My Home Design

Easy way to makeover my apt.?

I am sick of my apt. decor and its small space, but need to keep my nice things like my couch, dining room table, etc... Any creative ideas to spruce things up to make things feel new or change it up?? Also, I have rearranged the furniture SO MANY times but usually just end up putting it back where it was.. hehe! How do you handle a small space or how can I make a fun change? Thanks for any suggestions! :)

Public Comments

1. A big wide mirror helps to give the illusion of a broader space.
2. Plants and fresh flowers. Also some leveled candles. make a space for them. I did like a fireplace. It is awesome. But remember a few green, growing plants is the ticket.
3. I am not sure if you can, but paint makes a big difference. You can also change up your accessories like art, mirrors, flowers, throw blankets, rugs, and pillows. Also, you can change the furniture a bit. I like the idea of eliminating the whole sofa - lovechair combo and replacing one of the pieces with two nice, slim, comfty chairs.
4. Try painting the walls a different color, or get slip covers for your furniture to give them a completely different look!
5. It depends on how your space is small. Vertical stripes can make space seem taller, but if you don't or can't paint, try putting up some striped blinds. If it's a short room with a tall cieling, try a long runner rug with stripes that make the room look like it's longer. Try to make sure all your furniture is a few inches above the floor because being able to see under it can add the illusion of space.
6. Pay the motivated kid next door to do it.
7. See if some of our tips will work for your small space. Clear Out the Clutter There's nothing that makes a small space feel cramped more than having too much stuff. Work out ways to get collections out of view, organized behind doors, table skirts, or on shelves. With things neatly arranged and out of sight, the space that is in view will feel orderly and open. Open the Way With furniture and accessories blocking the view into a room and out to open spaces, a room will look cramped. By moving furniture out and away from walkways, you'll open up the space and make it feel larger. You can also choose short pieces of furniture like an ottoman, an armless, open chair, or a low table, and place large, tall pieces along a wall rather than out in the open space. If you can see the floor, the room will look larger. Chooser Soft, Light Hues Whereas dark, warm colors make a space feel cozy and intimate, light, cool colors make a space feel open and airy. For optimum effect, select soft tones of blues and greens. Use a Monochromatic Color Scheme Choose colors that are in the same color family and use tone-on-tone woven upholstery fabrics, textured wall finishes, delicate tonal drapery fabrics. Cool colors and delicate warm colors on most surfaces give the room a more open look. Coordinate Wall and Furniture Colors Contrasting colors tend to break up a space. Pieces of furniture are less interrupting and tend to blend with the space if they're colored to match the wall color. Let in the Light Any room will look larger if it's well-lit, either by natural light or artificial lighting. Get rid of heavy draperies and open up the windows to let the light of the outdoors into the space. Add more lamps or install track lighting or recessed lighting. . It's curtains for you! You don't have to live with those standard-issue apartment Venetian blinds. Add a touch of drama and create a more comfortable feel with curtains. And consider the tricks you can do with curtains to make your space bigger. Hang them outside the window or even where there are no windows. Hang them floor to ceiling to create height, or have them flow from a cornice that hides the curtain rod. 2. See clearly Lucite tables or chairs and glass tops all give the impression of openness while still delivering the function you need. 3. Lighten things up Add light up, down and all around to create interest and the feeling of space. "I am a self-confessed lamp tramp," says designer Ron Marvin, a small-space expert from Small Space, Big Style. "They are the most amazing way of making a home feel warm and welcoming. Using several lamps throughout a space creates a warm glow in the room," he says. And his most important trick: Remember to put everything on a dimmer. "When you have friends over you can create a mood by dimming the lights, warming the space. It will keep your eye dancing around the room, giving the illusion that the space is larger." 