupboards out there, which help to make the best use of the space you have. Easy to replicate, consider hanging cups and utensils on the walls and create as much functional shelving throughout as possible.”

Drawer organizers will help keep your home office clean. Credit: Shutterstock

“Think storage compartments which slide out from built-in cabinets, desks which fold up into a storage unit, Murphy beds that drop down from the wall and tables and chairs that serve dual purposes. The possibilities are endless when it comes to small space interior design; you simply need to carefully plan accordingly and keep your mind open to what can be done within the small space.” (via Decoraid)

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This dining room table doubles as a work desk. Credit: Decoraid

13. Buy Multi-Purpose Furniture

In tiny homes, one of the most popular ways to save space is by using furniture that is used for multiple purposes. Beds turn into kitchen tables. Desks turn into kitchen countertops. The entire space is meant to transform with every purpose you need for living. Obviously, these tiny homes and vans are built from the ground up, designed to be as functional as possible. Even if you can’t replicate this in an apartment, you can still find pieces of furniture that serve two purposes. “Can your dining table double as your workstation? Maybe your drawers be converted for other purposes – say open and covered for extra table space? Can your coffee table work as a footrest? Maybe you can utilize the dead space under your stairs for additional storage or decorative space?”

This bed comes with drawers and a bookshelf in the back. Credit: schoener-wohnen

“Small space interior design is all about creating as much multi-purpose furnishings throughout the space as possible; in turn, you’ll create a ton of extra room in your home. Making sure no space is gone to waste will continue to give you wins when you’re trying your hand at small space interior design. Having a chest of drawers instead of a bedside table is a great space saver as well as a great look, as is a laundry basket topped with a usable surface – small apartment ideas for space saving at their best.” (via Decoraid)

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Adopt plants just like you adopt your pets. Credit: Shutterstock

12. Incorporate Plants Into Your Home

No matter what size apartment you have, plants make things better. It brings life to your space, as well as the color green. They also clean the air, and keep you company almost like having pets. Over time, you’ll feel happy to see your plants grow, almost like a proud parent. Plants are also very trendy. For example, I bought a fiddle leaf fig a couple years ago after seeing them all over the place in home makeovers and house tours. I feel really happy to see its progress so far, even though it will take 10-15 years to grow to its full size. As it continues to grow, I’ll take it with me into my next home.

Many plants complement artwork beautifully. Credit: Shutterstock

Some of you out there might feel nervous to own plants, because you don’t have a green thumb. Admittedly, taking care of plants isn’t for everyone, and it takes some time, research, and money to keep them alive. If you travel a lot, you might need to buy fake plants so that they never die. This still gives you the pop of color and fills out the space just as well as a real plant would. However, real plants are actually cheaper, and they have those added benefits of clearing the air. (via Home Addict)

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Oversized artwork works really well in a gallery wall layout. Credit: Design Milk

11. Buy Large Artwork

This next piece of advice might sound contradictory, since large art would take up a lot of space. However, most people associate giant works of art with massive mansions. By hanging a large piece of artwork in your apartment, people will be impressed and focus on that rather than looking at how small the rest of the room is. Big artwork doesn’t have to be expensive, either. In our Ikea Hacks article, we show how they attached pieces of fabric to a frame, and made a massive piece of art to serve as an oversized headboard behind a bed.

Large artwork in small rooms is a common trick used by interior designers. Credit: The Wall Street Journal

You can also find affordable big canvas artwork at places like HomeGoods and Marshalls in the $20 to $40 range. Even Family Dollar and Dollar General sells canvas art for $10 to $15. Alternatively, consider having something printed or custom-made. In college, I once visited a frat house where a few of the young men worked at a movie theater. When the movies were no longer in theaters, they were allowed to take the giant banners home. So as soon as you walked into the living room, you saw a huge mural of The Hangover greeting you as you walked in. Somehow, it made the room feel bigger. And it sure was a conversation starter! (via Apartment Therapy)

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Mirrored furniture helps reflect light and the surrounding room. Credit: Shutterstock

10. Buy Translucent and Mirrored Furniture

A clever way to create more space in an apartment is to use furniture made of plexiglass. It gives the illusion that the furniture isn’t there at all. This is great for coffee tables, chairs, and side tables. Mirrored furniture is also great, since it reflects your space. Many coffee and kitchen tables also come with glass tops, which gives a similar effect. Instead of being an entirely solid piece of furniture, the glass helps to give an illusion of space. In my home, I choose small accessories that are translucent like magazine holders, office supplies, and storage containers.

