Newbie question for renters/apartment dwellers

polichik

For those of you that rent, how have you made your space feel like your own? Have certain things been worth it or not worth it, like painting or mounting shelves to a wall? If anyone is a fellow studio dweller, any tips on arranging furniture to make your one room feel like it has separate living spaces?

DH and I have been in our studio for about a year and a half, and I'm really itching to redecorate/move things around. I know part of the issue is that our furniture was all chosen for price/from Goodwill, so it doesn't coordinate well and feels like a bit of a mishmash. It just feels cluttered and chaotic :P

bklyn10910

DH and I moved from a 1 bedroom to a studio in September.  We moved into a more fun, more expensive neighborhood, and into a "luxury" building, so we couldn't afford a 1 bedroom here, lol. I actually feel like our studio is more spacious than our one bedroom was, due to the open layout and high ceilings.  We're in a loft building, and have 18 ft ceilings, which really open up the space.

One of the best things that we did to optimize space was to buy a loft bed.  Since our ceilings are so high, we have plenty of space to sit up, etc.  It really feels like its its own little room when we're up in bed!

My husbands computer/office area is under the bed, and he plays his video games there, so it doesn't bother me when he stays up late. We got a kitchen island that helps divide the kitchen area from the living space.  Our TV is up against the foot of our bed, and our couch is up against the wall facing the tv.  We actually have a better distance between our tv and couch here than we did in our old railroad style 1 bedroom!  Our old living room was small and claustrophobic, and our studio feels so much more open in comparison.

 I found that buying a rug really helped to ground our space and separate the living room area from the kitchen and bed/office area.  Hanging up photos and artwork was definitely worth it imho to make everything more home like.

I'm still working on decorating our studio (finally upgrading from all the ikea stuff we bought when we moved in together 4 years ago!), but I'd be happy to share some pics!

TheBridesMom

My daughter has lived in several studio apartments.  She had DH build a custom shelf, similar to Ikea's expedit, but taller and wider, with different width sections.  It gave her storage and privacy, since she used that to separate her 'bedroom' from the rest of the living space.  She could use it against the wall or as a divider, and found it to work in every apartment she lived in.

She liked that she could access it from both sides, and she set it up so that the backs of bins were disguised by photos or art from the other side.  If she wanted more privacy, she could hang curtains on the bedroom side.

She really misses that shelf, and was so sad to sell it before she moved to Japan.  The guy who bought it was thrilled. lol

polichik

bklyn10910:

DH and I moved from a 1 bedroom to a studio in September.  We moved into a more fun, more expensive neighborhood, and into a "luxury" building, so we couldn't afford a 1 bedroom here, lol. I actually feel like our studio is more spacious than our one bedroom was, due to the open layout and high ceilings.  We're in a loft building, and have 18 ft ceilings, which really open up the space.

One of the best things that we did to optimize space was to buy a loft bed.  Since our ceilings are so high, we have plenty of space to sit up, etc.  It really feels like its its own little room when we're up in bed!

My husbands computer/office area is under the bed, and he plays his video games there, so it doesn't bother me when he stays up late. We got a kitchen island that helps divide the kitchen area from the living space.  Our TV is up against the foot of our bed, and our couch is up against the wall facing the tv.  We actually have a better distance between our tv and couch here than we did in our old railroad style 1 bedroom!  Our old living room was small and claustrophobic, and our studio feels so much more open in comparison.

 I found that buying a rug really helped to ground our space and separate the living room area from the kitchen and bed/office area.  Hanging up photos and artwork was definitely worth it imho to make everything more home like.

I'm still working on decorating our studio (finally upgrading from all the ikea stuff we bought when we moved in together 4 years ago!), but I'd be happy to share some pics!

