5 Ways to Make a Studio Apartment Feel like More Than One Room

I'm so excited to have another guest blogger on Shoebox Decor. This guest post is by Maria Walters a freelance writer who loves the luxury of down comforters and the challenge of decorating small spaces...

In a studio apartment, your main room is going to function in many different ways that you might not expect. How can you make space for all of your essentials without crowding yourself out?

First, you need to decide what those essentials really are. All people (and all studio apartments) are different, so think about how you will be using your room – and be prepared to tweak it if your needs change, too. Here are some questions to get you started:

*What tasks will I be doing in this space? Cooking? Watching TV? Entertaining others? Sleeping? Studying? Working?

*If two or more people are living in the room, what activities might be happening at the same time? How can you share the space?

*Is it important to have your private space divided from public space? Think about how you will be storing things like dirty laundry.

Based on these answers, group the spaces in your room in a way that allows you to function best. Some people can study on the same couch they watch TV on – for others, it would be a distraction and a desk on the opposite side of the room is better.

Now that you’ve figured out which areas you need in your room, decide how to split up the room.

Shelves:
If you want to feel a distinct separation, especially between public and private areas, a tall closed shelf or armoire is a great solution. The furniture doubles as storage, and blocks both sight lines and some sound between two areas.

Walkways:
When you are trying to separate two public areas, using tall shelves and screens often isn’t practical, and can make a small space seem even smaller. Instead, create smaller areas separated by walkways. This makes getting around more practical, and allows for a natural division without creating small spaces.

Rugs:
Having a central point for each space makes it easier to define them. Using rugs often works to make each area feel distinct without blocking sight lines. Grouping chairs around rugs also makes it feel more natural to face a chair away from the center of the room. And rugs are a great way to show off your personal style if there isn’t much space for art.

Go up:
Separate your room vertically as well as horizontally. Loft beds are popular in studio apartments because they work – you can use the same amount of floorspace for both a bed and storage, reading, or working nook. To keep a loft bed from crowding the room too much, make sure it is as high as it can possibly go, depending on your ceiling height and preference.

Put it away:
Sometimes there are spaces you don’t need all the time, but you want to have occasionally. Having folding chairs and TV trays can really help for entertaining. Once everything is put away, you could even have an empty space to do yoga or just stretch out on the ground for a change of scenery! You might not get as radical as creating moving walls, but having a space that can change depending on your needs allows for a lot more flexibility in a small space.

Have you ever lived in a studio apartment? What are your best tips for making the most of a small space?

Thanks Maria for this wonderful post...Happy Decorating Everyone!