Small Apartment Decorating Ideas

Sometimes it's difficult to make an apartment feel like home. You don't want to spend too much money on decor because it's not your forever home and the space can be limiting. Duncan and I moved in together about a year and a half ago and it's taken a while to make our house a home. At first, we didn't want to do too much because we didn't know how long we'd be living here. After the first year we decided to start adding small things to make the house more "us" and have a space we love being in. Those small things have made all the difference and now we love being at home.

Keep reading for some small apartment decorating ideas on a budget. 

- Add some green

Duncan and I love being outside and enjoying nature so I thought why not bring that to our home? You would be surprised at what a difference a bright green plant makes in your home. Interior decorating with plants is such an effortless way to spruce up an empty space. I bought the plant from Lowes. They have a pretty big plant section with so much to choose from and it won't cost you too much. I bought the plant pot with the stand at Target which was the most expensive part of the whole thing. You can also find some cute pots at TJ Maxx or Ross. The only thing you have to worry about is not killing it. I don't have much of a green thumb and I've managed to keep it alive so just make sure to do your research and ask questions in order to give your plant the proper care it needs.

- Repurpose what you already have

We're huge supporters of the phrase "one man's trash is another man's treasure". We love to recycle stuff that people would otherwise throw out. For example, Duncan works at a restaurant/night club and often times people will order bottles of liquor and then throw out the bottle at the end of the night. Duncan likes to bring them home, wash them, and use them as cute coffee table decor to store our snacks. It's simple but really adds to the room and we didn't spend a dime. The bottles we used above are Don Julio Blanco Tequila but you can obviously use any bottle that matches your aesthetic.

Duncan also repurposed his "old closet". When he was living alone, he bought a shoe storage and hat rack from IKEA to use as his closet since he didn't have one in his room. Now that we have our own spacious closet, these items didn't serve the same purpose anymore. After figuring out that bottles fit perfectly inside the shoe storage, we created a small bar on the empty wall in our living room. It's all about being creative and seeing things from a different persepctive.

- Create a small home office

I started working from home a couple months into moving to our apartment. It was a huge adjustment for me because I had never worked remotely before. When I first started, I just created my office space at our dining table. Our dining table started to get too crowded with my stuff and it wasn't the ideal spot to work in. I wanted my own space that kept me motivated. Getting a desk would've taken up way too much space and we don't have another room available for us to use as an office so we had to get creative. 

I found some desks online that fold into the wall and barely took up any room. I bought a black one to match our furniture and I love it. I open it up when I'm working and it has everything I need and once I'm done I just close it and it looks like it's just another part of our decor. These desks are perfect for a small home. We added some cacti on top to decorate it a little more and now it's just the perfect addition to another empty wall space we had in our living room. 

I couldn't find the color I got but here's a link to something similar: Floating Desk

- Dining Room

We had very little furniture when we first moved in. Our dining table was Duncan's old desk and I hated it. I wanted something that matched our home and had a more natural look. We searched for a while and finally found the perfect table at IKEA. It comes in 3 pieces - table top and table legs - and you can paint the wood however you'd like. We plan on painting it a little darker to match our stools but we haven't been able to yet due to this virus. We found these chairs at At Home and we bought the stools from Home Depot a while ago. I've linked everything below if you're interested.

- Transforming your outdoor space

When we first moved into our apartment, one of the first things we loved about it was the balcony. Like I said, we love being outdoors so this was part of our home we knew we wanted to redecorate and make our own. We left it alone for a long time with no furniture because it wasn't priority at the moment. Now that it's decorated, we spend time working on the blog out here and enjoying our coffee when the weather is nice enough. 

We found this flooring in IKEA that completely transformed the space. We used half grass and half wood flooring to add some color. Then, we added this simple table and chairs and some lights around the railing so that it's all lit up at night. Of course, we added some greenery to bring everything to life. It's one of my favorite spots in the house now and I'm grateful to have it since we're forced to be stuck inside during this time. I'll link everything we used below.

We hope this helps you make your small apartment feel more homey! Don't forget to follow us on Instagram for more content.