Styling & Decorating A Small Apartment - Part 2

A few weeks ago I shared the first part of my styling and decorating tips for small apartments with you. Today I want to share the second part with a few tips learned by living in a tiny 32 square meters apartment over the past seven year. Additionally to the tips in the first part, I would like to highlight the following points when it comes to tiny and small apartments. 

I like to use rugs to structure zones in my home. Especially if the small apartment has an open space, it is practical to use rugs to structure and define areas. According to your personal taste and interior styling these can be either one-colored rugs or colourful ones, with or without patterns and so on. I like a wide array of rugs. My latest addition is a beautiful design rug by the Finnish design duo 'Saana ja Olli' made for the Finnish label Mum's. This rug defines now my bedroom area because there is an open arch connecting the living and sleeping area in my home.

Another tip is to use plants in your small apartment. Of course I have to repeat this like a mantra (as the founder of Urban Jungle Bloggers) but I really believe that plants liven up a space and create a cosy feeling no matter the restrained size of the apartment. Plus they purify the air and make living a tad healthier.

My third tip today is a very, very important one. Please take this one hyper super dooper serious! Keep your small apartment clean and neat! Chaos and clutter is the killer number one of a stylish small apartment. What sometimes works in large, spacious rooms, creative high-ceilinged studios, does not apply to small apartments. I really try to keep my home as clean as possible. Pile books up, put them away after reading, same with magazines, put your clothes back into the wardrobe, keep your shoes in a closed cabinet, make your bed every morning, do the dishes after eating. You know, all the inevitable things but trust me - you will feel so much better even in the smallest of apartments when it's clean and neat.

When it comes to colour, I like to keep it focused around a certain colour palette - you can see my personal choice on Roombeez where I blogged about decorating with my two favorite shades.

Last but not least: Don't judge your home by its size. Think of it as your little realm, the kingdom you rule and design, the place you create and recreate. Happy dwelling!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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Styling & Decorating A Small Apartment - Part 1

Size does not matter. Not when it comes to styling a home at least. For the past seven years I have been living in a small rooftop apartment with a mere 32 square meters. Thus I am often asked about how to style and decorate a small apartment. Well, I am not a trained interior designer nor stylist, so my idea of styling a home is a very hands-on approach. Go with the feeling, play around, apply a trial-and-error approach, give it some time and tweak around. A home is never finished - it grows and lives with you.

My overall mantra for styling a small apartment is 'one in - one out'. It is a hard one, but it is the only way to avoid too much clutter. Sometimes I fail my own mantra - for example when it comes to vintage ceramics or cushions (may I be forgiven), but I try to let go of things that I do not love entirely. I want to buy a new chair? Fine, then I need to get rid of another one at home. Am I ready to do that? Question mark! But I think that is the only way I managed to sail in the waters of interior design blogging without ending up with a zillion things in my small apartment (suffocated under a pile of stylish throw cushions if you want so).

When I pick furniture for my apartment, I try to find stylish and functional furniture with lots of storage space - think of beds with storage space underneath, think of chest of drawers (I have all my DVDs and BluRays in those drawers), think of shelves and using your walls for storage and go for stools instead of more chairs. When not in use, pile your books and magazines on them and top it off with a nice houseplant. Easy, right? Extra tip: Use large mirrors to visually expand your home - I have two mirrors opposed to each other and they make the room look wider and brighter. 

Don't be afraid to display what you love - I love my vintage ceramics so I keep them on my sideboard but I change the arrangement and placing from time to time. Keep them grouped together - it makes a stronger impact and keeps your small interior cleaner. 

Of course my life would be much easier if I were a minimalistic all-white kind of guy. But hey, I love my knickknacks too much to let go. But loving home decor does not mean living in chaotic clutter - not even in a small apartment. For the German speaking/reading among you, I blogged about styling a small apartment on Roombeez too. 

Next week I will share the second part of my 'Styling A Small Apartment' story. 

Happy Thursday!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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Home Tour In Llamas Valley Magazine

I am pretty happy about all the positive feedback I get whenever I share some glimpses into my tiny apartment. Most friends tell me that my apartment looks way bigger when I take photos and share it, but in fact it still is and will remain a teenie-tiny rooftop apartment with 32 square meters. Nevertheless, this was not a scary obstacle for the folks of the interiors e-magazine Llamas Valley and they approached me and asked me to invited them for a little home tour. My answer was quick: Yes, you are welcome!

A few weeks later I welcomed one of their freelance photographers, Lina Gavénaité, to my home and invited my friend and fellow blogger Bridgee over too. I thought it would be nice to invite them to a cup of coffee and then we will discuss the Hollywood-like settings and angles to make the best out of this little cave. 

But Lina is a professional. From the moment she arrived she unpacked half a dozen of objectives, her tripod and screened with her eyes all corners and photo opps. While I was brewing the coffee, she was half through the shooting. Oh my, can I be a professional photographer too one day? Pretty please?!

The editor-in-chief of Llamas Valley Magazine sent over a few interview questions and you can see and read the full home story in their latest issue HERE. And well, if you ever happen to be around, you're welcome to join me for a cup of coffee, too!

Happy weekend from Munich!

Photography by Lina Gavénaité

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