Decorating Your Studio Apartment on a Budget

Depending on who you ask, living in a studio apartment can be both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, studio apartments are great for living on your own. A studio offers you privacy and convenience. Everything is in close proximity to everything else. For instance, if you wake up hungry, just roll out of bed and cook up something on the stove that’s 5 feet away. On the other hand, chances are that your bedding is now going to smell like whatever you just made on the stove. It’s a lose lose! While this is purely an exaggeration, there’s no sense harping on how small some studio apartments are. You just have to make use of the space you do have. Here are some simple and economical ways to furnish and decorate your studio.

The Bed: Chances are, you aren’t going to try and move a queen size bed into a studio apartment. In addition to the headache of physically having to move a big bed into a small space, logistically it’s not going to work. In a studio apartment, it’s your best bet to downsize. While the idea of sleeping on anything smaller than a queen is unsettling, a full size bed isn’t bad at all. Additionally, a twin or full size bed is going to cost you less than a queen or king size bed. You can also save money by not purchasing a bed frame. Sure a bed frame looks nice but you can dress up your mattress and box spring with nice bedding and a dust ruffle. You can even build your own headboard by either painting a panel on the wall, or attaching fabric or leather panels across the width of the bed. You could also consider a sofa bed, futon or daybed. Any of these would give you two pieces of furniture in one! A bed for sleeping and something comfortable to sit on.

The Furniture: Furniture shopping is always scary, especially while on a budget. By shopping for a studio, however, you’re going to save money by default! The less space you have, the less stuff you need. So in addition to your bedroom furniture, what else do you really need? Start thinking about furniture that you can use for more than one thing. For example, a narrow breakfast bar or kitchen cart can be used as both an eating table and as shelf for plants, cookbooks and other kitchen and dining necessities. Stools may be used in place of end tables, storage chests can be used for both storage and as a coffee table. A small bookcase or bureau can double as a TV stand. If you do decide to purchase more a bed frame, try and get one that includes under-bed storage or a bookcase headboard. Both of these options would allow you more storage space in your studio!

Completing The Look: Alright, so you have your makeshift all in one dining, kitchen and bedroom furniture all set, now it’s time to spruce up the place and add some of your own personality. You’d be surprised how much difference a splash of new paint makes on a room! All you really need to paint is one accent or feature wall, which will save you money on paint. Typically you want to paint the wall you see when you walk into the apartment. Throw some accent pillows on the bed to add some more color to the bed and choose an area rug in a complementary color to add some flavor to the floor. As far as vases, picture frames and other household adornments, don’t be afraid to shop at your local flea market or thrift shop. Hey, there’s also no shame in shopping the refuse left on the street corner each week. If you live in a college town like I do, there are usually some great finds, as long as you have nothing against doing some digging.