To be able to afford to buy or rent an apartment in a city where real estate prices are off the charts is a huge achievement. So congratulations on that. Mike Dunfee Management Team says even a small apartment can be made to look like a cozy Airbnb if you keep it organized.
When the space is small, you got to up your creativity. Organizing a small apartment is especially challenging when you have lots of furniture and other stuff to put in place.
A few years when I first moved into my NYC apartment, I was just as confused as you might be feeling right now. However, a little help from my best friend and several hours of serious research gave me some brilliant decoration ideas for my small apartment.
Needless to say, they worked like a charm. Today, in this guide, I will be sharing my learnings with you to help you make the most of the little space you have in your home:
1. Optimize the Closet Space
For someone who owns a humongous amount of clothes, keeping them neatly organized in a teeny tiny closet is no easy feat. However, with an extender rod, you can increase the hanging space for your shirts in the closet.
Not just that. Look far and deep into your closet and I’m sure you will find empty wall space. Put some hooks there and now you have even more space for your garments.
To be able to find your favorite scarves and sweatshirts in a snap from a huge stack of clothes, use shelf dividers and undershelf baskets. Why leave the inside of the closet door unused?
Get an over-the-door hanging garment rack and take your closet organizing skill to the next level.
2. Choose Small Apartment-sized Furniture
Furniture shopping for a little apartment is a tricky business. You don’t want to buy too many or you will keep stubbing your little toe. Smaller furniture, when arranged in a certain way, can make small spaces look bigger.
For example, the open design of an L-shaped sofa creates the impression of a more laid-back and spacious lounge-like setting. It not only looks more inviting but it also lets you seat more people without clutter up the room with too many chairs.
Experthomemakers.com suggests buying apartment-sized sofas as they are about 20-30” narrower than regular-sized sofas. 68”-74” w three-seaters are neither too small, nor too big- rendering them ideal for small apartment living rooms.
3. Switch to Multipurpose Furniture
Apart from the size, also factor in the utility of the furniture you are planning to buy. In a house where space is premium, multipurpose furniture can be a game-changer.
A sleeper-sofa, for instance, condenses the luxury of a couch and the comfort of a bed into one unit. Loft beds allow enough space underneath them to set up a reading, gaming, or work corner.
Swap your old, clunky coffee table with a sleek and contemporary side table with an integrated magazine rack. How about a gorgeous floor lamp with built-in shelves? It’s chic, space-efficient, and has shelves for storing your books and magazines.
4. Floating Shelves
Even the smallest apartments have enough wall space to accommodate all those random home decor stuff you keep buying online. Floating shelves would be a great way to display art, photographs, and knick-knacks.
However, most floating shelves can handle only a certain amount of weight. For heavier objects, you can go with sturdy wooden wall mount shelves with metal brackets for added support.
Floating shelves can be also used for organizing your spice and condiment containers in your kitchen.
5. Find and Utilize the Uncommon Storage Areas
To de-clutter your living and kitchen space, look for storage areas in the nooks and crannies.
The back of the door and the sides of the closet, wardrobe, and refrigerators have enough room for all the excess stuff. You just need an over-the-door organizer with plenty of spacious pockets.
From shoes to sunglasses, jewelry to hats, they can hold anything and everything. For your kitchen, I suggest picking up a multipurpose magnetic side rack. It will transform the sides of your fridge into a nifty storage organizer for your kitchen.
6. Transparent Caddies
Heavy-duty clear caddies fit into any corner you want them to fit in. Use them for storing small objects that you keep losing all the time.
You can fit one next to your wardrobe, behind the doors, in the bathroom, and in the kitchen to keep the premium space clean and clutter-free.
As you can see, there are many clever ways to organize a little apartment. Look for ways to maximize the vertical space instead of the horizontal when working with limited floor space.
Empty walls, inside and sides of a door, corners of a room can collectively create enough storage space for all your essentials. You simply have to find the right kind of furniture and organizing systems for your place and you’re all set.
*Photos by Megan Nixon
