Color, Color, Everywhere

The colors that you choose for your apartment are among the most significant decisions that you will have to make concerning your decor.  While it may be tempting to just leave the walls the plain beige or white that the landlord painted them, think about being a bit more creative.  If you have permission to paint the walls, choose colors that work well together and provide a calming atmosphere.  At the end of a busy day the last thing you may want is to walk into a room that is pulsing with florescent pink paint.  Instead, choose a pale, calming pink that will soothe your nerves and help you unwind after a hard day.  Soft yellows, creams, greens and blues are also beautiful choices that go well together and are easy to coordinate with fabrics and accessories.

Patterns

Pick a central pattern for your apartment’s decor.  If you like flowers, choose a floral pattern that can be carried throughout the apartment in various forms.  For instance, a sunflower pattern can be used on a pale yellow throw pillow in the living room, a pot holder in the kitchen and as the shower curtain hooks in the bathroom.  No matter what pattern you choose, make sure that it coordinates with the rest of the colors in the apartment.

Wall Decor

There are a lot of wall decor choices out there.  You can hang everything from collages of family photos to beautiful wall candle holders and both will look equally as appropriate.  When selecting wall decor, choose pieces that are versatile and well within your budget.  If you are crafty, you can even create your own picture frames or framed prints from postcards or pressed flowers.

Window Coverings

Curtains, blinds and shades are essential in a single woman’s apartment.  Even if your apartment seems to be located in a low-visibility area, give yourself the security of privacy by hanging curtains that block out peeking eyes.  Curtains and blinds will also help cut down on your heating and cooling costs by eliminating some of the draft that comes through the windows.

Lighting

Making sure your apartment has ample and easily accessible lighting is another big decorating and safety concern.  Side lamps next to living room seating are ideal, because they provide lighting for the area while also being within easy reach.  It is also a great idea to install a night light in the hallways, bathroom and kitchen.  The night lights can have the same pattern that you chose for the rest of your apartment too.

Decorating an apartment as a single woman is a fun process.  Be sure to stick within your budget and be willing to say no to spur of the moment accessories that may catch your eye.  By selecting your apartment decor carefully, you are sure to have a beautiful home.

Multi-Purpose Furniture

In a studio apartment, the most beneficial furniture pieces you can own are those with multiple purposes.  For example, a sofa that is also a bed or an ottoman that also doubles as storage for blankets and linens, are ideal because they provide two functions.  While you may not want to sleep on a sofa bed every night, having an extra spot for guests to sleep is ideal.  Multi-purpose furniture tends to be a bit more expensive than other pieces, but in a studio you do not need to buy many pieces.  What you save from not having to buy in quantity, you can put toward purchasing the perfect pieces of furniture.

Wall Colors

Depending where your studio is located in the building, it may be bright and airy or dark and dreary.  It is not uncommon to have one small window with a fire escape as your main light source in some inner city apartments.  If you are allowed to paint your studio, use colors that will brighten up the space while still providing a masculine look.  A light, cool gray is a great example of a color that will add visual interest to the walls while also brightening up the space.  You can be as funky or as sophisticated as you would like in your color scheme, but remember that you will not be able to go to another room to escape the color palette you have chosen should it become too visual intense or bland.  Take the time to paint swatches on the wall to try out different colors.  When you hang your sophisticated outdoor metal art you will be thankful you took the time.

Patterns

Most bachelors prefer modern and contemporary styles of decor.  The patterns associated with this style are usually abstract in nature.  If you would like to add a pattern or an accent color to your studio apartment, choose one that you can carry throughout the room’s decor.  A bright red accent color, for example, is a perfect choice for a room that is mainly done in blacks and grays.  It can be used in mugs hanging from under a kitchen cabinet, a table clock next to the sofa and a pillow on the side chair.  Patterns can be used the same way.  Use them throughout the room in small bursts.  This creates a feeling of continuity while also creating visual interest in the space.

Decorating your new bachelor pad is a fun and exciting experience.  It allows you to think outside the box and use colors and patterns that reflect your style and personality.  Do not be afraid to step up to a more sophisticated and less dorm room like style of decorating.  Your studio apartment may be small, but with the proper colors and some clever uses of furniture, you can make it seem a lot larger than it actually is.