4. Get on the scale Unless you're trying to make a statement with a dramatic, overstuffed couch in the room, your small space will probably feel better with moderately sized or even slightly smaller furnishings. It's all about scale. The apartments that actually look bigger with the furniture in them are those where the furnishings fit the space and yourself: "[If] you're full size, your furniture should be, too," Marvin says. "You just have to balance it. Go ahead and use a full-size sofa, but pair it with a chair that has longer legs on it, as opposed to one that goes to the ground or has a skirt on it. That will allow for more visual space." Marvin also suggests a glass coffee table to expand visual space. 5. Go curvy Because most apartments are box-like, it's fun to add some curves. Libby Langdon, a small-space consultant on HGTV's Small Space, Big Style, sees this trick a lot on the show. She suggests round tables, chairs with a curve and rugs that are either in shapes or adorned with shapes like spirals and dots. 6. Lighten up with a rug "A light rug can open up your room and make it feel larger," says Langdon. A carpet remnant that you have bound can work great. If your apartment came with stained or dark wall-to-wall carpeting, cover that up with a rug in a lighter hue. 7. Priorities, priorities Because small spaces are very limited, you need to figure out your priorities and allocate accordingly, says Marvin. Some people need a desk area, but not a dining area. Some people want a living area and would prefer a bed that folds up. "Make the space work for your needs and don't hold yourself to what is traditional in a home. It's your home." 8. Layer it Contrary to what you might think, small spaces don't have to forgo a bed with lots of linens and fabrics. Layers and an elegant mix of colors, prints and pillows can make a space seem airier and give depth to what is almost always one of the biggest pieces in the apartment, says Langdon. The layered look also equals luxe, says Marvin, and that's a small-space strategy in itself. "If your space is small, why shouldn't it resemble a luxurious hotel room?" he asks. 9. Sleep on it An old solution for cramped spaces has come back into style for good reason: Today's Murphy beds pop out of sight and look just as great when they're in use, says designer Dawn Burns-Pratt, ASID. 10. Float it Designer Jason Landau, owner of Amazing Spaces, LLC in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., loves mounting floating shelves wherever there is space. "You can either buy finished shelves at the local Crate & Barrel or, if you are feeling like Paul Bunyan that day, buy brackets, go to a lumber store and buy planks of wood (they will cut it for you into the length and width you like) and DIY," he says. Because they float, this kind of shelving adds tons of storage but looks sleek and contemporary. And then go crazy with the stacking, he says. Cookbooks, vitamins, salt and pepper shakers, teas, sweeteners, small appliances — all can be stacked and stored so that you have space to live. Anne Krueger is HGTV.com's Design Scout. She has written for In Style, This Old House, Martha Stewart Living and The New York Times.
8. The best thing is to make your apartment clutter free since it's small. Get rid of things that you don't use the most. Keep the number of things to a minimum. In your dining.. i guess you live alone.. so only keep 1 or 2 chairs along with the table. In your living room, try to have a single couch only. the smaller the better.. get rid of the center table. just leave a side table. Don't put magazines, book and some paper stuffs in your living room. Keep it to a minimum. A single couch.. a lamp.. your Entertainment set.. 2 couch pillows. put wide mirrors on your walls, it always give the illusion of a wider space in the room. Don't put to much decor (specially those tiny cute ones, they always give the impression of clutter). Don't be afraid to throw things away. Picture frames are usually good.. but in your case 1 or 2 is enough.. Get your most favorite at least. Remember.. the keypoint here is "Minimality" in every room.. you should be able to count things to be less than 10 the most. Experiment on what things that should be removed or that will stay. again... remember "Minimality".. the less things the better. GOOD LUck!!
9. One thing I have heard is to make a room appear larger than it is, hang a mirror up. Also, what colors do you like? Maybe adding new throw pillows on your couch, and maybe a blanket or afgan across a chair, with different colors than what you have now would help change it a bit. Maybe get some inexpensive pictures to hang on the walls for something different as well. Personally, I like to watch HGTV for decorative ideas. I live in an apt. as well, and can't change the wall colors, but I can change furniture around, do different colors, etc. with what I do have. Hope this helps answer your question. Take care.