Believe it or not, I actually have never heard of a loft bed! Would that be similar to a single bunk bed on top, leaving a space under it? I think DH would be a big fan of it- seems like it would have a tree house/fort feel to it

 I would love to see pictures if you have them! I'm very much a visual person, so that would be great.

polichik

Halfway through reading your post, I was going to ask if she still had the shelf! Ha that guy was lucky to get it. 

hippie4yahweh

I'm not a renter any longer but I was for a long time. Area rugs are definitely worth the purchase! Take a look at your decor items- do you have a lot of small items? (small art/ vases/ figures/ whatever) I definitely fell into the "I have a tiny apartment so I need tiny decor" mentality at first but it's so wrong! If you do have a lot of little stuff wall shelves or a bookcase would be good to group them in- less scattered, more like a collection (less claustrophobic and chaotic, too). Ditch a couple of small art pieces for one big as$ piece. Or create one big gallery wall with what you already have- leaving some blank walls for balance

Do you have good lighting? Table and floor lamps were necessities in my old apartments. Plug-in pendants (especially light ones that you can fasten to the ceiling with push pins for smaller holes) are even better! (and I just learned that Target has these wireless remotes that you can use with plug-in lights so you don't have to climb under furniture to turn them on.... like I've been doing for years lol)

I'm a huge fan of textiles, too- window treatments, throw pillows, blankets (rugs too obvs) coordinating these should give you a more cohesive look. Regarding the furniture... If you don't have the cash to start completely replacing, maybe a couple of slipcovers will help the worst offenders? And/ or you could paint a couple of wood pieces the same/similar colors so they'll match better even if they're totally different styles. It doesn't sound like you're moving really soon (?) so don't be afraid of making changes to the furniture or arrangements! If it makes you happier in your home (and doesn't make you broke) it's totally worth it.

 

ETA- I typed that on my phone, fixed formatting and numerous typos whoops 

TarHeels&Rebels

While I'm in school, DH lives elsewhere for work.  This is his apartment I decorated.  I wanted the whole place to feel as much like a man cave and home as it could.  I made sure to choose a complex for him that allows painting.

It was definitely done on a budget - I think $1500 for the whole house, including dishes and towels and other basic things.  There are 2 pics with prices.

KurtsWife09

Our apt. is 800 sq. ft.  I've painted certain walls to help separate areas, one coat of killz primer will cover it right up.  I also like rugs and IKEA Expedit shelving used as room dividers.

polichik

hippie4yahweh:

I'm not a renter any longer but I was for a long time. Area rugs are definitely worth the purchase! Take a look at your decor items- do you have a lot of small items? (small art/ vases/ figures/ whatever) I definitely fell into the "I have a tiny apartment so I need tiny decor" mentality at first but it's so wrong! If you do have a lot of little stuff wall shelves or a bookcase would be good to group them in- less scattered, more like a collection (less claustrophobic and chaotic, too). Ditch a couple of small art pieces for one big as$ piece. Or create one big gallery wall with what you already have- leaving some blank walls for balance

Do you have good lighting? Table and floor lamps were necessities in my old apartments. Plug-in pendants (especially light ones that you can fasten to the ceiling with push pins for smaller holes) are even better! (and I just learned that Target has these wireless remotes that you can use with plug-in lights so you don't have to climb under furniture to turn them on.... like I've been doing for years lol)

I'm a huge fan of textiles, too- window treatments, throw pillows, blankets (rugs too obvs) coordinating these should give you a more cohesive look. Regarding the furniture... If you don't have the cash to start completely replacing, maybe a couple of slipcovers will help the worst offenders? And/ or you could paint a couple of wood pieces the same/similar colors so they'll match better even if they're totally different styles. It doesn't sound like you're moving really soon (?) so don't be afraid of making changes to the furniture or arrangements! If it makes you happier in your home (and doesn't make you broke) it's totally worth it.

 

ETA- I typed that on my phone, fixed formatting and numerous typos whoops 

I really like the idea of the art wall. Right now we have lots of little piers scattered around the apartment, and I think that adds to a lot of the clutter. We also have a TON of books, which is great, but I think it would look more streamlined if we put them all in one giant, floor-to-ceiling bookcase. 

You nailed it that I have fallen into the trap of doing too many small things! I think putting my little collectables in one area might help.  

polichik

TarHeels&Rebels:

While I'm in school, DH lives elsewhere for work.  This is his apartment I decorated.  I wanted the whole place to feel as much like a man cave and home as it could.  I made sure to choose a complex for him that allows painting.

It was definitely done on a budget - I think $1500 for the whole house, including dishes and towels and other basic things.  There are 2 pics with prices.

That's so cool! I like how you used neutrals buy a few little pops of color, like the blue cushions.