Whether you’ve moved into your first home away from home or you’ve recently downgraded due to unfortunate circumstances like divorce or a demotion at work, you might find yourself living in a postage-stamp-sized apartment with limited possibilities when it comes to interior design. You may have grandiose notions about a California king bed, a formal dining room, and a sectional sofa with seating for six, but those will have to wait for a larger residence. For now you’re stuck with a truncated space that probably won’t even fit the items you currently own. So once you’ve sold off your oversized furniture you can start getting down to the business of designing the small interior space for maximum efficiency and a little personal flair. Here are just a few tips to help you on your way.

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Choosing the right colors

The first thing to consider in the design process is your color palette and how the right hues can affect your space. Although a common trick is to paint the ceiling white in order to make small spaces appear larger, that doesn’t necessarily help you to choose the remaining colors for your apartment. However, you should know that dark or saturated shades can not only make a space seem smaller, they can also be overpowering. For this reason you might want to choose light neutrals and pale shades for walls and carpeting and then throw in accents in bolder colors to let your personality shine through. Another good trick is to place mirrors strategically throughout your space in order to make the most of any natural light coming in as well as create the visual illusion that your rooms are larger than they are.

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Choosing the perfect furniture

The next thing to consider is furniture, and while you almost certainly have to think about limiting the number and size of pieces in your apartment, it doesn’t necessarily mean you must live in a hobbit hole full of half-sized furnishings. You can find many ways to fit the right items in, provide for all of your needs (sleeping, entertaining, and so on), and still have the light and airy open space you desire (to an extent). This can be done first through the use of modular furnishings, or those that are made to fit together and come with many options for adding on. So you might start with a small sofa and add a couple of chairs from the same collection, along with side tables and an entertainment center to hold electronics, media, books, and display pieces. Many will items will have options for stacking so that you can expand and use vertical space when you don’t want to take up any more of your floor plan.

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Go for multifunctional furnishings

Of course, multifunctional furnishings are another great option. If you don’t have enough space for your king-size bed AND your dresser, thinks about getting a bed frame that has storage underneath (either built-in drawers or clearance for bins to hold your clothing). For the living room you can get seating or ottomans that have hidden storage compartments inside. And even if you only have a breakfast nook that accommodates a small dining set, get a drop-leaf table or one that has a cabinet built into the base. You probably know that apartment rentals are notorious for a lack of usable space, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find myriad ways to make the most of it through planning and design. So try these tips and watch your tiny apartment magically expand.

For more home decor ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Household items will always pile up over a period of time especially when you don’t remove and purge closet contents. As a result, you cannot prevent a cluttered closet over time. This happens when you don’t let go of things such as clothes, shoes, bags and any other personal belongings. Instead of just closing the door on your closet, you need to have a plan to get more use out of your cluttered closet.

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Well, there is no point in having a large or small closet when you do not know how to maximize the available space.

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You might end up surrounded by closets in your room but still not enough to cater all your things. Here are some ideas to maximize storage in your cluttered closet:

Remove items that aren’t in use

To start this task, check each of your clothes and other personal belongings if you are still using it. Keep only those you wear like uniforms, casual wear and other things you need. Apply the rule of thumb. If you have not used it in a year, then, remove it from your closet. You can separate it by season, color or type like tops, pants, jackets and so on.

Learn to let go, purge and donate

You may be holding on to clothes for whatever reason even though you are no longer using it. Remember that thing deteriorate over time. Without you knowing it, your shirt or pants are already ruined without you or someone getting benefited from it. Think of people who might need your things as often. Donating your things to family members, relatives, friends or charities can be very helpful. You will certainly experience a different joy with a simple act of love you make.

Modify and add partitions or shelves in your closet

You can add more shelves especially when you can no longer fit things in all drawers. If the bottom part is already filled, you can always add something on top. Shelving is one of the best ways to add more space in your closet. You may use the additional or extended shelves for your shoes and bags.

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Consider hanging your apparel

Maximize your storage by installing hooks at the back of your closet door, inner wall or behind bedroom doors. It can be used to hang your accessories, jackets, ties, hats, backpacks, and other things that can be hooked.

These ideas will not only maximize the use of space in your closet but also prevent your closet from being cluttered. Use these ideas for maximizing space in your closet.

For more organization ideas for Stagetecture, click here.