A small cozy apartment, a trendy studio apartment for a student, a micro modular house - how to decorate an interior with limited space? As it turns out, all it takes is a little ingenuity and careful planning. Explore our ideas for furnishing a small apartment.
Small apartment - a new trend
According to the latest data, Poles favor homeownership over square footage. Year after year, there is less floor space per capita. Główny Urząd Statystyczny reports that in 2021 the average apartment was about 50 sqm, but a large portion of families live in a much smaller space.
Another phenomenon that further fuels the process of "shrinking" apartments is the popularity of micro-apartments. By design, they are intended mainly for short-term rentals, for students, employees or as an alternative to hotels. Functionally and fashionably furnished flats are a guarantee of profit for the owner, and convenience for the renter, especially if the premises are located close to the center.
In addition to apartments, it is worth mentioning here single-family micro-buildings, the best example of which are houses up to 35 sqm. They combine lower construction costs with the freedom of having your own four corners.
Micro-apartments and studios arouse great interest especially among students and working people.
Photo: Unsplash ©/Patrick Perkins, author's archive.
What kind of furniture for a small apartment? Learn about the most interesting solutions
How to save a small space? As it turns out, many of today's solutions are already well known to us. After all, wall units, folding desks, half-cushions and americana were almost basic furnishings in apartments during the communist era.
Today, it seems that design is even more important alongside functionality. And there's nothing wrong with that - we want our interiors to go beyond the standard "economic" apartment and make an impression.
We've already written about whether it's possible to furnish a micro-apartment well. Now learn about inspiring furniture ideas for a small apartment.
Folding furniture - beds
Choosing furniture for a small apartment is a series of compromises. You need to choose furnishings that are essential for you, instead of being guided solely by their appearance. A comfortable bed is, of course, a piece of furniture that should not be missing from the apartment. However, you should opt for a solution that will allow you to get a decent night's sleep while saving space.
One possibility is a couch with a sleeping function, which can effectively serve as the only bed in a studio apartment or provide an additional resting place, for example, for the second tenant, or guests. In addition, the couch will also be a storage container for bedding, pillows or extra blankets.
Recently, built-in beds, the so-called Murphy beds, known in our country as half-couch, have become increasingly popular. Today this relic from the communist era is making a comeback as a fashionable and functional piece of furniture.
There are many options for assembling such a bed, which, when folded, "hides" in the wall or imitates a closet.
Photo: iStock ©/fizkes, author's archive
Bunk furniture
For guest rooms and children's rooms, bunk beds that allow maximum use of space up to the ceiling will be a good idea. Interestingly, it does not always have to be two levels of beds. With the right design, you can even create a three-level room for a child. One of the interesting solutions for a small room, is a bed on the first floor and the development of the space under it, for example, by placing a desk, dresser or dressing table there.
If the ceiling of a small apartment is at least 4 meters, it is worth considering the construction of a mezzanine floor, which will provide additional space for work or serve as a bedroom.
Another way to maximize the use of space in a cramped apartment, especially in the kitchen area, is to build up to the ceiling. In small kitchens, every centimeter of space is important, and tall cabinets allow for unobstructed storage of dishes, food and appliances alike.
Bunk beds will work well not only in children's rooms. It is worth opting for such a solution in a small guest bedroom.
Photo: iStock ©/Victoriia Kovalchuk, author's archive.
Puzzle furniture
Puzzle-like furniture has reigned supreme at interior design fairs for years. They are functional, fun, striking and perfect for small interiors. Thanks to the fact that they consist of modules, they can be freely arranged, combined, and the number of elements can be adjusted to the size and shape of the room.
A popular example of the use of modular furniture are stackable coffee tables, which fit perfectly one under the other and can be unfolded as needed. In modern arrangements, sofas and sofas imitating blocks, which can be put together in any way you like, look interesting.
Choosing modular furniture, you can adjust the number of elements and the way they are arranged to the dimensions of your interior.
Photo: Unsplash ©, author's archive
Furniture on wheels
When one room is used for both work and rest, it is worth choosing furniture that can be easily moved. However, models on wheels will work well not only as home office equipment. In addition to workbenches and desks, extremely useful are, for example, "movable" coffee tables, which can be pushed back against the wall after finishing the afternoon tea.
An interesting solution in small kitchens, in turn, are cabinets on wheels, the location of which can be easily changed without having to dismantle the entire development. In this way you can even achieve the effect of a kitchen island!
Take advantage of the functionality of furniture on wheels. Just a few moves and the coffee table will turn into a cabinet, shelf or footstool.
Photo: iStock ©/Olga Evtushkova, author's archive.
Customized furniture
If you want to make efficient use of every available centimeter in your apartment, the best idea is to order customized furniture. This way you will fit the furnishings to the size of the interior, and not the other way around. This solution will work especially well if the room has irregular shapes or is located in the attic.
Although custom furniture involves a greater expense than if you buy ready-made products from the store, such an investment seems more profitable in the long run. Apartments arranged "with an idea" are also more attractive on the secondary market.
Custom-made furniture will allow you to maximize the use of space, especially in the case of bevels or spaces under the stairs.
Photo credit: Unsplash ©, author's archive
Clever storage space
Arranging a small apartment requires a lot of ingenuity. Use inspiration and lifehacks found on the Internet, such as on PdD, as well as solutions proposed by designers.
For the living room, choose comfortable poufs, which not only combine the functionality of an armchair, footstool and table, but often hide additionally capacious storage.
Save space, when planning to furnish your dressing room or kitchen with customized furniture. Instead of finishing empty spaces with moldings, it is better to use them as narrow shelves or hidden drawers. Also check out how to furnish a mini pantry without having to arrange a new room.
Exposed shelves and bookcases can serve a useful function, as well as decorate the room, giving it a cozy character.
Photo: AdobeStock ©, author's archive
Mobile space dividers
Open spaces are a way to optically enlarge the interior, but at the expense of losing privacy. A compromise here can be mobile partitions, similar to those used in office spaces. Alternatively, it is worth using screens, which, in addition to effectively separating the rest area from the kitchen, give the interior a cozy atmosphere.
Another way to divide the space are wide bookcases. Here you gain both a partition and a place to store books, documents or even a TV.
You can divide a small interior with mobile partitions or screens. Choose light or semi-transparent materials that will not overwhelm the room.
Photo: iStock ©/vicnt, author's archive.
Are you decorating a small apartment? Learn useful tips
Even if you have limited space, you can still create a comfortable and stylish apartment. When arranging a small apartment, remember these tips:
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light colors - as the old rule goes: light optically enlarges, dark diminishes. For walls and furniture, choose light, subtle colors of paint and wallpaper;
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soft edges - rounded forms for tables, armchairs and sofas add lightness and fit well in small interiors;
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bookcases and hangers - use wall space to store flat objects: folding chairs and even bicycles;
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fold-out furniture - choose benches and sofas that can be folded out, especially when hosting guests;
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smart furnishings - this doesn't mean ascetic modesty, but you should avoid an accumulation of ornaments. Instead, choose few distinctive decorations.
Are you decorating your apartment? We have more furniture inspiration for you!
Compiled by:BEATA LEŚNIEWICZ
