Small apartment decorating ideas on a budget can be both fun and time-consuming. One of the best ways to decorate a small studio or condo is by going big with color, incorporating multiple vibrant colors, and using floating shelves. This simple yet stylish design can be achieved by making smart choices about where you source your decor and how much of it you use.
To create a modern, budget-friendly apartment makeover, start by thinking about two to three staples that will make the biggest statement. Art, area rugs, and plants are popular pieces for decorating an apartment on a budget.
To transform your rental apartment for under $500, focus on decluttering and organizing your space. Consider adding a side table, table lamp, sofa, floor lamp, and roman shade to create a cozy and functional space.
Developing a “big vision” is essential to avoid buying things for the wrong reasons and using mirrors can help maintain a cohesive look. Additionally, consider using removable wallpaper, hanging baskets, adding warm metallic accents, decorating with botanicals, installing a loft bed, and making DIY candle holders.
In addition to these tips and tricks, consider adding striping details, making a statement with storage, including greenery, and using art. Floating bookshelves, real and artificial plants, washi tape, and more can all contribute to a stylish and budget-friendly apartment design.
📹 10 SMALL APARTMENT DECORATING TIPS + HACKS // Lone Fox
Today I wanted to share a few tips + hacks on decorating and furnishing your space if it’s on the smaller side. These ideas can …
How to start decorating your new apartment?
In order to create the illusion of a larger space within a smaller area, it is essential to exercise careful consideration when selecting colors and patterns, choose a statement piece, utilize intelligent storage solutions, construct a gallery wall, employ mirrors, modify existing built-ins, and utilize an area rug to delineate the space.
How to make a boring apartment cool?
The article provides seven easy hacks to enhance the personality of an apartment, including removable wallpaper and tile, window treatments, cabinet hardware replacement, plants, artwork and mirrors, light fixtures, and renting furniture pieces. These tips aim to turn a boring apartment into a designer’s dream, making it feel more inviting and inviting. The article also suggests that when it’s time to move, the apartment can be easily turned back to its original state, allowing the owner to feel like they are no longer there. The tips aim to make the apartment more appealing and inviting.
How to create a cozy apartment?
This article offers 30 charming ideas to make your apartment feel cozier and more inviting. Some of these ideas include creating an entrance, mixing bold patterns, separating the bed, decorating with plants, defining space using color, using muddy earth tones, hanging photos and art, and planting a mini kitchen garden. Treating your small space with the same love and attention as a larger one can make it feel warm and inviting.
Whether you’re renting a temporary apartment or committed to small-space living, there are affordable and accessible ways to make your apartment feel like home. From small space solutions to easy DIYs, these simple ideas can help make your apartment feel more inviting and comfortable.
How do I fix bad view in my apartment?
Real estate agent Peter Kinnaird suggests that a bad view out the window can lower a home’s value. He identifies large, unkempt utility poles and rundown multistory apartment complexes as major culprits in ruining views for potential home buyers. To deal with bad views, homeowners can conceal them by planting a living screen, using a fabric privacy screen, creating a focal point with plants or sculptural art, framing the view with an adjustable window treatment, hanging distractions in front of the window, and combining indoor and outdoor strategies. These strategies can enhance home life and make a home more attractive to buyers, as they help mask unappealing views both inside and out.
How much money do you need to decorate an apartment?
In 2024, the cost of furnishing an apartment can range from $7000 to $11000, depending on the furniture needed. The living room furniture can be divided into essential and non-essential categories, based on the size of the space and desired comfort level. Essential furniture, such as seating, tables, storage, and lighting, can be purchased for $3500-$5000, while non-essential furniture and accessories can be purchased for $1500-$2, 500. The choice of furniture depends on personal preferences and the size of the space. The cost of essential living room furniture is detailed in the following breakdown.
How do I plan an interior design for my apartment?
