25 hacks for effortless apartment living
Apartment living made easy
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With more and more of us relocating to cities, we’re living closer together and in smaller spaces than ever before. To help your square footage stretch further, we've rounded up the best home ideas for apartment living, from genius products and gadgets to clever storage hacks that will make life easier.
Get a sofa in a box
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Let’s talk about the age-old problem with apartment living: you desperately want a large, comfy sofa to curl up on but how will you get it up the many flights of stairs? There's now a range of brands that offer snug modular sofas delivered in boxes, making them easy to manoeuvre around those tight corners.
Hang bikes out of the way
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Bikes can quickly add clutter to your living space, especially when you’re living in a small apartment. By hanging your bike up out of the way using a bike stand like this one, you can maximise your available floor space and squeeze in even more furnishings. Plus, it can make an interesting and quirky wall feature!
Buy multipurpose furniture
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Efficient apartment living depends on being able to transform your space for different uses at a moment’s notice – that’s why we love transforming furniture. This chic shelving unit folds down effortlessly into a dining table with chunky industrial-style legs, perfect for those apartments where a dedicated dining space just isn’t viable.
Hang up kitchen utensils
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Apartment kitchens often don’t have much cupboard space. This shelving and hook unit allows you to free up countertops and storage cabinetry by displaying kitchen items like pans, jugs, mugs and glasses. Not only is it an extremely efficient use of space, but it will also give your kitchen a quirky feel and make everything easy to reach while you’re cooking.
Go for glass
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Get a wall-mounted clothes airer
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Most apartments don’t have a utility room, so it’s easy to let your living space get cluttered with freestanding clothes airers. Instead, consider a wall-mounted clothes airer instead. This one is made from pine and it’s a brilliant space-saver, putting a vacant wall to use and freeing up valuable floor space.
Make a room of your outdoor space
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Balconies are an under-used commodity in many apartments. But if you set yours up well, it could give you a whole extra living space. Investing in an outdoor rug is a great way to create a stylish balcony that feels like part of the home. Outdoor cushions and blankets wouldn’t go amiss too!
Create an indoor garden
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Don’t have any outdoor space? Don’t let that stop you. By introducing a few hardy houseplants into your apartment, you can create a relaxing and calming atmosphere. Try placing them at different heights to create a green oasis that brings the outdoors in. Incorporating greenery in your decor will also help to purify the air in your apartment – particularly helpful if you live in a large city.
Makeover with mirrors
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Zone out your space
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Select stackable coffee tables
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Store things under your bed
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Storing things under your bed makes valuable use of space that would otherwise be wasted. We love the sheer volume of room that an ottoman bed offers. Or, if a new bed isn’t on the cards, consider getting some under-bed storage boxes instead. That way, you can keep your items organised and easily accessible too.
Create a gallery wall
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Drawing the eye up will make a room feel bigger, and what better way to do this than by creating a fun and colourful gallery wall? To ensure the focal point feels curated, choose what kind of wall art you want and follow that theme. You could opt for photography, renaissance prints or modern artwork. You can also mix and match frames for a more quirky feel.
Turn down the volume
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Get clever with waste
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Recycling can be tricky in a small apartment – the last thing you want is multiple bins taking up half your floor space. Placing bins in under-used kitchen units will help you to be thorough with your recycling while keeping it out of sight. This recycling unit fits under a kitchen sink and you can also get bins that fit cupboards and pan drawers too. The possibilities are endless!
Plump for pale colours
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Embrace shelving
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When you have limited floor space, it makes sense to store things up high. That’s why shelves are your best friend when it comes to effortless apartment living. Plus, statement shelves like these hanging ones can inject some easy style into your decor. To avoid clutter, consider getting some small storage boxes to place on them, that way you don't need to worry too much about what’s on display.
Bring in blinds
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If you’re looking for a way to make a room feel bigger, consider choosing blinds instead of curtains when it comes to window dressings. While curtains can make a space feel smaller and darker with reams of fabric, blinds keep a space feeling crisp and streamlined. We particularly love Venetian blinds because they give you that added option of a bit more privacy while still letting the light flood in.
Get space-efficient with your pets
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Who says there’s no room for a dog? You just need to get a little creative and opt for multitasking furnishings. Cleverly, this dog crate doubles up as a side table, so your canine friend gets a comfy spot to sleep in while you get somewhere to rest your glass of tequila.
Grow cat grass
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Felines enjoy a bit of vegetation in their diets, so growing cat grass for your indoor cat will provide them with a healthy snack and prevent them from munching on your prized indoor plants. You can grow it yourself or buy it ready-grown. Either way, we love it hung up out of the way in a sleek station like this one.
Swap your radiator for a heated towel rail
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Plant a vertical herb garden
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Mounted to the wall, this vertical herb planter is a great way to keep your kitchen surfaces clear. It offers three pouches to display your favourite herbs. For keen cooks who can’t pick just three, we’d suggest purchasing a few planters to create a whole living wall. What a feature that would be!
Shrink your ironing board
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It goes without saying that ironing boards take up a lot of space, both when it comes to using and storing them. However, a petite tabletop ironing board is small enough to hide away in a cupboard when not in use. It can also be used anywhere, from your dining table to your kitchen counter – ideal for when space is at a premium!
Fold your bed away
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Sometimes, it pays to be able to tuck your bed away – particularly if you live in a studio flat. Enter: the bed in a box, now offered by a range of brands. By night, it’s a stylish single bed with a sleek headboard. By day, it folds down into a small box, saving you space and providing an extra seat for visitors.
Fit a floating desk
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Finding room for a home office in an apartment can often be challenging. Instead, why not opt for a floating desk like this one? Ideally proportioned, it’s got enough space for your laptop and a coffee when you’re in work mode. Then when the night draws in, just tuck everything away in the drawers and use it as a feature shelf or side table – now that's how to do tiny living in style!
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