Interiors of apartments – an individual space at your fingertips

To feel at home in a small space can be a real challenge. Since the space feels more limited, it can be very difficult to maintain functionality when deciding upon a floorplan. To achieve a both functional and homey apartment, the primary focus should lay in spaciousness, as apartments usually occupy a significantly smaller area than houses.

How to design an apartment?

The first step in achieving a successful floorplan, whether it is a house or apartment, is to draw up the floorplan to scale. This gives you a better perception of what furtniture fit into the spaces and please also take note of features such as widnow height, electric sockets, heaters and position of doors, as these play an important role when furnishing a room. Remember to consider how much natural light will enter the space as less natural light requires more artificial light to be plaed throughout the apartment.

For smaller spaces like apartments, a common thread that runs troughout the entire apartment is preferable. We therefore, suggest you decid upon a style your like and stick to the same deisgning principles in every room. It will create an ambience of being well thoughtout and organised. To decid upon what style to choose, consider your space and your own needs and wants. Do you like the minimalistic and Scandinavian design that feels clean and modern, or do you prefer a cosier space with lots of decorations and a strong personality? Remember that a home should be designed after the users lifestyle and preferences, not surrender to the temptation of trends and others opinions.

Zones in an apartment

A house often offers several different zones and it is proven a successful method of deisgning. However, an apartment is often far more limited as to how much space is available. We therefore suggest dividing the apartment into two zones – one public and one private. The design principle helps to guarantee privacy and it also tells you where to focus your energy the most. Whether you are a person who treasures privacy and want your bed- and bathroom to be the main focal point when designing the interiors, or if you love having people over and want to showcase a greatly designed kitchen and livingroom – the design principle is proven successful.

The apartment kitchen

The kitchen is known to be the heart of every home because it is where life happens. Aesthetical and functional – a kitchen should be adapted after the lifestyle of the user and their wants and needs. So, the first thing to consider is whether you want a closed off kitchen area or an open floorplan towards the living room. An open floorplan give a sense of more space, as well as it allows for more light to travel through the apartment. However, a closed off space will detain loud noises and smells to entre other areas and distrupt the peace. A valuable tip, if you decide upon an open floorplan, design both areas in the same style and colour scheme to visually enlarge the space even further.

Since an apartment often holds a smaller kitchen, the best kitchen designs for these spaces should include heaps of storage space, a good light source and pleanty of working are in the form of worktops. This is all in addition to the regular appliances necessary for food preparation – frigde and freezer, stove, hob, ventilation rangehood, sink and taps. All arranged with consideration to the deisgn principle “work triangle”.

Interiors design of apartments – bathroom

The bathroom is another important room in an apartment. Therefore practical and aesthetical functions are of equal importance. First, conside if you’d prefer to installa bathtub or a shower, or, if the size of the bathroom allows it, both. However, do not forget that you need at least 50-100 cm of free space to be able to move around freely. It is also worth considering what heating system you’d prefer to install – floor, electric or mixed. If you choose a wall radiator, it can also be used as a decorative element in a modern, minimalist interior design style.

Interiors design of apartments – living room

In addition to the kitchen, the living room is where it all happens! The perfect interior for a living room is therefore both functional and aestethically pleasing. It should be comfortable space, associated with relaxation, but also a room to show-off to visitors. Most oftenly the design journey starts in the kitchen or living room and the rest of the home kind of follows that chosen aestethics. Therefore it can be advised that the interior design style is moderate and simple. However it is still important that the room fulfills the needs and preferences of the user.

Living room areas are often designed in one of the following styles:

• Scandinavian – where bright colours, natural wood, soft materials, living plants and a sense to nature reign
• Minimalist style – a modern arrangement that consists of a minimum amount of colours and decorative accessories.
• Industrial style – also quite minimalistic but combined with the raw severity of brick, concrete and steel.
• Traditional style – where cosiness and the feeling of familiarity reigns. Wooden furniture, decorative ornaments, pillow and different textiles and a lit fireplace are characters that will make the living room feel rustique and traditional in an instance.

Interiors design of apartments – bedroom

A bedroom is a very intimate place where we must feel good and comfortable. It’s a room where we sleep, rest, relax and it is the place where we start and end our day. The main element that needs to dictate the interior deisgn of the room is ofcourse the bed – the size, the support of the mattress and the height of the bed is all important factors to consider. However the one feature which will determine the design of the space is the bed frame. Upholstered headboards are the domain of modern, Scandinavian, boho, and even loft style. The classic-style bed has a wooden headboard and the bed if decorated with lots and lots of pillows for an extra cosy ambience. In addition to the bed, a bedroom also need storage space in the form of wardrobes, bedside tables and perhaps a dresser. Make sure to match the furniture with your choisen design style.

In the search of more space

Like weave mentioned before, apartments are often limited in regards to space. It is therefore no coincidence that the principles often used in interior design of an apartments are about opening up more space. Among the kitchen organization ideas, we present a very practical solution which will free up the space. The solution is an open floorplan. Open up and connect several different rooms and create an illusion of more light and air within the apartment.

Let us paint a picture. You enter the apartment and step into the bright and light hallway. There are floor to ceiling wardrobed to your left and the wooden floor continuously runs into the kitchen. All of the furniture here are made to measure. The tall cabinets are built in and the overhead cabinets reach all the way up to the ceiling to provide additional storage opportunities. The colour scheme matches the hallway which we came from and seamlessly blends in with the living room. The wooden floor provides warmth and the light coloured walls makes the space feel even larger, cleaner and fresher. The kitchen and living room zones are connected with a beautiful wooden dinner table with a counter top that matches the stone benchtop of the kitchen. The dining chair matches the table and are placed on a beautiful carpet whose brother rests under the sofa table. Everything is connected, well thought-out and gorgeously seamless. The arrangement is not just pleasing for the eye but also very practical and customized after the features of the apartment as well as the lifestyle of the users. It is both aestethical and functional.

5 tips for arranging an apartment

1. If you want to brighten up a minimalistic interior, decorate it with textiles and pillows which brings life and warmth to the interior. Perhaps try a contrasting colour if you’re feeling extra bold.
2. A carpet will provide a cosiness factor to any interior. Just be careful not to bring in a too large carpet as it might make the space feel unproprtionally small in comparison.
3. Mirrors are a reliable solution which never fails to enlarge a space. You can also trust in mirrors introducing an additional light source as well as elegance.
4. Light colours, and glossy surfaces optically enlarge the interior. For kitchens, glossy furniture are also preferable as they are eaiser to keep clean.

We hope that you enjoy our interior design ideas for apartments. Please be aware that all of our tips are universal and work in any apartment. However, they are not rules to follow blindly. Consider our tips and tricks and you will be able to deisgn a space that is both functional, beautiful and adapted after your lifestyle and preferences. Just like every person is different, so is every room. Perhaps your apartment doesn’t need a large renovation, just a touch up. Then we invite you to rad our other article about kitchen paint ideas. Here you can find helpful and practical ideas that will help you decid what colour and what kind of paint to paint your kitchen fronts and completely renew the appearance of your kitchen.