Room layout is a crucial aspect of interior design, impacting both the appearance and functionality of a space. It is often the most time-consuming aspect to perfect, especially when dealing with awkward shapes or dimensions. To create a layout that works for you and your lifestyle, start by detaching yourself from past layouts or estate-agency or house-developer plans. Starting from scratch allows you to focus on what works best for you. To begin, map out an empty room using floor-planner software, which can be free or even turn 2D plans into 3D models. You can also use traditional methods like paper, a ruler, and a pencil.
Focus on creating a layout that is functional, visually appealing, and practical for daily use. Start by mapping out an empty room using floor-planner software, which can be found online or in paper. Remember to consider traffic flow, sight lines, and bring items in from the walls to create a visually appealing and functional space.
How to design your apartment on a budget?
Laurel McManus Brown, President and Owner of Brownhouse, offers 19 small apartment decorating ideas on a budget. To create a cohesive look, develop a “big vision” and use mirrors. Create a budget to limit spending and be more creative. Taller windows, avoid decorating the entire apartment at once, and choose skinny furniture for functionality. Let light in and let the space breathe. Brownhouse has worked on impressive interior design projects, including the UpperHouse in Madison. By following these tips, you can create a functional and visually appealing small apartment on a tight budget.
What is a realistic apartment budget?
The 50/30/20 rule is a budgeting method that suggests spending 50 of your income on needs, including rent. It is advisable to keep rent under 30 percent of your income. This rule can vary by person and can be helpful when determining your apartment budget. It is essential to manage apartment expenses effectively to avoid overdraft fees and avoid a dangerously close balance at the end of the month.
How do I budget my apartment?
To avoid being rent-poor, it is recommended to spend no more than 30% of your monthly income on rent and other household expenses. To create a personal financial budget, sum your total income after tax and determine a budgeting approach that covers necessities. One popular strategy is the 50/30/20 rule, which divides your income into 50 for necessities, 30 for discretionary spending, and 20 for savings. This helps you allocate your income among spending categories and commit to your savings goals. This will help you avoid being rent-poor and maintain a healthy financial situation.
How to style a 1 room apartment?
Incorporating white paint on walls, trim, and ceilings is an effective method for creating a sense of spaciousness in small-scale design. It is essential to ensure that the rug is an appropriate size for the space and that it is positioned in a way that optimizes the perceived size of the room. The use of reflective surfaces, such as mirrors, can also be an effective method for creating the illusion of a larger space. It is advisable to refrain from utilising JavaScript or cookies in the event that the browser in question does not support these technologies.
📹 how to decorate your boring gray apartment
Taking my decorating skills to the next level for this one. this is how i would decorate your veryyyyy standard, boring, grey …
Yes. This was fantastic. You worked with what was there and didn’t go crazy. Sometimes people are like, “add moulding, paint, put down a fake floor, wrap the kitchen, change all the knobs …..” and it’s like ….. dude. That’s intense. You showed the power of accessories, furniture, and fabric to change the feel of a space.
I think this is the most helpful article you’ve ever done. We need more of this! I would love you to do a article like this where you furnish a place with affordable furniture (preferably not thrifted so we can buy it). Like if you were on a really low budget and had to furnish a place and couldn’t thrift anything what would you do?
I’ve lived in apartments like this most of my adult life so far and there is so little content like this for ways to decorate that aren’t ultra modern, diy, or like a dorm room. I think a lot of people live in a place like this where they can’t make big changes or don’t want to paint or are trying to incorporate vintage into a modern aesthetic and articles like this are awesome. Great content!
