When you are a student, your dorm room or small building apartment is your home (even though it’s for a temporary basis). So why not make it feel like home by decorating it? I know I know, you must have a budget that you need to stick with. Fear not, there are still plenty of ideas for decorating your little space. Whether it’s a dorm room or a rented apartment, you have got every right to beautify this small space as per your taste. Things are challenging when you just have $1000 to spend on home interior.
We have got you covered with these amazing ideas for decorating your personal space:
#1: Start With the Basics of Home Interior
When you are decorating a space, it’s a rule of thumb to start with the basics. Before buying any furniture, it’s easier to tackle, walls and flooring first. So once you move in, this is what you must start with:
- Walls: You can either paint the walls or use wallpaper, whichever you are most comfortable with.
- Floors: You might don’t have a budget to change the floors but you can always add a carpet or a rug, right?
List down the changes that you need to make immediately along with the changes that you want to leave for the future. In other words, set your priority.
#2: Display What You Need
You don’t have to display everything you have since your place is small. If you would like to display some items, concentrate on what’s important.
Maybe those items that are used on a daily basis are a good choice to display. On the flip side, when you display everything, your place starts looking cluttered.
#3: Buy Small Furniture Items
You can’t adjust the furniture in a dorm room but if you live in a small apartment, you will definitely need some furniture.
Fortunately, there are a number of beautiful furnishings available for small homes and apartments. Just be sure you pick the items correctly. The items you have placed in the room shouldn’t look random.
#4: Make Your Desk Creative
While you are busy decorating your home, don’t neglect your desk. It’s the place where you will sit and study.
Decorate the table with plants, photos or colourful lanterns. You can also attach items on the wall facing your desk.
#5: Make Effective Use of Colours
The way colour is introduced in the home interior plays a significant role in making or breaking its look.
Dark colours are not always preferred but if you use them correctly, they can also make your space look bigger.
Neutral colours are best to make small rooms appear big. They make the room feel bright and energetic. Some people might end up making their space look clinical with neutral colours. And if you have chosen white, the walls can get dirty as well.
If you are looking for a different approach, then here is an advice. Choose one colour and choose a complementary colour for the flooring to create an illusion of more space.
#6: Create Your Own Wallpaper
A wallpaper goes well with white walls. A good thing is that you can make your own temporary wallpaper. All you need is a sheet of fabric, a design stencil, and some liquid starch.
Pick your favourite colour, choose a design stencil and use a sponge roller to paint it. You will feel great about this little DIY effort. And once you are ready to move out, you can peel it off. It won’t damage anything.
#7: Play With Lighting
Another key way of making a small space look big is the lighting. Dark corners make an area look small.
Therefore, be sure that your room is well lit. There must be lightening fixtures on top of the furnishing and under the cabinets.
You don’t have to get standing or table lamps if you don’t have enough surface space. Lights hanging from the ceiling would do the work. It takes some structural adjustment to trick the eye into making space appear larger.
If you can’t afford hanging lights either, then get a string of fairy lights. It’s a cheaper option when it comes to home interior décor.
You can drape it around your room and even use it for holding your favourite photographs.
#8: Add Some Greenery
Adding a few plants here and there can bring life to a dead room. This also has some health benefits such as making the air clean.
Some even say that plants in the environment make you study better so go for it. Pick those plants that are easy to take care of such as jade, rubber trees or Aloe Vera.
#9: Use Removable Mounts
You would definitely have a few items you would like to hang. Washi tape is not good enough to hold heavy items. It is better that you invest in removable wall mounts.
They come in a wide range of sizes. The best part is they don’t leave any trace behind the walls when you take them off.
#10: Make The Best Use of Wall Space
Walls go all the way up to the ceiling. The key lies in using vertical space correctly. It’s also important that you don’t make the space overly cluttered.
Apart from your favourite paintings and pictures, there is so much that can go on walls. You can add shelves on the wall and display baskets on it. Wall space can also be used for mounting hanging plants especially if you are short on surface space.
Just because you have limited space, you should settle for tiny décor. The key lies in streamlining your selections (whether it is furniture or other items of décor) with the focus on improving the design.
Because after all, you want to make it look and feel homier.
#11: Don’t Be Afraid To Choose Big
Your home interior choices don’t have to small. In fact, one large item looks better than small items grouped together.
For instance, if you buy one large ottoman, that would be better than having 2 or 3 bean bags. If your space allows you to display a larger item, go ahead and buy a large item.
#12: Buy a Settee
A settee is like a bench. It’s a good investment if you get company every now and then. You won’t have to adjust a heavy sofa in your room or apartment as it can take up a lot of floor space.
Another advantage of getting a settee is that it is less expensive. And then, it’s a unique addition and it’s easy to move.
#13: Display Your Favorite collectables on the Table
It doesn’t matter if you can’t buy showpieces to display in your lovely apartment. If you some collectables that you can showcase (unicorns, snow globes, action figures, etc.).
These collectables can help you decorate your home interior as well. You just have to be sure the collection you are planning display goes with the whole theme or look you want to set.
#14: Don’t Ignore Comfort
When you are trying to create a chic look, you will end up placing items that compromise comfort. It is best that you test out the seating, bed or any other furniture item you are about to invest in.
If it’s not comfortable, then it doesn’t deserve to be in your apartment in the first place.
#15: Shop for a Rug in Person
If you are going to buy a rug for your apartment, don’t buy it online. It’s hard to tell what the rug is going to look like from the computer screen.
Apart from the colour, it’s important to check the texture of the rug. That’s only possible when you buy in person.
#16: Combine Modern with Classic
When you are planning to design something timeless, you always have to choose from modern and traditional. There is no hard and fast rule to stick to one of them.
You can come up with your own home interior design by combing modern with classic. Classic won’t go out of style and having new fixtures will give an edge to the whole thing.
Summing Up
So, these are the small apartment decorating ideas that you can implement even if you don’t have a budget. List down your priorities so that you know how much money will be required for the items you are planning to buy.
I remember the time when my roommate Lisa and I were decorating our apartment during college. Lisa had some serious interest in shows on HGTV. She insisted we get Spectrum cable (because that’s what she had back at her parent’s home).
We already had magazines on home decor but I guess she wanted us to get cable as well. It was crazy that we were searching for one of the most affordable Spectrum TV packages just so we could watch HGTV.
We came up with some awesome home decor ideas indeed. The only thing we had to do next was to save money. We started off by checking the thrift store or a pawn shop.
You could do the same. They usually have items that you can buy and use for home décor. Good luck with decorating your room or apartment.
