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How to Decorate a Studio Apartment 

How to Decorate a Studio Apartment

A studio apartment is a perfect blank canvas. The question of how to live in a studio apartment is one that focuses on your unique needs and preferences. These ideas from Pottery Barn are here to give you inspiration when planning a well-organized space that’s just as functional as larger apartments. 

Set Your Own Boundaries

If you’re wondering how to decorate a small apartment, there are many directions you can head. Larger spaces with walled rooms have their own guidelines when it comes to how you can set up the furniture in each individual space. With a studio, those boundary lines are within your control. As you consider how to furnish a studio apartment, you can think about how you want to split up the space into distinctive "room" areas without pre-set wall divisions. 

In a studio apartment, bookcases are more than just a place to store books and display decorative objects. They can become stylish room dividers that allow you to portion off a section of your studio to serve as a purpose-specific nook. Arrange an L-shape formation of tall bookcases to create a small home office area that's separate from the rest of the apartment. Tuck your bed away behind a bookcase to create some privacy. Curtains are also a great choice for creating your own lines of separation in your studio. Decorative fabric offers a softer alternative to bookcases. 

Use Color to Tie the Room Together

When it comes to studio apartments, many ideas focus on how to split up the space. However, a balance of separation and cohesion can help. Use color to make the apartment look cohesive even if you've portioned it out into separate sections. 

For example, if you've chosen a purple duvet cover, you can use purple accent pillows on your sofa or arrange a collection of vintage perfume bottles in various purple hues on a prominent shelf in the living room space. Using thoughtful little pops of color here and there ties the apartment together with a theme you love. Rely primarily on neutral colors as a base throughout your apartment to make the space feel bigger. Pops of color really stand out with this chic strategy. If you love lots of color, brightness is welcome, too! Try to choose one bright color and accent with neutral pops if you want a more vibrant space.

Consider Scale 

Scale, or the size of the decor you choose for your studio apartment, is another key to keeping the space streamlined. It's generally good to think small in a studio. Balancing one or two big items with a smaller quantity of little things tends to be your best bet. This can mean changing the way you think about decor – if you have an ornate tufted headboard, for example, that piece can make a lovely focal point. It might need just a little something extra like a small painting or print on the wall overhead.

This is another reason why drapes can be such a great tool for small spaces. Choose a pair of patterned curtains in a neutral color to create a bold statement piece that serves a useful function, too. You can then offset this neutral pattern with a solid rug in your color choice. Add a few decorative accents on walls and on your bookshelves. 

Choose these decorative accents thoughtfully. You may want to limit the number of small items you display to avoid clutter and maximize the utility of all your available shelves and surfaces. Stick with decorative objects and works of art that really speak to you and make you feel happy at home. Avoiding too much color variation in your small accents is also a good idea. The goal isn't to be completely restrained, but to f