Adding Tuscan to the Gray Prison Box . Yes, I did enjoy this article, now the long comment. A male family member recently moved into a “gray box” townhouse flip. Built in 1979, vaulted ceiling, cat walk with two bedrooms and bath upstairs. Vaulted wall in pine tongue and paneling in the living room. I think the landlord literally just had every room sprayed with white primer and left it. The flooring is cheap gray laminate, every fixture is brushed nickel. Family member purchased a vintage 1990’s huge red leather sectional which I re-configured into a U-shape facing the man TV over a console. I leaned into the red with chocolate brown, olive and black, a few Tuscan style decor elements, art and backlit ficus trees on the paneled wall behind the sofa. I’m on the hunt for an eight foot round rug for the kitchen to hide the hideous tile. Bringing in color made a HUGE difference! I thrifted window treatments as well (yet to be installed). It may not be the style “du jour” but dang, it no longer feels like a prison cell. Thanks for your great design inspo Paige…. 😘
Since there’s no entry closet, I would turn that little nook off the dining area into one. Add a hanging rod, high enough above the existing shelf to leave room for a drop zone for purses, keys, etc.; then add cube storage below the shelf with bins for shoes, hats, gloves, umbrellas, reusable grocery bags, and the like. It could be concealed by a curtain or even a roman shade. In the kitchen, instead of adding a counter stool on the end of the peninsula, I would add a garbage and recycling bin. That way you don’t have to waste cabinet space for them. Why do kitchen designers never account for the trash?
When I moved into my boring grey apartment, i literally just painted at least on wall in every room. Best idea i ever had. This brings so much warmth into the rooms and it feels more homey. I also got more wooden kind of furniture. I know in the states a lot of landlords don’t allow painting the walls, but in Germany we just paint everything white again if we decide to move out. I really liked the suggestions you gave❤
My all mushroom beige sterile apartment has harsh restrictions and two or three inspections a year (with 24 hr notice) to check compliance. I can’t paint, change lighting, hang curtains, put up privacy film, change hardware/any fixtures. I can put up shelves and art though! And I still was inspired by how you made this similar place feel like a home ❤
My best friend has a condo almost exactly like this. There are a couple of additions I would make to your suggestions. In the living room, there really need to be end tables with lamps. I think too often, people end up with the can lights or flat ceiling fixture and those are never flattering. In the bedroom, it would probably be easy to get a vintage desk that wouldn’t fit exactly, but would allow the space to run the various cords for a lamp, chargers etc. No one wants these desks anymore since they don’t handle modern office things (if you even have a printer) and it’s always a shame to cut a hole in the back of something to run wires. I’d do a combination of a sheer roman blind and heavier curtains, but I’m thinking for a different reason: the bathroom seems very dark (and even more so if someone were to use the dark paint you suggested), so I would consider making that desk into a makeup table at least part of the time. It would make use of the drawers and with the sheer blinds, you’d have natural light to do your makeup. The dark green paint in the bathroom would really distort the color of the light, so it would be less than ideal for makeup anyway.
a tip for your renders – trace the straight edges of the room and other hard edges in the base photo and extend those lines until several intersect like a star burst. this point is the vanishing point, and you can use it to align your edited objects to make them look in perspective and parallel with the room’s angles. you may need to distort your added images to align them if they were photographed at a wildly different angle than the BG, but it makes a big difference for things like rugs like at 7:01
the bedroom was solid, another option (more out of the box) would be to keep the closet doors + your nice window shade, but to hang statement curtains (tension rod?) to frame the office nook. this would give the option to hide the workspace from the bed during relaxing times or to hide the bed from your article call background during work. 🙂 Also I liked the warm tones! since the gray canvas was so useless at providing color contrast, it seems like the warm color scheme works best here when there are small doses of dark blues or greens to make the oranges & reds pop. I guess it broadens the color spectrum that exists in the room so it feels less like irl things added onto a grayscale photo
When I was little, I realized that I hate coloring books. Took me a while to find out why, but it boiled down to having to conform to a style that was premade for me. I wasnt creating, I was having myself molded into its ways. When I hear “this room is boring”, I tend to see that people want the room to speak to them, instead of looking at it as a foundation and building on it. Grey is the same as White, just darker. When you think of it like that, you can see its actually perfect in its own way. Like 0:22, you change the pictures on the wall and the decro on the table to colored books or something interesting, the whole vibe changes as you begin to mold the ROOM the YOU Same with 0:35. Change the lighting, mess with the picture, add pics that have some color, add some colored decor. Add led lights under the bar, change the rug to a color you like. If it was colored already, you’d be locked in. Its already chosen for you, you have to stay within that color or created some rainbow, but the style was made for you already.
