With urban living becoming more popular than ever, creating a homey and functional apartment no longer has to be a challenge. Many tricks of the trade have been developed to help maximize space, minimize clutter and make your apartment home your haven.

Some simple tricks to create the illusion of a larger space include hanging your curtains higher to make the ceiling appear taller, using neutral colors to open up a room and arranging your furniture away from walls, letting it drift to the center of the room.

Here are some additional suggestions that include our favorite ways to make the most of your apartment space:

Multi-Hook Wall Shelf: Find one that pulls triple duty so you can easily hang your coat, store your umbrella, and never lose your keys again while also getting to display some of your favorite photos, art or knickknacks. We love this inexpensive bamboo shelf that will match any decorating style.

Floating Shelves: You don’t need to bring in heavy bookcases or large floor shelves to display your style. Make use of floating shelves to showcase artwork, store your favorite hardbacks, vases and other decorative touches. These super simple ones come in a package of three, are sleek and stylish and come in a variety of finishes.

Easy to Use Closet Hooks: If you have lots of stuff, having a few multifunctional closet hooks can make a huge difference to organize your space. Choose something that makes it easy to store and locate your go-to ties, belts, scarves or purses. This popular choice on Amazon.com gets great reviews.

Over the Door Shoe Storage: You definitely don’t want to ruin the zen of your space by leaving shoes out and about. Check out this affordable and stylish over the door wire shoe rack, large enough to store (almost) your entire collection.

Beds with Built-In Storage: We think anyone would benefit from having hidden storage in their beds. This is great for extra linens, sweaters, pants or really just about anything else. We love this industrial yet rustic bed with storage drawers from West Elm. Another option with a ton of storage is going for a bed from storagebeds.com, which claims to offer more space than any other bed.

Room Dividers: Invest in some inexpensive screens to break up a room, especially if you plan to use the room for several different functions (another great way to better utilize your space). Home Depot carries these contemporary ones with a variety of different panels in three finishes to reflect your design style at a very reasonable price.

Smaller Furniture that Serves Double Duty: Make the most of your great room with smaller furniture that doesn’t make the room appear crowded. If you can, bring in furniture that can easily function for more than one thing. For example, consider a sleeper sofa like this one from Ikea, or this ingenious coffee table that converts to a desk with storage from Houzz.

Wall Mirrors:  Give the illusion of a larger space, while making a stylish splash. We are loving this artsy fractal mirror from Z Gallerie. This piece will make a statement while adding lots of style and function.

Bring in a Rug: Add a splash of color to the center of the room with a rug that breaks up your space. Wayfair has lots of options, from bold to understated. We love the way this one adds a touch of sophistication to any room.

Do you have any apartment design tips to share with us? Be sure to email us at info@918indy.com and we’ll add them to our list! And follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see more style ideas.

 

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