Making the Most of Your Space in a Studio Apartment

Studio apartments are quickly becoming the residences of choice for budget-conscious big city dwellers and young people who are just getting their start. While it’s true that studio apartments have more space constraints than roomier alternatives, living in one doesn’t have to be a cramped or uncomfortable experience. With a little bit of determination and a willingness to adjust, studio apartment residents can maximize their space and do a lot with a little. If you’re new to studio apartment life and looking to get the most out of your space, put the following tips to good use.

Aggressively Declutter

Since you have very little space to waste in a studio apartment, the last thing you want is clutter. If your goal is to make the most of every free inch, allowing clutter to pile up is extremely counterintuitive. With this in mind, make a point of purging clutter at every available opportunity. This will require you to determine what is and is not essential to your personal happiness. If there are items you simply can’t live without, go ahead and hang onto them, but seldom-used items that only serve to take up space should be sold, donated or disposed of accordingly. For example, clothing you no longer wear, movies you no longer watch and games you no longer play are all prime candidates for getting the boot.

To get started on the decluttering process, take stock of everything in your apartment and make a note of each item’s importance. Once the process is complete, you may be surprised to discover how much of what you own is completely superfluous. People in larger residences may have the luxury of hanging on to unneeded relics, but studio apartment residents need to consistently weigh the value of old possessions.

Invest in Multipurpose Furniture

Consider Floating Furniture

People who reside in studio apartment often have to get creative to make the most of their limited space. While some creative solutions serve to free up more space, others create the illusion of free space — which can often prove just as helpful.

This is where floating furniture enters the equation. As a general rule of thumb, most people place pieces of furniture against walls. While this is sometimes necessary for safety purposes, sofas and beds can often be placed away from walls without creating any safety issues. For example, placing a sofa in the middle of your apartment instead of against a wall can make your residence seem larger than it is, thereby creating the impression of open space and making the unit feel less cramped.

Create a Sleeping Corner

Aside from bathrooms, studio apartments, by definition, don’t contain any rooms that are separate from the main unit. However, residents can create their own makeshift bedrooms by arranging designated sleeping corners. This entails placing your bed, nightstand and any other bedtime-related items into a designated corner of your unit. This will create the illusion of a small bedroom and help dispel the impression that your studio apartment is just one big mishmash of a room. Additionally, seeing a designated sleeping area will give guests a better understanding of which areas are off-limits.

Residing in a studio apartment comes with a number of challenges. Due to space constraints, hosting sizable gatherings and purchasing large items can prove difficult, if not outright impossible. However, this doesn’t mean that life in a studio apartment has to be cramped and uncomfortable. While it’s true that space is a prevalent issue in most studio apartments, there are many effective ways to make the most of the limited space you’ve been given.