When it comes to accommodation options, almost everyone wants a large house or apartment with liberal spacing, an expansive lawn, ample parking area, and other real estate perks.
Unfortunately, not everyone gets to enjoy this luxury. If you have a tight budget and if you are living in New York or some other metro city where real estate is criminally expensive, then you may need to do with a modest apartment.
If you are living in or plan to live in a small apartment, then the following are some of the most common problems that you can expect:
1. Bad Lighting
Many small apartments offer you poor lighting or no lighting (in case, windows are absent) at all. Yet, no one wants to live in a dark and depressing abode that lacks positivity.
You can do all kinds of things to make your small and dull apartment look brighter and more vibrant. For starters, you can install large mirrors in your apartment to make the rooms appear bigger and brighter.
There are in fact, many creative ways to set up mirrors to get maximum impact.
The following are some additional options you can explore:
- Light-colored or transparent furniture: It’s understandable if you want to choose your couch, tables and chairs based on your personal taste and style. However, if you want furniture that helps in illuminating your apartment, then it’s better to go for pieces that are lighter in color (white or ivory, for instance). You can also pick furniture pieces that use transparent glass to further help with the lack of light.
- White walls: If you plan to live in the apartment for a long period, then consider painting the walls white. While changing the color won’t actually change the dimensions of the place, it will make the place “appear” bigger. This is because, white will send light bouncing around the space in your apartment, making it look bigger than it really is.
- Lighting sources: Decorating your small apartment with fairy lights, orb lights, and other ambient light sources can also give your space a more positive and welcoming aura.
2. Limited Storage
Lack of storage options is probably the biggest struggle when space is limited. Since you wouldn’t want to get rid of your stuff just for the sake of adapting to limited space, what you can do is get a bed with in-built storage compartments.
There is ample space below the bed where you can store your infrequently used stuff. You can also try other DIY storage hacks to fit all your belongings in your apartment without marring the look and feel of the place.
3. No Home Office
The COVID pandemic forced many employees to work from home, and the paradigm shift in the work culture exists even today.
Unfortunately, many small apartment owners don’t get the privilege of having a dedicated office space or study in their home.
Even if you have space constraints, you can get creative with the furniture and existing spaces and do office or business work comfortably.
For instance, you can get a fold-down table with a shelf or fashion an unused closet into office space. You can also invest in a small but comfortable chair rather than a proper full-sized office chair, focus on vertical storage, etc.
4. No Garden or Lawn
One common complaint that owners of humble apartments is the lack of greenery. If you have the same issue, you can still stay close to mother nature by building a vertical garden and placing beautiful indoor plants inside your home.
You can also fill your windowsills with plants and flowers, especially those that thrive in the sun such as jade plants, geraniums, and cacti.
5. Room for Kids
If you have kids, then you need to consider many things when living in a small space. Since offering a dedicated room to each kid isn’t an option, you can explore other solutions such as bunk beds in one room (learn more about how bunk beds help save space here).
Otherwise, you can offer the bigger room to the kids and shift to the smaller room. If you have more than two kids, this they could use the extra space in the bigger room.
If your kids are quite young and have several toys and games, you can move these items to the living room. That way, there is even more space in their bedroom.
Remember, it’s all about prioritizing everything and placing furniture and other items in areas where it makes sense for everyone and utilizes the full potential of the space you have. There is no denying that living in a small apartment has its share of challenges.
However, by investing some of your time and effort, you can enjoy all the things that you otherwise only get to enjoy in comparatively spacious homes. Try to apply the tips and tricks we have shared in this article and you will be surprised by the results!
