How to decorate a 350 sq ft apartment?

How would you decorate a small studio 350 square feet apartment? I’m leaving the mixed-rural suburbs for the city because it’s closer or more convenient to grocery, deliveries, my doctors, theater performances and museums. If I need assistance in the future with my daily needs, transportation would be easier for those that work in the home care field. So I’m packing a few large bags of clothes, 4 bags of miscellaneous items, have computer and printer, and have given or will give everything else away as it’s old as in ready to be tossed, or too big. I do not have a picture, but the living area (separate from bathroom and kitchen) is 15x15. What colors would make it seem not so boxed in? My present bed is old so it’s going to not come with me. How do I make this small city unit (in a beautiful area!) feel and look great? Thanks for suggestions. 🙂
My apartment is a 338 square feet studio but my kitchen is separate. I love colors so I decorated it with colorful curtains and rugs (that I put over the carpeting because of my pet rabbit). The first thing a new visitor says when they come in my apartment is that they love my curtains. I used Pinterest to find ideas for my apartment before I moved in. I did the same thing you are doing, moving from a country home to the downtown of a small city. I have had to prioritize safety first due to mobility issues. Pieces of furniture that can be used for storage are important in a small space.
 

Thanks Honey. I think I’d love to have a recliner. They can be huge, but I’d spend much of the early evening in it most likely. I likely would not sit much on the sofa. The sofa I have now is nice, but sits so low it’s a chore to get up! 😂
Do you find that the hotel rent is as expensive as the Apts? I learned of someone who lived on a cruise ship much of the year- those cabins are tiny- unless she had a suite.
I bought a recliner for my small apartment. It is not huge, Lazy Boy's Wall Recliner. They have many styles.
 
IMO it’s more about what you don’t take.

I would take a few things that have special meaning for me, a minimal amount of clothing and essential household items.

Beyond that, a comfortable chair, side table, twin bed, small dresser, television, a small table with two chairs, and a small bookcase for my treasures.

A fresh coat of enamel paint is a great way to tie a group of furniture together and make it disappear into the background.

IMO the most important thing about living in a small place is keeping it neat and clean. Things can go downhill quickly in a small place and become depressing if you don’t make the effort to keep it fresh.

Good luck with this new chapter in your life.

Please keep us posted, we can all benefit from your experience in creating a cozy little home.
Aunt Bea- thank you. I am taking exactly those things as I think about what you wrote! I am even thinking instead of paying movers to move these older things, I could get new items. I am excited and will send pictures once it’s set up. I am not moving until late September. Will send update!
 

My apartment is a 338 square feet studio but my kitchen is separate. I love colors so I decorated it with colorful curtains and rugs (that I put over the carpeting because of my pet rabbit). The first thing a new visitor says when they come in my apartment is that they love my curtains. I used Pinterest to find ideas for my apartment before I moved in. I did the same thing you are doing, moving from a country home to the downtown of a small city. I have had to prioritize safety first due to mobility issues. Pieces of furniture that can be used for storage are important in a small space.
That’s wonderful Katlupe! The city provides a great deal of convenience especially as we age and mobility becomes an issue. I think curtains would make the studio more homelike so yes! I’ll look for some online! Exciting!
 
Carefully! Your space is about 50sf bigger than mine, and I'd love to have "all" that extra space ;) Measure measure measure and carry the measurements with you when shopping for anything.

Floating shelves help. Pieces that can do double-duty, like a twin bed (get a really good mattress) with matching cover and bolsters so that it looks like a sofa when you're not sleeping on it. TV on the wall. If you have space for a coffee table or occasional tables, try to find some that are glass. Being able to see through them makes it feel like you have more space. A dining table with sides that fold down with folding chairs that get stored between the folded-down sides.
 
Carefully! Your space is about 50sf bigger than mine, and I'd love to have "all" that extra space ;) Measure measure measure and carry the measurements with you when shopping for anything.

Floating shelves help. Pieces that can do double-duty, like a twin bed (get a really good mattress) with matching cover and bolsters so that it looks like a sofa when you're not sleeping on it. TV on the wall. If you have space for a coffee table or occasional tables, try to find some that are glass. Being able to see through them makes it feel like you have more space. A dining table with sides that fold down with folding chairs that get stored between the folded-down sides.
Ikea do fold down table with chairs like that.... some like this one also has drawers for storing tablewear... and further to that the table could double as a desk...
norden-terje-table-and-2-folding-chairs-white-white__1051006_pe844942_s5.jpg


https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/norden-gateleg-table-birch-90423887/

Wayfair have them too...
 
That’s wonderful Katlupe! The city provides a great deal of convenience especially as we age and mobility becomes an issue. I think curtains would make the studio more homelike so yes! I’ll look for some online! Exciting!
to make it feel airy..as long as you're not overlooked.. go for Blinds which can be raised to let a lot of light in... and Voile curtains.. also to let the light through.. dark colours will completely overwhelm a small room..
 
