Living in a studio — whether on your own or with a S.O. — is a pretty major step towards adulthood. While it's nice to not split hairs over sharing resources with roommates you don't know so well, the limited square footage can prove to be a serious issue: With no walls to define your space, clutter can easily pile up and take over your entire apartment without you even noticing.
Since your A-game is required when it comes to furnishing a studio apartment, we've decided to give you a leg up. Click ahead for seven tried-and-true decorating tips — courtesy 0f Pinterest — to create the illusion of space. Your teensy pad will look like a palace in no time.
Draw The Eye Upwards
If your ceiling height allows, try to go as high as possible when you install wall shelving. This helps pull the attention upwards, creating the illusion of a larger apartment. If putting up shelves isn't feasible, try draping fairy lights diagonally across the ceiling.
Use A Bed Curtain
We're not saying that you need the privacy, but a set of curtains can help set a clear divide between your sleeping area and your living space. Use sheer curtains for the room to appear bigger. A string can be hung from the ceiling using command hooks.
Take Advantage Of Optical Illusions
A foolproof way to make your room look twice as big is to install a mirrored surface on one side of the studio. And, it can be a lot affordable than it sounds: Use these hexagonal mirror wall decals if you're on a budget.
Put A Rug Under It
Adding a rug under your sofa creates a clear separation between your living room area and the rest of your apartment. Plus, it's a handy trick to add more texture to your space, and creates a nice contrast with wooden flooring.
Use A Bookshelf As A Room Divider
Cubby bookcases are a genius storage hack for small spaces: They function as a room divider, and provides endless Instagram fodder if you keep each cube well-styled.
Paint Your Ceiling
The aforementioned rule about drawing the eye upwards applies here as well: Paint your ceiling a darker hue — or use wall decals — to stretch out the height of your apartment to make it seem bigger.
Keep It Monotone
When it comes to decorating a small studio, less can definitely be more. One way to do that is to keep the color scheme unified, so the room feels less busy to the eye — want to guess which color can accomplish this most efficiently?
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
I Live On Staten Island, NY — & We Pay £1,350 For 2-Bedroom & An Attic