Wall Covering

Paint is the most traditional wall covering and the low odor paints that are currently on the market make it easy to protect the environment inside while also being beneficial to the environment outside.  The paint comes in a variety of colors, from common bright tones to the earthy hues that are perfect for a natural decor.  To create a peaceful feel, choose a color that has warm undertones and calming appeal.  Sage greens, sea blues and even calm lavenders are all great choices for adding color to the space in a natural, unobtrusive way.  These colors also make excellent backdrops for natural wreaths and turtles metal wall art that can accentuate the calming feel of the room.

Furniture

The furniture in the guest bedroom should be as calming as the wall color.  Bold, geometric designs have no place in a room intended to be a natural, earth friendly haven for guests.  Instead, choose a low-profile bed that is comfortable and well-made.  A side table and dresser are also required for convenience and comfort.  Do not forget to include a comfortable chair where guests can sit to have a quiet moment after the day’s events.  Generally speaking, the furniture should be understated and simple in design.

Bedding and Linens

Natural, organic cotton bedding and linens are excellent options for a natural guest bedroom design.  Against a colored wall, white sheets and comforters not only look stunning, but also provide a feel of relaxation that busy prints or patterns cannot achieve.  If you have chosen a white or cream color for the room’s walls, purchase organic bedding in a soft, muted color that evokes a sense of calmness.  Warm, pale colors are the best at portraying a feeling of relaxation.

Wall Decor

Multi-functional wall decor is the best option for a nature inspired guest room, because it combines practicality with beauty.  For example, butterfly metal wall hangings with votive candle holders are a beautiful choice for accenting walls with light and charm.  A tree wall sculpture would also have the same affect and help to incorporate the feel of nature in the room.

Do not discount the powerful impact that nature inspired decor can have on a guest’s ability to relax and be at peace in an unfamiliar setting.  By taking the time to include natural elements and calming colors in the room’s decor, you create a space that friends and family will love to visit.  Simple designs, natural colors and multi-functional pieces can be the key to unlocking nature’s influence in your guest room decor.

Finding a great way to decorate an apartment for a couple or single person is hard enough, but add children into the mix and decorating takes on a whole new dimension.  Apartment decorating for families is more about creative and stylish storage than it is about the newest styles of art or contemporary design.

That being said, there is no reason why unique and clever decor cannot be added to the mix.

Room by Room

When starting to design decor for a family apartment, break the design down room by room.  Each room of the apartment will, most likely, serve several purposes and should be designed accordingly.  From the bathroom to the bedroom to the small alcove where the washer and dryer are nestled, each space should work for the family’s needs and accommodate their lifestyle.  By working from room to room, it will be easier to achieve a cohesive and efficient design.

Unique Style with a Common Theme

Another trick for bringing a family’s apartment decor into rhythm is to create a common theme among the rooms.  While the decor does not have to be the same, including a common symbol or color into each room’s design will smooth the transition from space to space.  Have the family choose a theme that they love.  It could be a fish theme that they adore because of a whimsical fish wall sculpture that they brought home after a trip to the beach, for example.  That fish theme can then show up in a fish spoon rest in the kitchen, or as a fun fish shaped soap in the bathroom.  By creating one common theme, the apartment will feel much more relaxing and harmonious.

Storage Solutions

High shelves, under-the-bed storage boxes and multi-purpose furniture are on the list of must-haves for designing a family’s apartment home.  Look at every container as a possible storage find and consider how it can be integrated into a room’s decor.  By placing shelves high on the wall, close to the ceiling, extra storage space is created for off-season clothing, linens and personal items.  Baskets that can be slid under side tables or the coffee table are excellent spots for children’s books and toys.  Give each item in the apartment, especially toys, its own space, so that there is no confusion over where it belongs when the children are done playing with it.

Bring the Outdoors In

If your apartment includes a patio, make it part of your living space. Comfortable furniture with weather-resistant fabrics, colorful potted plants and stylish wall decor, like outdoor wall clocks and fish wall sculpture, will carry the indoor theme to the outdoors and make your patio space as inviting as the living room. Having a patio for relaxation can make apartment living much more pleasant for the entire family.

Even with the challenges of limited space and multiple tastes to account for, designing an apartment decor for a family can be done.  Adapt to the needs of the family and think outside of the box to design a space that is both child-friendly and parent-approved.

