Living in a rental unit can present several challenges. Whether it’s a new city or neighborhood, smaller or bigger apartment, upstairs or downstairs, or even odd room arrangements, getting settled into a new place can be overwhelming at times.
Let’s talk about a few ways to help keep the transition smooth when you have to tackle a new space:
1. By keeping with smaller-scale, traditional-style furniture, you will have pieces that will not only last for years and never go out of style, but they will also transition into any space perfectly.
2. There are so many resources available online to help with spacial planning. With just a quick search, multiple free sources popped up for room planners. I really, really love using these tools. You save yourself the hassle of arranging a room over and over again.
Better Homes and Gardens offers a great one. You can make the room any size, add furniture and resize it according to your dimensions, plan your room and save it.
Pottery Barn has an awesome Room Planner that saves the images big. You select one of their pieces for your layout and see how it would fit. That’s what we will be using today.
Living Area:
1. A great piece to start with is a small-scale sofa with attached chaise. It adds additional seating (or sleeping space) without having to add another chair in the room.
2. A round coffee table provides the space to stack your books and magazines as well as display your prized items.
3. A comfy side chair works for that additional guest, or pair it with a small floor lamp and a blanket to create a cozy reading area.
4. Throw down a large area rug as added texture and to warm up the space.
5. Add a small entertainment unit for your television, DVDs, DVD players and storage for books and blankets.
Helpful Tip: If you have a free corner, using streamlined furniture, you can have a small home office without taking up space.
Dining:
Most apartment dining spaces are not spacious at all, which underscores the need to keep your furniture pieces simple and limited to only what is necessary.
1. Round tables are a great idea for small spaces, giving you the option to add in more chairs if needed.
2. Put a round rug under the table to add color and make the space feel more inviting.
3. By using a long buffet, you are gaining a ton of storage for dishes and keepsake items. Also, use the top to stack dishes and add much-needed lamps.
4. Place a mirror above the buffet to trick the eye into thinking the space is larger than it is.
Bedroom:
This is one place to really focus on keeping it simple, not over-cluttered with furniture that doesn’t fit the space.
1. A low-profile, simple bed will take up much less space than a large, bulky one. You can utilize the space below the bed for additional storage.
2. Small nightstands on the sides of the bed will come in handy for holding table lamps, alarm clocks, photos and books.
3. A small chair is a great idea as a compact reading space or to use when getting ready for the day.
4. A medium-sized dresser against the wall can hold not only your clothing but a television or mirror on top.
