Apartment Furniture Design

Apartment Design Ideas

Space Saving Ideas For Small Apartments


If you are living in small apartment or a villa, then you might have to use different ways to redesign your home to make it look bigger. Living in large cities can prove to be expensive at times, which can force us to take decisions of staying in small size homes. However, even these small spaces can be made to appear beautiful and spacious by utilizing the space effectively. People living in smaller spaces can opt for a contemporary style of décor and transform these areas into more stylish and trendy places where they can live comfortably.

Right kind of planning is essential for saving space and utilizing them correctly to make the most of the elements of home décor. It is a good idea to opt for sleek and slim furniture, which can easily fit into your décor like sofas and chairs. Glass topped coffee tables, which are lightweight and available in different designs, can be used in such small apartments. You can use glass shelves on the walls to store different accessories, which can leave more space for keeping furniture and additional items at the floor level.

Today there are plenty of space saving accessories, which are available for decorating smaller areas like folding tables, which can be attached to the walls. These help in reducing the clutter and making more space available for utilizing it in a better manner. Using modular kitchen cabinets can help in storing all the things like utensils, crockery and cutlery items. This helps in organizing your kitchen space wisely and provides additional space for using the countertop as a working area and quickly cleaning the leftover mess without many hassles.

You can even have hooks hanging inside the cabinet, which can be used for holding spoons, measuring cups and lightweight utensils that are used on a regular basis. Wall mounted shelves can also save a lot of space in the kitchen, which can help you in storing many essential kitchen items. If your living room is small, then you can make a small dining arrangement with some round table and chairs in the kitchen to enjoy a meal together with the family.

Having a storage bed also helps a great deal in stacking all your bedspreads and linens together. You can even keep beddings, pillows and extra clothes in these storage spaces and utilize them effectively. Be careful while choosing the colors for the walls of your apartment as they can make a difference to your homes. Darker colors tend to make the space look smaller so it is best to go for light and subtle colors, which can emphasize different areas of your home to provide greater focus.

You can also add small sized area rugs, which can help in lending extra appeal to your rooms and make them look more colorful. There are different varieties of rugs, which are available today in the market in various shapes and interesting designs that can be as floor coverings.

Apartment Design Photos

Apartment Bedroom Design

The Simplicity of Contemporary Bedroom Design

If you have visited a number of different houses in different towns and/or cities, you might have gone to various bedrooms and noticed diversity in the way they are designed or set up. What is popular in interior design is following some sort of "theme" which is apparent throughout the entire house, but particularly in bedroom design. One such design that is evident in today's houses is known as contemporary bedroom design.

How do you define contemporary bedroom design? The word "contemporary" simply means modern or current. So in essence, contemporary bedroom design means that it is a bedroom design that is more of a sign of the times. Design of bedrooms was very much different decades ago, more so centuries ago. Therefore, you may think of contemporary bedroom design as a relatively new school of thought in the world of interior design.

Life today is different than before. Today it is much busier and more industrialized. Cities are becoming overpopulated, which translates into more people needing places to live in. This is the reason why there are apartments and condominiums now for sale or for rent. In taking these things into consideration, contemporary bedroom design was born. The main idea in this school of thought is simplicity.

When you see a bedroom with contemporary design, you will notice that there are very few decorations (if none at all). Why so? Since simplicity is the key in contemporary bedroom design, the simpler it is, the better. Not much thought is placed on where the bed is set, where the chairs are, where the television is, other than where these are practical. In this type of bedroom design, there is a good amount of space in the middle of the room, and the furniture is placed in ideal locations, where it is easy for the person to go to (or where he prefers). Unlike other types of bedroom design wherein extra space is filled out with decors, the space in this form of design remains to be space.

The difference between contemporary bedroom design with other types of interior design is that others make use of decors to try to enhance the look. For example, in a country home, bedrooms usually have paintings or wallpapers that reflect nature, since the home is situated in an area surrounded by nature - trees, plants, animals, lakes, etc.

In a regular city home or apartment wherein the bedroom reflects contemporary design, it remains to be plain and stark in which simplicity is really evident. Another difference is the use of shapes. In contemporary bedroom design, a rectangular shape is primarily used. This shape is thought to be effective, but at the same time beautiful, which is why there is no emphasis on decors to be placed. In other forms of bedroom design, round shapes (including ovals) are more common.

Tips to Decorate Kitchen in Apartment

The key to successfully decorating a kitchen in a studio apartment is to create a space that flows with the rest of the room, rather than one that tries to separate itself from the apartment. Decorating small spaces can be a challenging prospect for any resident. Focus on scale, color and storage in the kitchen space to achieve a cohesive look.
     
Scale
Studio apartments, by nature, are small spaces, while most kitchens tend to hold a lot of things, from food to kitchen gadgets. Kitchen furniture, like dining tables, chairs and storage units, tend to be large. A smaller round table with chairs that tuck easily underneath will be less jarring in the space than a full-size dining set, according to the Oh My Apartment section of the Apartment Ratings website. Keep accessories on top of counters on the smaller side to prevent the space from appearing cluttered.
     
Color
Color can add personality to a studio apartment kitchen and prevent it from looking too utilitarian. Base the kitchen's color scheme on colors from other accessories in the apartment, such as a large piece of art or decorative curtains the living area. Choose table linens, dishes and storage containers in these colors. Stick to bright and light colors, which will infuse energy into the kitchen space. Colors like yellow, bright blues, orange and red make the space feel happy. Dark colors and furniture may make the space feel smaller.
     