1. Wallpapered & Hand-Painted Hallways (DIY Inspiration)

If you want to take on a smallish project this month, how about wallpapering or painting your hallway? For those who want to bring color and/or pattern into their homes but don’t know where to start, the hallway is a great place to begin. _ _

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2. Small Apartment Interior Decorating Ideas with 2 Bedrooms

This apartment built in a 55 square meters (sqm) areas, consists of 2 bedroom, a kitchen and walls, its holds magnificent apartment feel with a fireplace, beautiful stucco, parquet flooring rod, pair doors and generous ceiling with 3.50 of height.

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3. Small Cool 2009: Arzee’s Urban Jungle Oasis

“It’s hard to choose an item that I like more than the rest but I do believe my two large paintings add a lot of character to the apartment. I spent a week just making the frames and stretching the canvas (having never done it before) and the painting itself took almost a year. ”

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4. Small Apartment with a Spacious Feeling

This apartment was designed by Stanley Tham of KNQ Associates for a couple staying in a condominium in Leicester Road, Singapore. This apartment is a great example of how you can give a spacious and cosy feeling to a small apartment.

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5. Swedish Inspiration: Turning a Small Apartment into a Gemstone

What is it that exact thing that makes a home worth millions? It’s probably a subjective answer but since we’re here how about taking a look at this small apartment at Kastell Street 13, in Gotheborg’s Linnestaden area. Spectacular views,  a mind-blowing interior and magnificent architecture, they’re all crammed in this 65 meter square apartment attic.

6. URBIA – An Amazing Small Apartment Furniture System

Urbia is a unique concept from OBRA Architects that takes urban living to new heights. Urbia is an amazing furniture system designed to convert a small apartment into a well designed place. This concept focuses on specialized space planning that takes into account the layout of an apartment and creates a custom design for it.

7. Beautiful and Practical Tiny Apartment Interior Design

If you want to see a great example of small space interior design then welcome to this bright and well planned apartment that exudes peace and quiet, despite its central location in the middle of Vaasa. The apartment rooms are well planned and each square meter used in the best possible way.

8. Small Space Gallery: White-Walled Bedrooms

Say you’ve got a small apartment AND landlord prescribed white walls. Don’t despair – as we’ve all heard many times, going with white walls can make a small space feel larger and more inviting.

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9. Beautiful 35 mp One Room Apartment with Kitchen

What you are going to see today here on Freshome is a beautiful 35 mp small apartment that looks awesome and it would be ideal for a student. Total refurbished and very well planned with one bed and a large lovely balcony on the west this apartment is something small but really nice.

10. Small Apartment, Huge Amounts of Storage

Parasite Studio’s appropriately named White Studio apartment is as crisp and clean as brand new linen sheets, with elements of neoplasticism’s philosophy of reduction of both form and colour to the essentials.

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11. House Tour: Monika’s Evolving Experiment

Queeste Architecten designed a beautiful 30 square metre apartment, that includes a kitchen, bathroom, toilet, and living and sleeping space. I know that 30 square metre is a very small apartment, but look at these pictures, because they managed to do a great job with this limited space.

12. Small Apartments(Lofts) Interior Design Ideas

In these days more and more people live in small apartments, because the prices for buying or renting an apartment are higher and higher every year. Now the most challenging issue with living in a small apartment is not the size of the apartment itself, but all the things you have to organize in a small place.

The design of this 49 sqm apartment in Barcelona got inspired from Japanese origami art. One wall which separate all functions of the apartment made with this style in mind and that is enough. When the designer create the wall the apartment already had a shell of simple concrete walls. Some parts of ceiling are still uncovered so futuristic design also has rustic touches.

2 Cream and Black Apartment Design

Steve Leung, interior designer, he created his modern minimalist style at apartement in Hong Kong. His design really unique with combination of natural contemporary style and natural materials. This interior apartement shown designer sensitiveness in using modern concept in natural packaging. Natural impression created homey, comfortable, and intimate atmosphere. And also appear elegant image which shown on wooden wood accent, black and white color for room accessories and fixtures.

3 Interior Design Ideas from Tori Golub

Many people who lives in the downtown neighborhoods, choosing loft (small apartment) as their dwelling, its because the apartment price every year raise higher and higher, but its no matter where you live with the well furniture organized you can create a ‘wide’ space even you live in small apartment. They are looking for any inspiration to decorate their small apartment so they can live comfortable and enjoyable in the limited space.

