Studio apartment ideas to make your humble abode look more homey and less closety.

When you’re living it up in an itty bitty space, every inch counts—which is why you need every quirky decorating tip you can get your hands on, amiright? Of course I am. And best of all, the smallest changes to your pad can make the biggest difference without costing a fortune.

Here, 11 handy studio apartment ideas will make your home feel much roomier:

1. Go long

Making your apartment look taller will also make it feel larger. Hang a pair of long curtains that start at the ceiling, or setup a tall bookcase to accentuate height and give you more storage space.

2. Use pops of color

While many experts say white’s the way to go in a small space, it can also feel like a total yawn. Sprinkle small pops of color throughout your place, such as a bright backsplash in your kitchen and a vibrant light fixture above your dining table: Doing so will keep your pad clean and simple, while making each area feel like a separate entity.

3. Hide your cords

Phone chargers, TV, and Ethernet cables are the absolute worst, which is why it’s uber-important to find savvy ways to conceal them and keep your closet—er, I mean, apartment—clutter-free.

4. Buy a tall table

Since a dining room table is typically the size of a studio apartment, buy a tall bistro set instead, or a funky bar table that you can put against the wall and roll out on a moment’s notice. Speaking of which…

5. Mobilize your furniture

Putting your furniture on casters will make it super easy to rearrange items as needed—for example, when you have overnight guests or your mom’s popping by for her annual health inspection.

6. Hide your jewelry behind artwork

Sure, hanging your jewelry on the wall declutters your dresser, but then your wall looks too busy. Consider hanging a piece of artwork in front of your jewelry (behind a piece of canvas art is the perfect hiding place).

7. Foldable everything

Consider investing in convenient foldable furniture, such as a bed, table, or desk, that you can quickly fold up when it’s not in use.

8. Don’t forget your corners

As tempted as you probably are to just toss plants in every corner, you can also use the space to create a cozy reading nook or extra storage with a subtle corner shelf.

9. Get your float on

Instead of buying a run-of-the-mill nightstand, buy wall-mounted one instead. The same goes for using floating shelves over regular shelves. It’s the perfect way to increase storage without cluttering up your floor.

10. Divide your space

There are plenty of unique dividers out there to make it feel like you have separate rooms—you can even use a shelving unit to pull double-duty as both a divider and extra storage. If you prefer open concept, use floor coverings to define each space instead.

11. Invest in a loft-style bed

Growing up, you didn’t call dibs on the top bunk for nothing. Not only would a loft-style bed offer you more privacy, but depending on the style, you’d barely lose an inch of floorspace. Cha. Ching. Bonus: Your sleeping space won’t be in direct view when you have company, making it more aesthetically pleasing.

What are your go-to studio apartment ideas?

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Small apartment image via Shutterstock

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Effortless room decor ideas to spruce up your home for the holidays.

When you have company coming during the holidays, feelings of excitement and panic simultaneously strike – especially if it’s been a while since you’ve spruced up your humble abode. I mean, if you’ve got family and friends coming who you haven’t seen in a few years and your home looks exactly the same, it’s time to kick things up a notch. Or seven.

The good news is, you can do a lot with a little. There are plenty of room decor ideas that will make your home look completely different without draining your bank account in the process. Best of all, the changes themselves only take minutes at a time.

Here are 14 effortlessly chic room decor ideas to spruce up your home in no time:

1. Take all of your accessories out of the room you’re revamping and put them in a box. Use a critical eye and only put the ones back that will have the most impact.
2. Focus on the details: Unique picture frames, coasters, mementos, candles – anything that will make your room pop.
3. Update your lampshades with ones that are interesting shapes or bold colors.
4. Depending on the weather in your area, take a walk and pick up some seasonal accents for your home – pinecones, pebbles, shells – and incorporate them into your room decor ideas.
5. Line your windowsills with plants. Paint the pots to coordinate with your room’s color scheme.
6. Replace the drawer and cabinet pulls in your kitchen, bathroom and on your furniture with some unique vintage finds.
7. Take all of the furniture and accessories out of the room and revamp your space with a clean slate. You never know what room decor ideas will strike as you’re staring at that empty room’s potential.
8. Invest in area rugs. They don’t have to be anything fancy – in fact, the more vintage, the better. They’re an inexpensive way to make a bold statement in any room, and they have a knack for making the furniture surrounding them look new again.
9. Take all of your paintings and pictures down and move them to different walls – or rooms.
10. Paint your front door a cheerful, welcoming color. If you’re an apartment dweller, hanging a festive wreath can be just as warm and inviting.
11. Twinkle lights are an inexpensive way to add cozy ambiance to any room, not to mention they’re the perfect way to spread some Christmas cheer.
12. Replace your shower curtain and curtain hooks for an instant bathroom refresh.
13. Change up your snapshots and showcase them in lively frames to create oodles of conversation-starters once your company arrives.
14. You can never go wrong with pillows. They’re one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to add texture and pattern to a room while making it look like an entirely new space.

Which room decor ideas help you prepare for company?

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If you’re looking for apartment decorating ideas that will inject more personality into your space, why not give kitsch a try?

There are two types of people in the world: Those who are kitsch-obsessed, and those who… well, aren’t. Kitsch is thought to be cheap, tacky, and over-the-top, which can be true – if you use it wrong. Done wrong, your home will look like a carnival. But done right, it’s the perfect way to add character and whimsy at a super-reasonable price.

If you want to kitsch and tell, go for it! It’s very “Gilmore Girls” (Remember Lorelai’s fuzzy alarm clock? Those were the days.) Here are apartment decorating ideas to keep in mind before you take the plunge:

Keep collections together
This is true of all apartment decorating ideas, whether you use kitsch or not: Collections always look best in clusters, as opposed to being scattered throughout your home. And if they’re a collection of complementary colors, even better.

Display in unlikely places
Use kitsch as a hint of surprise in each room. For example, use kitschy items as bookends, or retro bowls instead of planters. A friend of mine used a roll of ticket stubs as a pedestal for one of her plants, and it looked ah-mazing.

Mix old with new
Also, use kitsch from different eras so it doesn’t look like you’ve stepped into a time machine.

Make sure it suits your personality
Don’t buy kitsch for the sake of it – only buy kitschy items that really suit your personality. For example, when brainstorming apartment decorating ideas for my own, I decided against vintage advertisements. As much as I love them, they don’t suit my personality. Vintage movie posters on the other hand – bam, perfection.

If you’re looking for inspiration, here are 13 pieces of kitsch that will never get old (at least, I hope not):

1. Hello Kitty
You’re never too old for Hello Kitty.

2. Dogs Playing Poker
The first thing that goes into every man cave.

3. Kit-Cat Clocks
They’re so ugly they’re adorable. According to their official website, someone has bought a Kit-Cat clock every three minutes for the last 50 years!

4. Pink Flamingos
But just one.

5. Vintage Advertisements
The more ridiculous the advertisement, the better.

6. Typewriters
Nothing tugs at a writer’s heartstrings more, am I right?

7. Fuzzy Dice
They’re practically a rite of passage when you get your license.

8. Lava Lamps
I know, I know, but I just can’t help myself.

9. Polaroids
I don’t care how fancy schmancy cameras become – nothing beats a retro Polaroid pic.

10. Coffee Mugs
It’s crazy, but true: Your entire personality can be defined by your favorite coffee mug.

11. Telephones
Could you imagine the week it would take to call someone using a rotary dial? Sigh.

12. Perfume Bottles
Use the atomizer to feel like a 1950s starlet. And don’t forget the tassels! There must be tassels.

13. Tin Signs
These are basically the only way you’ll get your guy to board the kitsch train.

Do you love kitsch? What apartment decorating ideas would you recommend to newbies?

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