31 Studio Apartment Decorating Ideas To Enhance Your Space

While your studio apartment may not be short on style, it's almost certainly short on one thing: space. So how do you decorate a studio apartment? We're sharing small apartment design and layout ideas, including space-saving furniture, stylish dividers, hidden storage and more, to make your little home feel bigger and, more importantly, function better. Read on to start making the most of your space.

Put your forgotten corners to good use with a cozy banquette, a comfy chair or a storage bench. This is the simplest way to add lots of seating without taking up lots of square footage.

If you love dark, moody colors, but you’re afraid of feeling closed-in, you'll love this visual trick. By painting your dark color of choice at the bottom of the wall and painting white at the top to match the ceiling, you blur the lines of where the walls stop and the ceiling begins. Bring on the moody vibes!

While high ceilings don’t contribute any extra square footage, they sure can make a space feel bigger. If you don’t have the luxury of high ceilings and want to pretend you do, opt for low furniture wherever you can. The more space between the furniture and the ceiling, the bigger your apartment will feel.

Stretching a gallery wall all the way to the ceiling is a great way to emphasize the wall’s height, making the ceilings feel higher than they are by drawing the eye upward. Want to go the extra mile? Place smaller pieces toward the top to create the illusion that they’re further away.

Double-duty furniture pieces are an absolute must in studio apartments. Don’t just choose a bed — find one that has built-in storage underneath. If you don’t have room for a dining table, choose a coffee table that’s big enough for you to sit at when you have your meals. Find more of our favorite storage furniture pieces, below.

With the openness of a studio apartment, sometimes it’s hard to establish a defined floor plan. A great way to do this is to carve out an area with a large piece of furniture like a bookshelf. Plus, who doesn't love some extra storage? Divide and conquer like a pro with our tips, below.

If you’re lacking adequate space for a proper dining table, we promise you aren’t doomed to couch-bound meals every night. Well, not technically. Instead, utilize your sofa as a comfortable seating option for you and your dinner guests, then slide the table away for a more relaxing environment post dinner.

Going big with your houseplants can make your space feel larger than life. The tall, spreading branches will direct eyes outward and upward, tricking the brain into thinking the space is bigger.

No room for houseplants? Hang them from the ceiling. This way, you can have all the benefits of a variety of houseplants (hello, oxygen!) without sacrificing a single bit of floor space.

Creating an accent wall in a small studio is a great way to create visual interest. In this bedroom, a bold jungle wallpaper brings in a vacay-any-day vibe. An added bonus: This accent wall serves as a giant piece of art. Ready to add an accent wall? Find inspo, below.

Give yourself some extra storage with floating shelves. By creating a shelf arrangement like this example, you can make use of the limited space in any area of your apartment. One of our favorite hacks? Skip the entryway furniture and opt for floating shelves to keep everyday essentials in order.

It’s next to impossible to find space in a tiny studio apartment for a big, bulky bike. To save some serious square footage, consider treating your bike as a piece of art. The bike is still easily accessible — but completely out of the way.

Short on kitchen storage? Put the unused space between your upper and lower cabinets to good use with a rail system. From kitchen tools to tablet docks, it’s easy to find an accessory for storing nearly anything you can think of.

When dressing your windows, go sheer whenever possible. This way, you gain lots of privacy while only sacrificing a little bit of that precious sunlight.

Not sure where to put your desk? Say hello to your new nightstand! Using a desk as a nightstand is a genius way to save space, because (hopefully) you’re never sleeping on the job.

A Murphy bed is a space-saving staple in homes around the globe. Follow the example above and turn your Murphy bed’s support leg into a shelf. Now when you have guests, your living room can actually look like a living room.

At this point, we’re all familiar with the vertical Murphy bed, but have you seen horizontal ones? While this variation may only work for some, there is some serious space-saving potential here.

If you're short on space, a daybed may be the perfect solution. This way, you can use your bed as extra seating during the day, but cozy up for a good night's rest come evening. Not ready to buy? Create your own by placing a twin or double bed against the wall and piling on large throw pillows for a couch-like look.

The four walls of your apartment may be limiting, but that doesn’t mean you can't add any more space — visually speaking, at least. Add a large floor mirror to visually double the size of your apartment. This designer trick has been around for ages, so isn't it time you put it to use in your space? Reflect on this idea with some of our favorites styles, below.

Curtains are a budget-friendly way to add privacy and a sense of separation to an area without totally closing it off. With curtains, even renters can have that cozy bedroom feeling they miss without forfeiting their damage deposit or breaking their lease.

If you have tall ceilings, building a loft is a clever way to add additional square footage to your space. In this example, the owner created a sleeping area in the loft and used the space underneath as a small music studio.

Love the loft idea but suffering from low-ceiling syndrome? There’s an option for you, too. Instead of a full-on loft, consider building a slightly lower platform with drawers. This is a fantastic way to increase your storage and make use of the unused vertical space above your bed.

Unfortunately, many studio apartments are closet-less. If you’re one of the unlucky ones, this chic copper garment rack is the answer to all your clothing storage problems. Grab some copper pipe and get to building your own, below.

If you’re lucky enough to have a closet and maybe even two, here’s an out-of-the-box way to use it. Install a custom desk and some shelving to tranform your closet into the perfect home office.

Another smart way to fit a workspace into your studio is to build a folding desk. With some folding shelf brackets and a wide piece of wood, you can make a custom desk that’s there when you need it and tucked away when you don’t.

A clever way to avoid visual clutter is to opt for clear furniture alternatives — think acrylic shelves, glass coffee tables and Lucite desks. We've cleared the way to fabulous acrylic furniture finds, below.

Floor lamps are pretty but, like many things, they take up valuable floor space. Here’s a bright idea: Skip the base and take your lighting to the walls instead. With sconces, pendants and flush mounts, you can keep the glow while kicking unnecessary space hogs to the curb.

There’s no need to shy away from big art, even in a tiny apartment. Put it to use in a main living area in lieu of a mural, or hang a piece above your bed to give the illusion of a bespoke headboard. Feeling creative? Get a few ideas for DIYing your own art, below.

Looking for a space-saving storage solution that won't eat up precious floor space? Look no further than the backs of your apartment’s doors. These blank canvases are ready to be fitted with shelves and filled from top to bottom with anything and everything you can think of.