styling Archives - A.Clore Interiors

We’ve all lived in that small apartment that has barely enough room to breathe, but when it’s that small, how do we make it convenient and cute at the same time? It feels almost impossible. Lucky you, we’ve compiled a list of tricks to score that stylish, chic design with just as much comfort.

Murphy Bed

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Yes, we know a murphy bed is never ideal and definitely not your first pick, but it will save so much room in such a small apartment. Obviously, this is an idea more for studio apartment, but if you really need more space, don’t be afraid to use it in a one bedroom as well! You can use the extra space as an office or a separate living room or dining room. Having that extra room opens your opportunities in a restricted small apartment.

The Love Seat

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Go ahead and use a love seat as your whole couch and add in a couple accent chairs to complement the space. To really add a creative effect, pick out a fun and decorative rug to lift color into the room. This can really help open up the small apartment and make it look larger and livelier.

Knife Strip

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With having such a small apartment, every inch of counter space is vital especially in the kitchen. To help save a decent amount of space, skip out on buying that knife block. Instead, follow in the steps of many restaurants and create a magnetic knife strip. It’s a decorative way to store things you use daily. Go ahead and line up those pots and pans as well to use up wall space instead of packing in your cabinets.

Create Rooms

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Use curtains and dividers to create the illusion of separate rooms. Depending on how many square feet you have, you can create a whole one bedroom in your small apartment. Just be aware, one medium room is better and easier to decorate than a few extra small rooms.

We hope these few ideas have helped and given you a tad more space in your tight small apartment. If you have any comments, ideas, or questions, let us know below in the comments section!

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Space planning is really just figuring out how to arrange your furniture, but you’d be surprised at how tricky that can get, especially when thinking about feng shui. There are many things you should keep in mind when space planning in order to utilize the area and avoid overcrowding. It’s vital that you take the time to do some space planning before you end up with that beautiful sofa you love that just doesn’t quite fit in your living room like you thought it would. Therefore today, we’re giving you a lesson in the basics of space planning and providing you with some guidance to creating the most functional and stylish home possible!

Proper space planning starts with the floorplan.

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Your architect or designer should have this. If an official floor plan isn’t available, create a to-scale drawing of each room based on your own personal measurements. Your floorplan will serve as a guide for how your furniture should be arranged and will help in determining what will fit in each space.

Decide On Priority Pieces

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The next step in the space planning process is to decide your most important/highest priority pieces (sofa, media console, lounge chairs) and the second most important pieces (side tables, cocktail tables, storage pieces). These can be existing items or items that you are planning to purchase. Regardless, these items are necessary and should be considered first when creating a furniture layout. Before you venture into arranging the furniture, it’s important to take into consideration a few more things. First is the function of the room. Will the room be used as a living room, bedroom, media room, office, etc? The purpose of the room will dictate the type of furnishings needed.

Traffic Patterns

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The second thing to consider is traffic patterns. Take note of where the doors and windows are located. Where are the most natural “paths” to walk through the room if it provides access to another room. You will need to be sure to avoid placing furniture in these paths.

Consider You & Your Family’s Lifestyle

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Is there anyone elderly living in your home? Furniture accessibility or wheelchair access might need to be kept in mind if that’s the case. Same goes for infants and small children. The type of furniture you use along with how you arrange it will be determined by your family and their individual needs.

The Focal Point of the Room

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The last thing to consider would be whether there is a focal point of the room. Do you want your furniture to be arranged around a television or fireplace? Or is there a pretty picture window with a marvelous view that you wish to be on display?

Create Your Furniture Layout

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Now that you have taken a proper assessment of the use of your spaces and things to keep in mind, it’s time to create your furniture layouts! Take measurements of each piece of furniture and draw them into your floorplan or individual drawings (starting with your priority pieces first). It’s good to have at least two options of furniture layouts and then you can decide which option, in the end, will work best for your family and your lifestyle!

Thank you for being an A.Clore Interiors Blog reader…..

Don’t forget: you can find us on Facebook – “like” us to keep up with the latest and greatest!

You can always find more design inspiration on our Pinterest and Instagram pages!

Connect with us on Google+ and LinkedIn

Visit our Website for more information on what we are about and how interior design can change your life!