Photo: Stock.Xchng

Student life is known for being frugal and somewhat less than luxurious. Most students live in shared homes or even shared rooms where space is limited. After paying for studies, books and a student’s busy social life, there is not much left over for decorating. But whether your small apartment is cosy or cramped depends more on a bit of effort and clever planning than on having an extensive budget. So here are a few tips on how to maximise your space without blowing the bank.

Strategically placed mirrors

Mirrors add a sense of depth in a room that tricks the eye into believing the space continues way beyond the limits of your walls. So take down the mirror inside your cupboard and put it in the hall. Placing a few candles in front of it will create a romantic lighting effect at night.

Arranging furniture

Keep as much unbroken open space as possible. This means rather arranging furniture along walls than placing it in the centre of the room. It just looks tidier. That floating pouf in the middle of the room may work in a large studio but you will just end up with bruised shins in a small apartment. There is also no rule that says you have to have a coffee table in the centre of the living room. A small side table next to the couch within reach of your coffee mug will do just as well.

Storage

Photo: Outwell

Be clever about storage. You might think that a cupboard takes up too much room but the fact is that having your clutter neatly packed away creates simplicity and a sense of space. So if you are not going to buy a coffee table spend the money on a cheap second-hand cupboard instead. And hide what you don’t use. If there are only two of you living in the apartment, you do not need to have more than two chairs cluttering up the space. Keep fold out or camping chairs under your bed and take them out when guests arrive.

Colour

Rather than spending money on beautiful furniture and decorations invest in paint and cloths. If you haven’t spent a fortune on your furnishings there is no reason why you can’t paint and cover them to blend in. But choose your colours wisely. Too many different colours can overwhelm a small space and make it look cluttered. Light colours create a better sense of space than dark colours. You can use a few items of darker colour as highlight, but keep these to one or two tones only.

Before you know it your small apartment will look spacious and beautiful.

Tags: furniture, student