Decorating a studio can be a challenge. You are dealing with small spaces and little storage, and you are usually dealing with a small budget as well!
Here are some great low cost tips for maximizing that small living space while minimizing the damage to your wallet!
*Create dual use furniture. A twin bed pushed against a wall can easily double as a sofa during the day. Add bolster pillows for armrests, and a row of throw pillows along the back to lean against. A small dining table can double as a work desk, and short bookshelves can make wonderful end tables!
*Pick up colorful wire baskets or wastebaskets from the dollar shop and screw them to the bathroom wall or hang them over the shower rod with a shower ring for storing all your makeup, sundries, and personal items.
*Pick up inexpensive door mirrors from the discount store, and mount them on walls or doors facing the living area. It will visually expand the space. Try making them part of a wall arrangement with framed prints to help them blend into your décor.
*Keep clutter under wraps! Hang fabric over cluttered bookshelves or entertainment centers, keep the toaster under the counter, and have a basket or drawer to store those little items you use every day.
*Let's face it, no decorating trick is ever going to make a studio seem like a mansion…so why not just work with it? Add a cozy feeling with bright colors, and your place will at once feel homey and interesting. Add bright throw pillows, cushions for the dining chairs, and a collection of framed art on the walls.
*Small throw rugs can help define different areas in a small space. If you use several rugs in the room, have them match in color to create flow and expand the space.
*Don't have any art for your new place? Tight budgets call for creative thinking. Pick up 12 matching frames at the dollar shop, and frame anything from CD covers, to cut outs from magazines or catalogs to brightly colored fabric. Arrange in rows gallery style on your focal wall, and you have art! No matter what you frame, placing it in matching frames in an organized grouping gives it importance.
*Keep accessories in the room to a minimum, in a space that small, everyday kitsch will just clutter the room. Keep your decorative objects to one or two sentimental items, and make your décor count on the walls.
*Remember, decorating a studio should be no different from any other space in the sense that it needs to be home for you, despite constraints of space or budget . So use a little creativity, pare down your possessions, and remember that less is more.
Kathy Wilson is an author, columnist and editor of The Budget Decorator. For thousands of free budget home decorating ideas, visit her at http://www.TheBudgetDecorator.com . |
