Decorate your home in a small budget
For people with a tiny apartment, very little space and a limited budget, it may seem that home decoration or redecoration is completely out of the question. However, there are ways to resuscitate a dreary apartment and it make it not only liveable, but a funky little pad that reflects the owners’ personality and lifestyle.
Living Room
Often this is a ‘one-room workhorse’ that serves as a home office, living area and sometimes even sleeping area if it’s a studio apartment. Make a little room feel bigger by putting the sofa in the centre of the room like an island. Make sure that the sofa has no arms as this needlessly clutters up space. Put a rug in the centre of the room as an anchor-point for the room. Against the back of the sofa, place a slim-line table. This can be used along with a chair painted in a funky colour as an office or desk space. When guests come over, this area doubles as a buffet for serving food.
Kitchen
For kitchens with very little storage space, think vertical. It’s not as crazy as it seems; a magnetic strip placed on the wall (high up, if there will be children around), is an excellent way to store assorted serving utensils and knives. Alternatively, try hanging pots and pans from a rack on the ceiling for a charming rustic look straight out of a French kitchen.
Storage
It is easy to collect flotsam and jetsam over the course of life; storing this can be nightmare in a small place. There are ways to bring order to this chaos that are both elegant and practical. If something is truly ugly like a metal filing cabinet, it’s best to conceal it. Get some plain or printed cotton material and drape it over for an instant and cheap makeover. Go below the kitchen sink and under the bed for more storage space as well. For books and knick-knacks, group them together by size or colour on shelves for a less cluttered look. Add just a few souvenirs and photos that mean something very personal, for a look that is very unique. If you still don’t have enough space, think long and hard: do you really need all of that stuff? Maybe it’s time for a trip to the charity shop.
Artwork
People often collect interesting items that gather dust at the back of a cupboard. A guitar or violin that never gets played may be mounted on the wall for visual interest rather than taking up storage space. A bright-coloured surfboard can be an interesting thing to behold in the corner of a bedroom. Consider getting a cork-board and covering it with fabric, then mounting assorted clippings, photos and notes on it. This will reinvigorate a tired-looking wall without the need for putting nail holes in the wall of rented accommodation, and can be constantly updated with fresh inspirational pieces.