It’s almost like you read my mind. This article is so spot on. I went to school for interior design and my apartment is unfortunately one of these horrible sterile apartments and I’ve been struggling SO much trying to decorate and this coming from someone in design. It just sucks the creativity out of you!
YES. House shopping, and the “newly updated!” gray everything is awful. As a renter, I’m always looking for inspo bc I can’t do a whole remodel of the place and also don’t want to dump a bunch of money into a place I don’t own. The outdated builder-grade bathroom with no natural lighting is the hardest to decorate imo. 🥴
For feng shui I think you’re supposed to have a commanding view in any room. This mean being able to see the doors so that you’ll never have that feeling that someone might sneak up on you. And you’re not supposed to have your feet facing out the door because while you sleep your soul might just float out the door 😹🤷♀️
I lived in apartments with oatmeal wall to wall carpets and cream walls for over a decade.. It’s hilarious to me to see Gen Z embracing yellow tones and calling grey ugly. OMG be grateful you don’t have ugly carpets to deal with. Not only are they drab but they collect every spec of dirt and you never get your sec deposit back. The grey floors are much better that’s why they exist in apartments these days.
Thanks for the article. Wierd question: How would you incorporate musical instruments into such blunt apartment interior? For example, I have pretty much the same standard white living room/bedroom combo. Not much space but I’d like to have my 2 guitars as an accent feature. Would it be better to hung it on the wall or else where? I would really appreciate your advice, Paige, thank you.
Why isn’t a dresser that’s the same/similar height as a bed preferred? Just curious. Outdated maybe? Also when the bathroom was “painted” how do you know which wall to paint or not to paint? Not just bathrooms but overall I never understand the intuition behind painting walls/ceiling. The ones I’ve seen in other homes tend to not look that great because of the wall/color chosen
i really don’t think anyone would use the dining table. it’s a young single or couple apartment and no one eats at the table. the counter height stools are enough, and a chair unnecessary at the entry nook. i’d add a large plant instead and make another relaxing area with two chairs and a side/middle table with lamp and an ottoman. in the bedroom the space by the window is big enough to add a real desk with drawers for paper storage, and a place for a printer. in the living room the curtain idea on the closet clashes with the window, not necessary.
people think this looks good? looks like you took a trip to goodwill and bought the first 12 things you saw. its disjointed and unfocused. and the floors are perfectly fine. you have to at some point play into the “modern” look and grey color scheme and then add accent warm pieces to give the place character. this just looks like you tried to cover up the entire aesthetic of the home and it just doesnt work. 1/10 tbh
Hi Paige. Long time-ish subscriber here. Always love your content. This is such a random question, but you being a prop stylist you might appreciate me asking and hopefully answer….where did you get that awesome glass that you were drinking water from during this episode? I need those in my life and am hoping you can give me some info! Love your website!
I loved this! I live in a small house built 74’ in the Swedish country-side . It still has some charming details (wooden trims and windows) but some thing are kind of bland. For example the bathroom. Me and my bf will do a bigger renovation at some point but we need to save up first. That’s why I really like this kind of article because I feel like there’s a lot we can do without making bigger changes. Like painting the bathroom and things like that 🌻
LOVE THIS! After trying to find housing in a very hot (and much too expensive) market, my partner and I decided to buy a single-wide trailer to live in. For all sorts of reasons we love it, its size is small but practical, it was a good financial decision, ordering it was a delight and it arrived to our specifications a few months later, and everything is new! But, I’ll be the first to admit that the “bones” of our home is not the most aesthetic place I’ve ever lived in (super similar vibes to this boring gray apartment). I have struggled, but also enjoyed the challenge of trying to decorate it and imbibe it with personality and some style. I have always thought this would be a great challenge for your website: “how to decorate your boring single-wide trailer”. Hit me up if you’d like to get a walk-through of what we’ve done already, I would be very happy to discuss the design challenges we’ve run into, I’d be happy to oblige. ☺
This article is so good! We’re facing this exact issue in the flat we’re renting. Our landlord apparently likes grey. Grey tiles in the hallway, guest bath and full bath. Grey carpet in living room, office and bedroom. Light grey speckled linoleum floor in the kitchen. I basically hate all the floors but changing them would be our costs and it’s just not feasible. We’ve been able to make this grey flat feel cozy over the past two years by working with big area rugs, walls painted in warm and more moody colours, mix of oak and walnut woods as well as lots of texture in textiles used around our home.