4 Floating Bedroom Design for Small Apartment

Here’s the other way for space saving solution on small apartment, the floating bedroom which can be placed at the place so as to fit out an open plan and elude the demand of an extra room by conceiving in the center of the volume a suspended white cube which generates comic and disconcerting use situations.

5 Small Apartment With Sense Of Glow & Curiosity

NYC
462 SF + Sleeping Loft 56 SF= 518 SF Studio
Victor & Soeun V.

“We love New York City, but we do not like the filth and the crowed conditions. We set out to make a small loft space seem clean, uncluttered, and open. Our concept word was cityscape. Our intention was to bring the romantic aspects of New York City into the design, such as glowing buildings at night or a sense of discovery that one feels as to what may lie around the next corner.”

“Our favorite element in the home is probably the washer/dryer tucked away in a translucent closet. Few people in New York City have a washer/dryer in their apartments.”

6 Small Space Solution

Architect Philippe Harden’s loft is 13 meters (about 42 feet) from end to end, with a total area of 57 square meters (around 613 sq. feet). Not big, in fact, it could easily fit within the dimensions of our Small Cool contest rules. In addition to looking great, it is filled with good ideas for maximizing space.

Harden removed the interior doors and walls in the unit to maximize the flow of the space and to allow him to redefine the “rooms”. An oversized framed mirror helps to visually extend the main living space.

7 “One Space” David and IM’s

Name: David and Im
Location: Downtown San Diego, California
Size: 426 Sq/ft Loft (rental)

Christopher Coleman - apartment design

Christopher Colman is an architect from Brooklyn, New York. He characterizes his style as “eclectic, colorful and modern. He is noted for his use of industrial and slick materials which create dazzling textural interest.” Now that you know a little about the designer, here is some of his work that got him the up-mentioned prestige. The pictures below are taken in an apartment located in Manhattan. The overall feeling is that of purity and space. Glass is a predominant item, which makes the place look very “shiny” and alive. Notice how the colors really freshen up the crib and  check out how tastefully they are chosen.  – via 1 and 2

Christopher Coleman - apartment design living

Christopher Coleman - apartment design | kitchen

Christopher Coleman - apartment design | kitchen

“Christopher Coleman defines his style as eclectic, colorful and modern. He is noted for his use of industrial and slick materials which create dazzling textural interest. He has passion for creating spaces with a graphic simplicity of clean lines, mixing shapes and sizes, but always with a sense of humor.”

Christopher Coleman - apartment design | lounge

Christopher Coleman - apartment design | red wall

Via FresHome

This may be a case where the old adage: “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” doesn’t necessarily apply. Agreeing to “update” one of renowned DC architect, Hugh Newell Jabobsen’s, structures takes some guts, but the team at Apartment Zero proved to be up for the challenge, and thanks to Washington Spaces we get to see the result…

The young couple who hired Douglas Burton of Apartment Zero and his team to take on the iconic McLean, Virginia’s home’s interiors were devoted to the idea of preserving Jacobsen’s vision for the home. With that in mind, they did not endeavor a full renovation. Rather their updates were chosen to enhance the already beautiful architecture. In one room wall to wall carpet was replaced with a white marble floor (picture 2), an unfinished lofted space was completed to mirror an existing office space reached by the original orange spiral staircase (picture 4), and each room was painted bright white with one dominant accent color rather than several busy punches so as not to compete with the remarkable architecture.

When Mr. Jacobsen created the home, on of his goal’s was to infuse the space with light even though it was in the middle of a densely forested area. The crisp white interiors, clean-lined modern furniture, and brilliant spots of bold color throughout that the Apartment Zero team added certainly respect and heighten the light-drenched effect. Equally important is the approval of Mr. Jacobsen himself who is reported to have been delighted to have the deft Apartment Zero folks “lay hands on [his] work.”

Check out more pictures of the remarkable home and the full Washington Spaces article by Jennifer Sergent here.

via AT

Attic renovations are not in a lot of people’s favorites lists. The unusual angles make it really hard for one to come up with furniture ideas that would fit in weird places and sometimes maintenance can raise more problems than in a usual apartment.

The Atticus apartment project belongs to  Studio Damilano and is actually a make-over of an old attic space.

Every single room in this chic apartment amazes due to its great design and modern furniture approaches. Even though the space (240 sqm) is not as large as we got you used to here on Freshome, the two bedrooms, living room, two bathrooms and kitchen are more than enough for a great living.

-via Freshome