I have a long history of living in flats and apartments and so this guide is for anyone who is trying to make the most of a small space and adapt to apartment living.
Read on for my top tips:
Encourage natural light
Natural light is sparse in most British homes, but it is especially hard to come by in flats. This means the landlord’s love of white walls is essential. Not only are they trying to appeal to everyone by appealing to no one with white everything, but at least all that white is reflecting what little light is reaching it. If you’ve got an off-white deal going on, you might want to look into getting white walls, as a lack of natural light will quickly turn that off-white into dirty yellow.
But there are other things you can do if you aren’t getting a lot of light in the home. Look into getting some mesh curtains for the colder nights. They can do some work to keep the heat from escaping out the windows without blocking the sun altogether.
Store away anything unnecessary
If your parents sent you off to university with everything in the back of a truck, surfboards and guitar case in tow, I’m sorry to have to tell you, that stuff has to go elsewhere. Flats are notorious for their lack of space. So, you’re going to have to use what you have tactfully.
Put the surfboards into storage. Safestore has hundreds of UK stores, where you can put away everything you don’t need right now. Seasonal clothes, the Christmas décor, your Pokémon card collection: anything that isn’t vital for the foreseeable future can be stored away in a rented unit where it is kept protected from grubby fingers and the elements and can be accessed whenever you want.
Use vertical space
Am I about to say that a grown adult should get a bunk bed? Yeah. Why not? Loft beds are becoming very practical, fashionable, and sturdy enough to carry a double mattress. You even see TikTokers and Instagram influencers building their beds on a nest of assorted Ikea cabinets for extra storage.
Besides, vertical space in western homes is woefully underused. In a housing market where you can’t afford the three bedrooms you grew up in, using that space is important. Take down that art piece. It’s lovely, but it’s not practical. Instead, install shelves, cabinets, or any other storage solutions, and replace the floor bookshelf with a desk.
Embrace doors
If you’re thinking of the idea of wall shelves or cabinets sounds good, opt for cabinets. If you are in a small space, it’s very easy for the room to feel cluttered. And a cluttered room makes for a cluttered mind. The best way to counteract this, without cleaning every single second of every day, is to opt for furniture with doors. No display cabinets, no glass doors, no wire wardrobes. Put everything away, out of sight, out of mind, behind cabinet doors to at least pretend to people that you’re tidy.
Voila! Apartment living made easy.