Carefully! Your space is about 50sf bigger than mine, and I'd love to have "all" that extra space ;) Measure measure measure and carry the measurements with you when shopping for anything.

Floating shelves help. Pieces that can do double-duty, like a twin bed (get a really good mattress) with matching cover and bolsters so that it looks like a sofa when you're not sleeping on it. TV on the wall. If you have space for a coffee table or occasional tables, try to find some that are glass. Being able to see through them makes it feel like you have more space. A dining table with sides that fold down with folding chairs that get stored between the folded-down sides.
Brilliant ideas! I love the glass table idea! Fold down table is perfect for dining! The tv on wall is really a good idea! How do you like your unit? I think I would love mine as the area is beautiful with many amenities. The living space should be planned out with thought. Good idea to measure while shopping!
 
A small space needs lots of imagination, and can be fun to get organized.
Dual purpose furniture and shelving units help, along with any built-ins that come with the unit.
(my office area has a built-in desk with overhead shelves that run wall to wall)

Get some pretty woven baskets in different sizes! ... for decorating, and use for storing things around...
Also there are many closet tricks to minimize how things are stored.

Like mentioned above, there are websites that can give inspiration. Good Luck in the move!

For colors, my choice is light and bright colors ... but everyone has their own preference.
 
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@Aprilbday12 My "unit" is in the back of DD's garage so was built to my specs with the help of my brother and sister-in-law. He was a contractor and she was a designer for Home Depot.

Sitting room and bedroom are not quite 10x10, and the door from sitting room to bedroom is a pocket door so as not to waste any wall space. My kitchen was an office used by the original owner of the house. A section of one end was walled off to make a walk-in closet. On the other end is where the water heater was to start with so it was just walled off to make it into a utility closet. DD's house already had a half bath, and it was converted to include a shower. A door from the bath leads into DD's back hall and laundry room. There's a separate entrance from the kitchen to a small patio.

My sitting room has only a sofa, the kind with a chaise that can be moved from one end to the other. There's a shelf that's 11" deep behind the sofa and is mounted just above the back of the sofa to hold a lamp on each end and a few odd bits like books and a couple of pictures. The wall across from the sofa is only 14" deep and 70" long and has two free-standing 35" wide bookcases with the TV wall mounted above them.

There's also a door that I don't use that leads to the garage from the sitting room to the garage. I hung a curtain there to hide the door. It gives the illusion of a window.

DD has said many times that my kitchen is way nicer than hers.
 
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@Aprilbday12 My "unit" is in the back of DD's garage so was built to my specs with the help of my brother and sister-in-law. He was a contractor and she was a designer for Home Depot.

Sitting room and bedroom are not quite 10x10, and the door from sitting room to bedroom is a pocket door so as not to waste any wall space. My kitchen was an office used by the original owner of the house. A section of one end was walled off to make a walk-in closet. On the other end is where the water heater was to start with so it was just walled off to make it into a utility closet. DD's house already had a half bath, and it was converted to include a shower. A door from the bath leads into DD's back hall and laundry room. There's a separate entrance from the kitchen to a small patio.

My sitting room has only a sofa, the kind with a chaise that can be moved from one end to the other. There's a shelf that's 11" deep behind the sofa and is mounted just above the back of the sofa to hold a lamp on each end on a few odd bits like books and a couple of pictures. The wall across from the sofa is only 14" deep and has two free-standing bookcases with the TV wall mounted above them.

There's also a door that I don't use that leads to the garage from the sitting room to the garage. I hung a curtain there to hide the door. It gives the illusion of a window.

DD has said many times that my kitchen is way nicer than hers.
Georgia, the shelf behind the sofa is brilliant! Your place sounds amazing actually! You have made it work nicely! Thank you.
 
Aprilbday12, I think we're both Tauruses.? You are astute in planning ahead when you may not be as agile. I have a sofa/bed. The problem is that I can no longer drag the bed out of the sofa. It hard doing that in a wheelchair, and I just don't have the strength any more.
I am so grateful for your post!!! I have nerve issues with my hands and the sofa bed will not work out for me in the long term. I also use a mobility scooter to assist me in walking my dogs as other health issues require that. I found a wonderful new bed on Amazon! I have to sleep on air mattress until it can be delivered. But I am just now realizing that I have a rollaway bed in here- I may see if I can put in a uhaul van! Not sure if rollaway will be comfortable so I intend to try it out for the next few weeks before I move. This is tough- moving. I’m rambling on now sorry. As I age I know it would be even tougher so I am happy to be able to move now while I can. I am packing up now. It feels like so much stuff! I’ve given away a lot: exercise bike, large tv, speakers, freezer, etc. This feels like a whole new era in my life now.
 


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