Clear furniture is practically invisible. Credit: Joss and Main

Instead of buying brand new pieces to fit this illusion, it’s possible to stick mirrors onto the side of a dresser. Both Etsy and Amazon have these stick-on mirror panels, so you can transform almost any piece of furniture into a mirrored dresser. The obvious downside to this is that this style of furniture doesn’t suit every style. It typically goes with a more glam Hollywood Regency vibe. And many parents would be afraid to have a glass-top table when their kids could accidentally break it. Try to see if you can incorporate this into your lifestyle somehow without it being a detriment to the space. (via Lamps Plus)

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Mirrors are one of the top tips for making a room look bigger. Credit: Decoraid

9. Hang Mirrors

Nearly everyone has experienced going into a restaurant with mirrors on the back wall. It’s a common tactic for business owners, because it reflects the seating and gives us the illusion of being a much larger venue. Obviously, the same mirror trick will work in your apartment. If you hang a large mirror on the wall, it will reflect the rest of the room and give you a sense of space. Mirror doors on the closet are also a great way to accomplish this in the bedroom. (Even if it’s bad Feng Shui.) Obviously, large mirrors hung on your wall aren’t always practical. That’s why it’s a good idea to find a full body mirror to sit on the floor, leaning against the wall. This can give the illusion of having a larger space, but it also serves the practical purpose of checking out your outfit in the morning.

Even smaller mirrors help make a room look bigger. Credit: Shutterstock

“Mirrors are an age-old styling trick for making your home feel more spacious, and they never fail to work. Use mirrors to reflect light and trick the eye into thinking the space is bigger than it is. Mirrors situated adjacent to windows reflect the outdoors and are certain to make it seem as if you have another window in your room, and the more windows you have, the bigger your home will appear. Affordable with a hint of glamor, mirrors are a must for any small house interior design ideas.” (via Decoraid)

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Mounting your TV on the wall helps it blend in with the space. Credit: Shutterstock

8. Mount Your TV on the Wall

An easy way to save space in a small apartment is to hang your tv on the wall. Somehow, your TV feels even bigger when it’s suspended, compared to keeping it sitting on a table. Just make sure it matches your eye level so that you aren’t craning your neck. If you’re interested in Feng Shui, they recommend not to keep a TV in your bedroom. Technology can interfere with the flow of qi, and it also serves as a “black mirror” to bounce energy off of it.

Even a tiny apartment can fit a large TV on the wall. Credit: Shutterstock

With that being said, TV’s in the living room look great on the wall. And if you have a Smart TV, all you need is the remote to get started. In a time when everything is digital on streaming services, there is no reason to keep media console furniture for a DVD player. Game consoles that require you to plug them into the TV, but this can be temporary. And there are HDMI cords that are up to 10 feet long, which should be plenty of room to plug your game system into a piece of furniture on the floor, or the other side room. (via Home Depot)

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Make sure you give good lighting in every room of the house. Credit: Decoraid

7. Lighting

“Bad lighting can make an already small space look even smaller. Having dingy and dark corners will cut off that part of the room, shrinking the visible area. Make sure your rooms are all well-lit; having concealed lighting fixtures on the top of furnishings and both on top and under cabinets is a great way of eliminating dark spaces.”

Lighting can double as a work of art. Credit: Shutterstock

“As you might not have enough surface space for table and standing lamps, get as much light as you can from ceiling and wall sconces (another tip to add to your small apartment decorating ideas list). When it comes to the best, smart interior designer hacks for small space interior design, keep in mind that often, it just takes a little structural adjustment to trick the eye into making your home appear larger.” (via Decoraid)

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This bedroom is full of quirky statement pieces. Credit: Shutterstock

6. Buy Accent Pieces

Sometimes, a stunning accent piece can make a room feel bigger by essentially tricking your eye into focusing on that. If there is something attention-catching in the room, most would focus on the art instead of the size of the space. For example, having a wallpaper accent wall, large piece of artwork, or chandelier can be the first thing you see when you walk into a room. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it just has to stand out. Just make sure it doesn’t take up too much space and interfere with the flow of the space.

This living room has a few statement pieces. Credit: Shutterstock

An accent feature can also be accomplished simply by painting something you already have. For example, a cramped front hallway and boot area can be instantly jazzed up if you paint your front door a bright color. Or you could paint the wall a bold color, and add some patterned molding onto the wall to give it a geometric shape. There are a lot of cute ideas out there on Pinterest, so the sky’s the limit as to what you could do. (via Home BNC)

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Using vertical space helps you store more of what you love. Credit: Decoraid

5. Use Vertical Spaces

“If you are short on space, you might be surprised how handy your ceiling could be; it’s one space for some of the best interior design hacks out there. There are loads of genius ways to make extra use of ceiling space, like introducing hanging storage elements where you can store pots and pans in your kitchen.