I love this article but also i google image searched the plaid chair and the bathroom sconce cause it was so cool, and i need items like that. 4,000 for a chair and 1k for a single sconce (i need a pair so that price tag hurts) i rlly loved how it came along but i would love to see furniture or finishing piece that are more accessible? Or is the vintage really expensive pieces the only way it turned out elevated? Idk i guess furniture is impossibly expensive in general
Yesss! 😩😩 perfect timing, Paige! I happen to be apartment hunting and all the apartments (save for a blessed few) look lile this and it Kills Me. Gray is such a difficult color to match with other colors, especially if you prefer warmer tones (which I do), so I’ve been stressing about how I’m going to decorate without breaking the bank.
hey paige! i don’t know if you will see it but i wanted some help with decorating my bedroom. It’s fully white, even the furniture, and it’s quite small. i wanted to put a shelf on the top of two walls but i wanted to use a kind of light wood, like caramel ? something like that, and i wanted to know if you think it would work or would make the room smaller or just ugly. btw, english is not my first language (im from brazil) so i hope everything i wrote made sense haha i would also love the help from anyone on the coments as well 🙂
Hi there! Big fan of your website and style. I heard you mention in a recent article that you might help decorate real spaces. I would love to be one of them! I am about to prime all my walls and change everything. I took pics and articles of “before”. I was going to reach out directly but I can’t find the info.😊 I don’t have instagram:(
It looks great, I just think that most people who can spend thousands of dollars per piece on amazing vintage furniture and rugs isn’t going to have to live in a grey box apartment. This is good advice about warming the place up with wood tones, but we’re going to have to get reaaaaaaally lucky at the thrift store to find so much cool retro furniture without spending a years worth of rent
lol in April I moved to an apartment that is exactly like this and I did (am still doing) a lot of the same things she suggested: light woods, white shelves for books, TV and knickknacks, big colorful art on the walls, pendant lights, track curtains, HUGE rug to cover this cold-ass floor… Guess my place is Paige-approved!
I would love to see more articles like this! I feel like this kind of contend is really missing on most interior design pages/magazines. They mostly feature this giant luxurious houses or apartments with crazy architecture and while fun to look at it is just not applicable to the reality of how I live (or probably ever will live). I love that this are hand on tips you can actually implicated.
Thank you for admitting publicly that gray (and white) are boring. I tried replacing our 22 year old couch a couple of years ago and every store I walked into was a sea of gray, light gray, dark gray, medium gray, BORING. I gave up and still have my beautiful blue couch. Yes its old and beginning to fray and sag a little on one end but it is infinitely better than gray. I’m hearing rumors that gray is finally on its way out and color is finally back in so maybe I will try again to shop for a new couch soon.
Fun article. Always enjoyable. The desk nook would make a nice bar area or place for music components. Might be able to slide some pantry storage under the “desk.” White walls bother me so much, I might wash the walls with colored light, at least temperature adjustable LEDs. Thanks for the Etsy rug tip. I love good quality rag rugs that I can wash. Great ideas in bedroom. I would add open storage shelves above the desk and extend the ceiling-drapery-track all across the room so I could instantly hide a busy desk and straighten the closet wall into a flat drapery wall. Fabric choice so important. In bathroom, I would have painted the white wall space next to the mirror. Then I would look for, or make art large enough to cover the left edge of the mirror.
