How big should living spaces be?
Living spaces differ from town to town and country to country. It largely depends on the ratio between the country’s population and the size of its borders. The largest houses and living spaces are found in Australia, where the average home being an average of 2,500 square feet. Meanwhile, in the densely populated but small city of Hong Kong, the average home is a cramped 500 square feet.
Apartments are another matter entirely. According to engineers, apartments should have between 100 and 500 square feet per person. This can be a little tight, especially in an apartment or condo near dense cities with smaller square footage.
When you buy your first apartment, unless you’ve been particularly fortunate, it’s going to be a small place. You need to be smart about how you furnish it if you want to make the most out of the space. You should also be wary of conserving your budget by making wise purchases.
Here are; eight tips for furnishing your first apartment on a budget and with an eye for saving space.
Furnishing a Small Space
Apartments don’t have to be cramped if you buy the right furniture before you even move in. Here’s how you can choose furniture that saves space.
1. Combine Storage with Functionality
A lot of affordable apartments have few built-in storage spaces and studio apartments don’t have any at all, usually. Instead of buying bulky dressers and cabinets that eat up a lot of your apartment’s space, buy furniture that act as storage containers. For example, there are couches and sofas that have built-in drawers as well as chests that act as coffee tables. The more furniture you have that can convert to storage space, the better
2. Shelf Dividers
If you’re renting or living a studio apartment, you may want to set up some dividers just so you can create individual spaces. Place bookshelves between different areas of your apartment to create dividers with a lot of utility. In these days when people are pitting paper books versus e-books, you can store more than paperbacks on these shelves. You can put groceries or cooking utensils for shelves separating your kitchen or personal items and cosmetics for shelves demarcating your bedroom.
3. Choose Beds Wisely
Beds take up a lot of space, especially if you buy a large mattress because you’re sharing it. That’s a lot of floorspace that could be used for something else. Some first-time apartment owners simply buy a mattress with no bedframe so save on costs. However, this deprives you of the ability to store things under the bed. Put your belongings in small crates that can fit under the bed for ease of storage. Alternatively, you can buy a murphy bed that descends from a wall. This could free up your apartment and provide more room for guests.
4. Buy Essentials Only
The hardest part about shopping for small apartment furniture is that you have to vert discerning about which items you’ll buy. Determine which kinds of furniture are essential to your apartment and winnow the rest. If you like working out, check if there’s room for your gym equipment first before buying them. You may have to sacrifice certain items to avoid cramping your home, but you may be able to find suitable alternatives. For example, if you don’t have room for fitness equipment, join a nearby gym instead.
Furnishing on a Budget
Although you may be tempted to buy expensive furniture, you can still make your apartment look chic without breaking the bank.
5. Explore Thrift Shops and Garage Sales
These places are full of interesting items that can brighten up your apartment. Garage sales often have some good-quality secondhand furniture out for sale, especially if the owners are moving away. Not only do these venues have amazing items for great value, you can also create a Bohemian aesthetic for your apartment by buying these affordable vintage pieces. You’ll never know what sort of treasures are hiding in attics and small out-of-the-way shops everywhere.
6. Buy to Last
It’s a cliché for newcomers or first-time apartment owners to buy cheap, assemble-it-yourself furniture from outlet malls. However, most of these items weren’t built to last for a long time and are often made from less than durable materials. Instead of continually buying cheap but flimsy furniture, buy pieces that will last for years. This allows you to spend your money on other items.
7. Re-Use the Old
Sometimes all good furniture needs is a little fixing up. Ask your friends and colleagues if they have any furniture that they’re going to dump in the trash. Assess if these items are really done for or if they just need some sprucing up. Maybe someone has a comfy armchair that only needs some new upholstery. Or maybe a darling set of deck chairs that’ll look good as new with a fresh coat of paint. Finding these kinds of items can save you hundreds of dollars and give your apartment a truly unique look.
8. Snoop for Sales
If you really must have store-bought furniture, wait around for shops to put the pieces you want on sale. Sometime chain stores will announce these sales beforehand on newsletters or on their sites. Make sure you have these subscriptions if you want to be able to save up for your chosen pieces.
Furnishing your first apartment doesn’t have to be difficult. Nor does your furnishing have to be unappealing or cheap just because you’re budgeting space and money. By making smart choices, you’re first apartment can be as chic and as homey as you want it to be.