Shelves in the kitchen help give more storage. Credit: Shutterstock

Making the best use of your vertical space will also give you much more room to maneuver around your home. Look at placing things such as beds on platforms to create extra storage space underneath, or consider creating shelving above and around door frames – no one will doubt your interior designer capabilities when they see such smart small space solutions. As any interior designer should suggest, put items you don’t often use in the highest areas and more frequently uses items in the lower areas.” (via Decoraid)

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Furniture with long legs help to open up the space dramatically. Credit: Shutterstock

4. Buy Furniture With Long Legs

When you buy furniture with long legs, you allow the eye to see the space underneath, even if it’s just a few inches. Having furniture with long legs helps show more of your floor and area rug, which gives the illusion of space. In a practical sense, it also makes it a lot easier for you to use a Swiffer or vacuum underneath the furniture to keep the space clean. Your dogs and cats will probably appreciate this space too, because it gives them a place to hide if they’re feeling nervous. If you feel like your legs aren’t long enough on your existing furniture, you can purchase leg risers to lift it off the ground.

It’s easier to clean underneath furniture with long legs. Credit: Shutterstock

“Consider trying to keep your space as open as possible – leave doors open to make it appear as if the entire space flows together. If you have floor standing furniture, look for furnishings with legs or add them on your own, rather than keeping everything sitting directly on the floor. This allows you to see the floor space beneath your furnishings and make the room seem a lot bigger. Often, you’ll find that the best small apartment decorating ideas won’t break the bank while making the best use of each space throughout your home.” (via Decoraid)

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Even small bedrooms can have lots of color. Credit: Shutterstock

3. Introduce Color to Your Space

“The way you introduce color in your rooms has a huge impact when you’re coming up with small apartment decorating ideas. Dark colors can close off areas but when incorporated carefully, they can make areas appear wider than they are.

Incorporate colors to your neutral palette. Credit: Shutterstock

Using light colors can make areas appear larger and more expansive, but you need to be careful and ensure the space doesn’t end up looking too clinical while remembering that smaller spaces often have dirtier looking walls as things rub against them more commonly. Large areas of pattern, such as walls with heavily patterned wallpaper, are certain to make rooms look smaller. Stick to walls painted in the same color and keep the same flooring throughout to create the illusion of more space to nail simple interior design for a small house. Any interior designer will tell you that starting with walls and flooring is the best route for small space interior design.” (via Decoraid)

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Notice how this all-orange wall makes the room look large. Credit: Crate and Barrel

2. Paint the Molding and Trim The Same Color as the Wall

Crown molding and baseboards can add a sense of luxury to your home. Normally, molding is painted white to contrast the wall color. Sometimes, dark wood paneling is in an older house. But this dark color only serves to make the space feel more cozy, so it will actually make things feel smaller. A bold but effective suggestion to make a room feel bigger is to paint the paneling the same color as the wall. This also works really well if you paint the door and frame the same color as the wall, too.

This all-gray wall really makes a statement. Credit: Shutterstock

This might seem counter-productive, because darker paneling normally makes things feel small, right? But this specific effect brings the eye upwards. People will be impressed and notice this feature right away, so they’ll be looking at your ceiling and colorful crown molding. Good design always wins over the size of the space. If you’re designing an apartment from scratch, you have a chance to plan out the color story. Pick the color pallet in the beginning, and stick with it. When everything looks cohesive, it helps to make everything look intentional. (via Julie Blanner)

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This curtain helps to divide the sleeping area in a studio apartment. Credit: Shutterstock

1. Hang Curtains or Sliding Doors

Many small studio apartments have an open concept floor plan. However, you might be in an older apartment that is split up into various rooms by walls and doorways. Obviously, doors between rooms can block off space. Sometimes, this can be a very good thing, especially if you’re trying to quarantine. However, it makes a space feel smaller.

Sliding doors block off the entry to a bedroom hallway from the kitchen. Credit: The Gem Goddess on YouTube

If at all possible, remove doors and replace them with a curtain or a sliding barn door. This way, you can slide the curtain or door closed when you want the area to be blocked off, and open it when you want to create the open concept again. Or, use a curtain to divide space instead of a piece of furniture or screen. (via Bob Vila)

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