I like the design plan but they are a few changes i would make. First the work space in the entryway, should have been turn into a pantry or a closet for storage. I think it would he a awesome place for shoes and coats. Then I think that the living room should had at least one standings lamp to add character and more warmth to the space. Lastly, the armoire in the bedroom way too big, a dress would have been perfect with some sort of art and or mirror and of course another standing lamp. I think the office space in the bedroom should have had some sort ot stroage also. Just my opinion but other than cool space. ❤😊😊
I’d have to put removable flooring down…I know that’s A LOT of work for me, but I just can’t function around gray wood flooring (builders! concrete would’ve been better! 😩) OR I’d add peel and stick to the backsplash or countertop for color/ visual interest only. And maybe peel and stick wallpaper
I moved into a similar grey apartment, except the floors are cool brown and the walls were a VERY cold medium deep grey. I don’t think grey walls are necessarily horrible, but with low natural light and kinda horrible LED recessed lighting, it felt SO depressing. I really felt very uncomfortable until I painted and adjusted the color temp of the LEDs (light quality still is t great, but much better). The difference is night and day! I think you did an excellent job improving this space with without a lot of invasive/high effort DIY projects! It looks much more inviting.
I would say “REASSURING” to this one, which is great for me. I popped for an expensive place with hella good view, but then I see all these really interventionist articles… I think I must be just ‘okay with ugly’ because I’m not seeing anything where a “stick on upgrade” would be a real upgrade, to me. So …phew!!! Okay! I feel like you did a great job of… I’m not sure what to call it. You painted the entire bathroom, which was so white that it was like “The Matrix” and that’s a pretty useful distinction to see! Almost that “giant expanses of monochrome need relief.” But if you simply make it TWO giant expanses of monochrome, then you get the relief you need, AND you can still fit in some art objects without slipping toward that insane Victorian clutter! So: Aha! Brilliant! Keep it up! ❤ To me, this is kinda like Michelangelo first putting frames up on the ceiling, so he could paint vignettes without them getting lost or turning into murals. Very cool!
Hmmm. Idk. I generally like your taste but not a fan of these choices. In order from best to worse: 1) Bathroom, looks fantastic! I love it. 2) kitchen looks ok. Not awesome but not terrible. 3) living room, meh, nothing special 4) Bedroom, an incoherent mishmash, 5) entryway/dining area… let’s just say the uninspiring boring modern gray look would look better. What I would do (and I have done because I have those floors, not by choice), use dark rich wood tones (walnut, espresso) and light oak to have two different but natural looking contrasting woods to make the space look warm but not too formal. Some traditional leather pieces (couch or chair) to bring a more classic/transitional look to an otherwise squarely modern space and to add another kind of texture and warmth besides fabrics. Upholstered counter stools and dining chairs to soften the look and added comfort. A color palette with complementary colors, one more dark/neutral that goes well with the gray of the floors and the white of the doors/cabinets such as dark greens/teals (like your bathroom, you really nailed it with the paint color) or navy blues and then reds/orange accents to brighten it. Warm accent lighting throughout.
I appreciate you so much for making this article. I’m moving into a characterless grey apartment soon (plus side, HUGE windows across the whole front of the unit). My design ‘style’ (if you can even call it that) has always been pretty neutral but I want to get away from that when I decorate this apartment. I also tend to shy away from going big for fear of making the space feel smaller, but you did a great job of demonstrating how that’s not necessarily true.. Also, I love that you gave tips on how to accomplish things for city apartment dwellers who may have limited resources. This is my first time living in a city, I had to downsize a lot including getting rid of all my tools so knowing that I can hire work out or have things cut to size at Home Depot is so helpful.
