How to Live Comfortably in a Small Apartment: 4 Important Principles

Even in the smallest apartment by area, you can feel comfortable and free. And this does not always depend on expensive decoration.

Designer Diana Balashova shared her thoughts on this topic with us.

1. Abandoning the unnecessary

To rationally use the already limited square meters, you first need to get rid of the unnecessary. As soon as you buy new clothes, you should remove the old ones. You bought new plates — give the old ones to good hands. This should be done with all things you haven't used for a long time or don't plan to use in the future.

Designer Anna Zueva

It is also advisable to move away from traditional furniture arrangement. A sofa with armchairs and a cabinet with dishes and souvenirs facing each other is an outdated approach.

A washing machine does not have to stand in the bathroom, window sills can replace a reading sofa, and an TV screen can perfectly fulfill the role of a monitor.

2. Multi-functional furniture

Transformable furniture should perform as many functions as possible and occupy as little space as possible. However, in practice, a sofa-bed is uncomfortable for sleeping, and a sofa-bookcase is only used a couple of times a year for guests. That is why it's better to buy a regular bed and a quality mattress.

Designer Anna Zueva

3. Inappropriate decorations

In small apartments, stylistic tricks like mixing baroque and art deco are inappropriate. This approach can only load the space even more, and in the end, pompous decoration in a tiny one-bedroom flat will look out of place. Frescoes with Italian landscapes, large candelabras, and bohemian curtains are more suitable for a cottage.

For small apartments, proportionality and unity are critically important, so it is advisable to decorate them in a single color scheme, with minimal options for finishing and built-in furniture.

Designer Ekaterina Kozlova

4. Small wardrobes

Storage systems in studios are at the top of the list. However, overdoing it with them is also not advisable. For example, items on platforms are simply inconvenient to reach, and they will gather dust there for years. But a compact wardrobe with built-in furniture will fix the situation.

To make interior items visually dissolve in space, they should be custom-made according to one concept. This will help eliminate the feeling of clutter and add airiness.

Designer David Aksenov