It’s only natural that you want your apartment to feel comfortable and express your own personality. This can be challenging in an HDB flat, where you and a hundred of your neighbors share the same floor plan, but it’s not impossible! Here are some easy tips to help create an exciting and personalized living space.
Color
Pale pastels, light neutral earth tones, and whites are the best colors for small apartments. Dark colors make a room feel claustrophobic and depressing, while light colors promote an airy, airy feeling. Consider using light green or sage in living rooms and kitchens to complement wood furniture, and pale blue in a bedroom to promote restful sleep.
Furniture
Any small apartment will benefit from the incorporation of multipurpose furniture. To keep your flat from feeling cluttered, choose furniture that combines functions—for example, a bed with drawers built under the frame, or a coffee table with built-in shelving.
Go vertical whenever possible. Add display shelves high up on the walls instead of using a massive piece of furniture, and hang large pieces of art to draw attention and provide an expansive feel.
Contrast
Wear some bold contrast to convey your multifaceted personality. Add bright colors with cushions or a brightly painted piece of furniture. Horizontal stripes or a few touches of large floral or graphic prints bring a spacious, contemporary feel to a room.
Create that eclectic feel with contrasting styles too. Boost a room’s personality quotient with an antique piece amid a sleek contemporary design, or reupholster an old chair in an updated fabric print.
Floors
To create a spacious feeling throughout the apartment, keep the floors clear. This means avoiding excessive use of rugs, making use of floating or built-in shelving as much as possible, and choosing floor coverings that match or complement the colors of the walls.
Keeping floor coverings consistent across the floor will produce a natural flow from one room to the next. Hardwood floors are a great option, and cork or bamboo provide the look of natural wood with additional environmental benefits.
Light
Above all, let the light into your apartment! In small spaces, track lighting is a great option. Use curtains that accentuate the windows, instead of hiding them. Put up some mirrors to reflect the natural light and double the effect of the lamps.
Contemporary interior design encourages the mixing of styles, colors, and patterns, so it should be easy for you to choose a scheme that showcases your own personal style.