You’ve mentioned a few times in past articles, “mm.. maybe save that for a baby nursery”. Upon doing just a single google search, it’s clear that HGTV has penetrated the world of infant interior decorating as well. All baby registry sites and stores have the same blah furniture and decor. Could you maybe do a article on how you would decorate a nursery? I’ve only seen a few notable ideas on pinterest but the majority are just white themed bedrooms that make me ill to look at. Thanks, Chloe
Honestly this is like a standard luxury rental, not a standard rental, and I would say pretty out of touch with how most of America rents. Would love to see you tackle an actual middle class rental that’s got worn carpets, foggy windows, old kitchen appliances with ugly cabinets and counters, popcorn ceilings, etc. Some of us have slumlords but still wanna decorate. We need your help!
Lol at anyone complaining about this flooring. I bought a house with full (old and mismatched) carpeting, except in a few rooms, including the loft which has parquet flooring like a basketball court, and the kitchen that had faux stone tile in colors that perfectly matched (and therefor camouflaged) my cats vomit. The downstairs bathroom had carpet and under that was linoleum that reminded me of my high schools floor in the classrooms. I didn’t have the money for all new flooring so, we have been living with most of it and slowly replacing what we can.
You did an amazing job with the bedroom and living room, with the couch and the shelves it’s looking really cosy ! I would want to live there almost ^^ the kitchen well…. I think it would be difficult to make it look good without changing everything, and it’s a kitchen so…. it’s not that big of a deal, and at least this kind of kitchen is easy to clean. evrything is really well picked and mixed, the only piece I don’t like is the piece of art near the dinner table. I loved perusal this article
Hi Page! I do like this kind of article. I like your design thinking. At the entrance, the photo has a wine fridge. A bar in the dining area would make sense, but so many times a wardrobe for coats, bags, and hats (even for guests), or a wall coat hanger. But well, like you said, we don’t have the complete layout. Good job. 😉
lol did you pick the red door hallway as artwork or was that the renderer going free reign? Like the cheese art in the kitchen was cute, but the art piece of a hallway image felt so random. Made my giggled when it popped into existence. Otherwise, the rendering was so good! Fun touch to a decor article
That front desk space is wasted. In a small apartment you need to make use of all the space. What about a bar? It would not be hard to close off the area under the desktop and add shelves and a wine rack. The shelves above could house bottles and glassware. If you like to entertain that’s a perfect spot. Another thought is a home for the turntable and records. Shelves of albums underneath, turntable on top and some cool art or album cover display above. Enclose the whole space and make a storage cabinet for cleaning supplies or winter coats.
I think I’d use the nook in the entry way as a little bar. Store some nice glassware on the top shelfs and then like a cute tray with some decanters and some decor on the bottom. I feel like you wouldn’t use the space as a desk if the dining table is right in front of it, also to have another chair back there might make it feel cluttered.
Paige, I gotta tell you, and I’ve been having some problems with the YouTube app via Roku (on my tv), but your last four or five articles…. The volume is very low for the first ninety seconds, during which time, I increase the volume on the tv, only to hear the audio adjust to normal, which then makes me have to quickly drop the volume on my tv. Anyone else experiencing this? This doesn’t happen on any other articles I watch, btw.
HALP! I purchased a place with a similar bathroom BUT my plain white tiles run from floor to ceiling the whole way around so I can’t paint. I don’t have the money to redo the bathrooms for about 10 years as they are functionally sound. Should I paint the ceiling? I’ve put in a rug and some framed artwork on the walls (that can weather the humidity) and a plant.
Feng shui of bed is supposed to be that you can see the door from your bed, but someone can’t look in the door and see you sleeping. Think of it as being able to have the drop on someone who was coming into your bedroom; you don’t want them to be able to like, see you sleeping and ass*ss*n*t* you without even entering the room. That’s the origin of that thinking, I’m not just being weird
Great ideas! I have never liked all grey. I never got the grey flooring idea. Siding will turn grey if never painted but floors?! My new home has wood look LVP with grey undertones so I’m trying to bring out any of the warmth. My biggest problem is the size of the living room and seating for it. There’s a corner fireplace with the tv on the wall next to it and large windows opposite. The sofa is a 3 seater and I have room for one chair. Since we’re new and have no friends yet it’s not a problem but if we have visitors one has to sit on the sofa with us and the other in the chair. Awkward! I ordered 2 dining chairs with arms but they ended up being ugly. That’s an it the size that I can fit for to a walkway.
