Are you furnishing your first apartment and facing the challenge of arranging a small space? We asked our expert Krzysztof Miruć how to furnish a studio apartment to fit all the necessary equipment and furniture in a limited space while maintaining the style and functionality of a multifunctional studio apartment.

 

Is arranging a studio apartment always an art of compromise?

Let's not kid ourselves. It will always be something at the expense of something else. Therefore, designing your own apartment should start with defining your own needs. We usually move into our first apartment directly from our parents' home, a dormitory, or a student flat. First and foremost, we need to learn about ourselves and how we want and like to live. Let's analyze our habits and lifestyle, ask ourselves questions we haven't asked before. Take a piece of paper and honestly write down what is necessary for us, what is a dream, and what is just a whim. Let's think about what we need the most space for. Work or cooking? In a small space, we have to divide this pie. So, if I work and need a large desk, I give up the table.

Let's get to the specifics and the eternal dilemma – a sofa bed or a separate sleeping area?

It's hard to get a good night's sleep on a fold-out sofa. Regardless of the size of the apartment, we should designate a sleeping area in it. A sleeping alcove is a must-have in every apartment. We rest and regenerate in bed, and it is our private zone.

 

How to separate such a space if all of life happens in one room?

Very simply: with a half-wall, a screen, a partition wall, a glass wall, or a curtain. Such a solution will provide us with privacy, and once slid open, it will show us that we have significantly more square meters.

There are many ideas: a sofa bed, coffee tables with adjustable height, fold-out tables that serve as desks on a daily basis, etc. Are multifunctional furniture pieces for small apartments a good solution?

When choosing multifunctional furniture, we must remember that we need space to unfold them. Unfolding a sofa or a table in a small area may require a significant rearrangement each time. Is it worth making life difficult for ourselves?

 

Let's think about why we need a sofa bed. Do we have that many guests, or will someone sleep on it occasionally? If it's an occasional situation, that person can also sleep on a non-fold-out sofa, which is more comfortable and prettier.

Another thing is that by hosting a guest in 30 m2, we intrude on each other's privacy. Meanwhile, a hotel night costs 300 PLN, so does it make sense to buy a piece of furniture today that family or friends will use sporadically? A better solution is to book a night's stay for such a person in the nearest hotel with breakfast and privacy.

What color scheme to choose for a small space? What color of door leaves, furniture, floors to maintain order and create an aesthetic and stylish space?

There are no rules. It can be a small and dark room or a small and bright room. It must be a space where we feel good. We arrange it for ourselves and according to ourselves. We do it so that we feel good in this space.

 

How can you avoid visual chaos in such a small space?

We need to compose a storage area. Remember that all open elements will create visual chaos, while things hidden in wardrobes finished, for example, with mirrors will work better in the room. Additionally, mirrors will visually enlarge our space.

You have anticipated my next question. What are the proven ways to optically enlarge rooms?

Apart from classic mirrors and glossy surfaces, there are also mirrored elements by the windows, which will optically double the windows. Let us also remember about sight lines. Sitting in the corner of a room and looking along the longest axis, we will have the impression that the flat is much larger than when sitting in the narrowest room and looking at the wall.

Which door leaf should you choose for a small studio flat, where the only door is most likely the one to the bathroom?

Here we need to answer the question of what our space is like. Should these be hidden or visible doors? Everything depends on the character of our room. Here we can go wild, because these are the only door leaves. Let us choose something very unique.

With hidden doors, when they blend into the wall or have wallpaper on them, they disappear. We get rid of another decor element that could distract us. On the other hand, by buying very decorative doors, we emphasise that we have nice doors that are visible and are a decorative element.

 

It may turn out that they will be visible from the living area, and then we choose a nice, decorative leaf that is an element of the flat's decor. Here I would be tempted by a bit of extravagance; they can be taller, in an interesting colour or form. These can be elegant DRE Supreme SOHO door leaves with black muntins or doors in an unusual colour with elegant inserts from the DRE Supreme CITY line. I would stay far away from a conservative approach.