9 Tips for Styling your Apartment Like a Pro

We’ve partnered with King to bring you this home styling guide.

Whether it’s the inner-city location, the modern fixtures or the cheaper rent, many of us are choosing apartments over houses to call home. But how do you style the space in a way that feels cosy and spacious, sophisticated, and customised? From investing in multi-purpose furniture to creating rooms within rooms, introducing vibrancy and texture with accessories and picking the perfect colour palette, we’ve teamed up with pioneering Australian furniture brand King to help you style your apartment like a seasoned interior designer.

Buy Multifunctional Furniture

You’ve settled on the perfect apartment, and now the fun of furnishing your place begins. If you’re starting from scratch, the best place to begin is with the staples – think beds, lounges and storage. Multifunctional furniture is a great option for smaller apartments, as it will save you space without compromising on style.

You’ll want to start with a quality bed. We spend almost a third of our life there, after all! This luxurious bed, which has a customisable bedhead and base, doubles as a hidden storage space. If you’re anything like us, it'll be easier to relax in a decluttered room. Another must-have is a comfortable couch. To tick off two boxes, we suggest investing in a sofa bed. That way, your lounge can seamlessly transform into another bedroom when you have guests stay.

Think Quality Over Quantity

Less is more when it comes to buying furniture for small spaces. Invest in timeless, well-made pieces in neutral colours and build the rest of the room around them. A luxurious sofa will anchor your living room and you’ll only need a few additional pieces of furniture such as a coffee table and sideboard to complete it. Whether you’re a minimalist or a maximalist, choosing a neutral, tonal colour for your couch will provide flexibility when it comes to styling and give you the chance to switch up accessories as your style changes or your budget grows.

Store Everything You Don’t Use

If you own a lot of things, apartment living can feel like a game of Tetris...and that multipurpose furniture will look even more appealing. To keep your apartment looking beautiful, store everything you don’t use away. If you’re storing items visibly, hang them up. Add hooks to the kitchen for pots and pans, invest in a quality shoe rack and find a nice vintage stand for hats and jackets.

Build Spaces Within Spaces

Not all of us are lucky enough to have spacious apartments, so creating zones within open-plan spaces is often a must. Professional real estate images of your new apartment may be a good reference for furniture placement and orientation, but you’ll want to make sure your home has soul and feels lived in.

Create the illusion of space and section open-plan rooms by investing in a rug for the living area, or quite literally divide the room in half with a bookshelf. An open bookshelf will keep the apartment feeling light and spacious while doubling as a place to display your favourite things. Win-win!

Play With Textures

Different textures create different moods. Take your local restaurant, for example – marble bars, wooden floors and smooth surfaces may make the venue feel upmarket but with no contrast it’ll feel cold. Carpets, rugs and lots of soft textures, on the other hand, can create a cosy space. But too many, and it may look overwhelming and cheap.

The key to creating a well-styled space is to carefully combine the two. While you may not be able to change the fixtures, the furnishings of your apartment are yours to play with. A simple way to add texture and introduce accent pieces to your apartment is to invest in a quality rug, an ottoman, and a few cushions in different fabrics.

Create the Illusion of Light

Whether big or small, a light-flooded space is every dweller’s (and house plant’s) dream. Keep the windows and doors clear to avoid blocking natural light. Choose neutral furniture colours and bring in darker tones with accessories. Switch out the curtains or blinds in your apartment for a lighter fabric if your budget permits. Or invest in sophisticated lighting, designer lamps and fairy lights which will double as decorations.

Choose the Right Colour Palette

Picking a colour palette is, in our opinion, one of the best parts of styling your home. If you’re a maximalist, it may be tempting to go wild and bring in every shade of the rainbow. But we suggest opting for a couple of core base colours – neutrals offer longevity and lighter colours will make the space feel bigger. Then, you can be bold and bring in vibrant hues and patterns with cushions, pillows, throws, and rugs. These can also be swapped out seasonally if you want to mix things up.

Insulate Rooms With Rugs

Anyone who has used central heating will know that the costs in winter can add up. A thick rug in a dense fabric will help keep the heat in, give the space a cosy feel, and ensure you avoid walking on cold tiles or floorboards. When it comes to rugs, opt for wool, don’t skimp on size and place them in areas where you walk often – the hallway, under the couch and near the doors. (Choose darker colours or busier patterns if they’re likely to get dirty.)

Add Personality With Original Homewares

Once you’ve invested in furniture and storage and set up the foundations, it’s time to add your personal touch. There are endless ways to bring personality to an apartment, and you don’t have to spend a lot of money to make an impact. You could sew your own cushion covers with textured fabric or gingham, or explore antique shops and local designers for custom, hand-made ceramics and vases. Dry your flowers out so they can become a more permanent fixture of your home. And frame squares of patterned wallpaper for cost-effective art that can easily be refreshed and updated.

Feeling inspired to re-style your apartment? Explore the full range of premium furniture from King and invest in your favourite pieces for less with their winter sale. The seasonal sale runs from Saturday the 18^th of June to Sunday the 31^st of July, so there’s plenty of time to find the perfect piece. Looking for more storage tips? Check out these storage solutions for every room of the house and make your home feel extra cosy this winter with these clever design tricks.