But now all of the new elements are vintage? I love perusal design YouTubers like yourself and I know you guys keep saying there is no right or wrong when it comes to design styles but in reality you just go for vintage all the time. Like vintage, ethnic patterns, wood. Like they are the only right answer? For example if you were going to style this apartment for recommendation to subscribers I would prefer you do it in staying true the modern scheme. Like make it better, yes, add lighting, plants, few more colours but it could still be beautiful with modern elements. Or it could be industrial, chic, boho or whatever but all I am seeing in this days on youtube is VINTAGE. And I am sick of it, sorry.
Love your articles, but lately I’ve notified your VO is quiet. I end up turning the volume up but when the ads hit it’s super loud. I suggest adding a compressor or hard limiter to your vocal track and have it mixed at around -6db or so, even a little higher. Just a article editor trying to help out! Love your stuff.
I love dark wood and warm colours, but in this case all these browns just look way too muddy against the grey. I would have gone with lots of lighter wood and primary colours – the latter are so easy to use in accents and smaller furniture (like bedside tables) and wouldn’t look out of pllace against the white/grey.
This home is very incohensive… I understand the need to have uniqueness and not bland gray sad beige boringness, but there is nothing pulling any of this together. You can mix and match wood tones but there are none of the same, they’re all random in here, the undertones do not match at all. None of the furniture carry any sort of matching style elements. You should choose one or two or even three but this is just random. Open shelving is for a certain type a, OCD person who will always be organized and has beautiful things to display. Otherwise put cabinet doors on those shelves to avoid the cluttery look.
I do not like gray as a color. I hate it when people flip a house and it’s all gray inside. I just pass them by. It only takes one picture for me to pass. We have bar stools for our countertops. I can’t get through my husbands head there’s a difference. I really enjoyed this article. It was great seeing what you could do with a place.
Loved the article! My last apartment was a big white box like this (thankfully my landlord chose warmer oak looking flooring). Rugs, teak furniture, and Ikea Ritva curtains that I hemmed with nonsew hemming tape did wonders. I also had a nice black leather corbusier style loveseat and the chrome detail fit into the white box vibe while keeping things interesting.
When painting an apartment, I recommend running a line of the green paint tape around the edge of the walls, painting the edge of that tape with a white paint that matches the wall, and then adding the interesting color. Reason 1 – you don’t have to worry about getting paint everywhere. Reason 2 – when you move, you don’t have to worry about the details. Just roll the flat space back to white, and you’re done!
I remember in a article long ago you said something about ignoring your grey floors and warming it up and honestly that’s when it all came together. My place is so cozy now. I also use a lot of vintage & danish teak pieces throughout because that wood tone is the absolute best. I’m also lucky enough that the place isn’t actually boring (80s loft w/ skylgihts) but the floors suck.
I’d just like to add to the fengshui of bed position. The principal is that you should place the bed against a solid wall. In fengshui this provides comfort and peace of mind, in knowing that no one would come at you from behind. Also you don’t want to place the bed where the door is right next to the head of the bed. This is for privacy reasons as well as health reasons. Hope this helps.
It’s cool to hear and see how you interpret what needs to be done to make a sterile, boring place more interesting. I don’t know if you’ve done this, but I would love to see you somehow take us on a “tour” of some really cool apartments — the polar opposite of the basic boring apartments that people make when they obliterate all the vintage stuff in favor of making things insipid and uninspired, and tell us what makes you love these places.
Places like that are a nightmare for me because 1. I really dislike grey and 2, they just feel so devoid of character. I understand you can add character with your own things, but still, there’s just something about them that will always just feel bleh to me. Especially if it’s like grey flooring and cabinetry.