Mirrors
Hang a mirror in the dining area to help the kitchen appear larger, suggests House Beautiful. Mirrors reflect light, giving the room a feeling of added space. Mirrors, especially those with ornate frames, also add a decorative touch to the room. Avoid hanging mirrors with heavy, dark frames.
     
Vertical Storage
Storage is a major issue in studio apartments, especially in the kitchen, so maximize your vertical space. If kitchen cabinets do not reach the ceiling, use the space above the kitchen cabinets as storage, adding wine bottles, serving dishes and colorful containers. Choose items that are pretty and appropriate to be put on display. Also consider converting a small area into a pantry or adding shelving in a nearby hallway. Suspend a pot rack from the ceiling for your cookware.
     
Unexpected Storage
Use other areas in your studio apartment for creative kitchen storage. The experts at This Old House recommend adding wine racks below a coffee table, for example. Use a bookshelf as a false wall to separate the kitchen space from the rest of the room and serve as a storage unit for cookbooks, dishes, glasses and even pots of home-grown herbs.

Egyptian Style Wall Decoration

Ancient Egyptian history is rich in distinctive art and imagery, and it is an excellent inspiration when you are looking to give a room a hint of color and style. Egyptian wall decorations are perfect for studies, for the library in your home or for the bedroom of a child who can't get enough of Egyptology or archeology. Bring formerly flat walls to life using motifs from ancient Egyptian history, focusing on the motifs that range from delicate to bold.


Relief Plaques

Egyptian temples and tombs were carved with reliefs, where the image rises up from the surface. These images ranged from depictions of normal life to inscriptions that were meant to guide people in right behavior to images of the gods. Relief plaques are available from museum reproduction stores, where actual reliefs are cast or otherwise duplicated. These reliefs add texture to the walls, and when they are hung, they also provide your walls with an important focal point.
     
Hieroglyphic Borders

Hieroglyphics were the incredibly complex form of ancient Egyptian writing. Each figure was carefully distinct, and they could be written in a horizontal or a vertical format. Choose a premade wall border of Egyptian hieroglyphics, or make one yourself by using a pencil to sketch in the lines of a border and then painting hieroglyphics directly on the wall. Make up your own images or look up actual hieroglyphics and copy them directly onto the wall.


Framed Scrolls

The ancient Egyptians used paper made out of papyrus, scientifically known as Cyperus papyrus. The paper was made by soaking strips of papyrus stalks and then pressing them together, resulting in a distinct texture. A papyrus scroll was often beautifully inscribed with hieroglyphics, much the way that European monks illuminated large books. Look for reproduction framed scrolls and hang them up on the wall to give your room some visual variety. Use a gold or bronze frame to bring out the rich tones of the papyrus.
     
Cloth Wall Hanging

Look for cloth wall hangings that are printed or woven with ancient Egyptian art. Choose a cloth tapestry that features the banks of the Nile river, or the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids. Hang the tapestry by tacking it up on your wall, covering as much of your wall as you can. If the tapestry is large or valuable, sew a thin strip of muslin on the back and thread a curtain rod through to hang on brackets. This covers a large bare patch in the wall while providing it with a vibrant splash of color.

Bathroom Decorating Ideas

Decorating a bathroom can be as simple as putting up a new shower curtain or as complicated as a complete renovation. No matter how in-depth your bathroom redecorating project will be, it is an excellent time to give the bathroom a good scrubbing, clean out the medicine cabinet and replace worn-out towels.
Luckily, the bathroom is the smallest room in most houses, so decorating it is a quick weekend project that can yield results you can enjoy immediately.

Colors and Paint

Choose a bright, cheerful color of paint for the bathroom, as it will reflect light better, making it easier to see when shaving or putting on makeup. This is especially important if the bathroom has no natural light.
Choose a color for the trim that matches the shade of white of the tub and toilet. This will bring the room together and make it look planned and finished.
Ask for paint designed specifically for bathrooms, which is formulated to stand up to moisture and is less likely to grow mold or begin to peel.

Storage Solutions

Never store cleaning or styling products in the cabinets under the sink if there are children in the house. Instead, use this space for towels and wash cloths and move products a child could swallow somewhere else.
Installing a small shelf above the sink creates extra space for things that need to be kept nearby, such as razors and toothbrushes. This trick is useful if the bathroom has little counter space.
Look for storage baskets that fit on the back of or on the floor next to the toilet to store smaller items, such as an extra roll of toilet paper and magazines.
Consider installing another shelf and lining it with small baskets to store lotions, hairbrushes and other odds and ends, organizing them by category or by family member. This will reduce bathroom clutter and improve the look of the space.

Shower Curtains and Details

Choose any shower curtain that makes you smile, as a change in the shower curtain makes the entire bathroom look new. In fact, it is a particularly good option if you can't afford to completely redecorate the bathroom.
Hang framed art on the walls, choosing a theme that matches the styles and colors of your bathroom.
Changing the hardware also gives the room an immediate face-lift, so find new doorknobs, towel racks and cabinet handles.
This is also a good time to make sure that everything in the room is baby-proof. Put child-safety locks on the cabinets and install child-safe electrical outlets.