11 Tips to Declutter your Small Apartment like a PRO!
Everyone has a unique way of styling and organizing their house. Some people might prefer functionality, while others might prefer aesthetics. But most of us might have to compromise on our small apartment’s interior design due to space constraints or budgetary restraints.
The common ground here is that we all want to live in a house furnished beautifully without cluttering our space. Sometimes, we might reach a point where it becomes impossible to declutter your home and keep it organized!
But don’t you worry!
We are here to spill some tips and tricks on re-furnishing your cozy space and decluttering it like a Pro!
Set a weekend and designated hours for your decluttering
We all have often thought of cleaning our cluttered spaces but ultimately have backed off because we were too lazy, to begin with. We know what you are thinking, and Yes, It does sound like your last weekend plan.
It is not the easiest task to come up with decluttering ideas for a small apartment overnight. Therefore, what you need to do in this situation is set a goal for yourself. Pick a day and designate specific hours for “decluttering” as a task in your calendar. You can put on your fav playlist on repeat and begin decluttering your space. If you are too lazy, then honestly, this could be a tedious task, and you might end up not doing it. So, call your friends and turn this into a fun mission with their help.
Planning it out beforehand
Once you have set a date and time, all you need to do is plan everything out! If you start without a plan, you might get overwhelmed and left with a decluttered space all over again. Go through one room at a time. Plan your room according to your decor goals.
For this step, you need to do some research. You have to visualize what you want your house to look like and Start decluttering according to a particular idea/theme. Search for ideas according to your taste and aesthetic. Imagine what you would want your home to look like! Do you have a certain aesthetic or a vision for your dream home.
Get rid of all the furniture that is old and broken
This is perhaps the most challenging step! It is essential to get rid of your old “not so used” belongings and create space for new and better things for your house!
might be some furniture that isn’t being used and is now a part of the clutter. It could be the broken ottoman that you keep bumping your pinky toe against every time you enter the living room, or that empty dresser you don’t need anymore. Hence, it is important to separate all those items, understand its usage, and discard/ resell the same to create some space in your house!
Get rid of all the things that don’t spark joy
This step has been sensationalized by the Japanese organizing GURU, Marie Kondo! In this step, you have to evaluate every item in your house. Take these items and analyze whether it brings you joy or not. If it brings you joy, you can keep it, and if it does not, then you have to let it go. In this process, we realize that there are many things we simply hold on to, despite them not adding any value to our homes.
Recycle and reuse
There might be many things lying around in the house that you might not have used for ages. Some of those items can be easily recycled, such as plastic (recyclable), glass, and paper. Junk mail and shredded paper can be easily DIYed and used again. You can recycle your paper items into paper mache and place them around your plant pots base. This helps your plants hold nutrients and water for longer.
Electronic items like CFL bulbs, batteries, and old TVs have to be recycled more carefully. These items contain toxins; hence they cannot be disposed of openly. However, there are shops and home depots that will collect your old articles and recycle them. Plastics are trickier to recycle. Check for the recycle mark while sorting all the plastic materials before you send them for recycling. Can you tell us a few more methods of recycling at home.
Donate items
Most of us end up hoarding things that aren’t of any use to us. Even though these items would be in absolutely good health, it might probably not be of much use to us. At such times, It is important to realize that donating these things would be much more beneficial to someone else rather than hoarding it up without using them. Instead of discarding, look out for an option where you can donate it to someone in need.
Upcycled Items
Another creative way to declutter is to upcycle your old things. If you have an old chair lying around, you can be artistic with it by painting and reusing it. Paste beautiful parchment paper on that dull old chest of drawers to give it a fresh and trendy look! If you start looking through the lens of creativity, there is so much you can DIY in your house! What are some of the things in your home that you would like to upscale.
Get furniture that are used for multiple purpose
If your space is small, it will get cluttered more easily! The key is to economize your area and think through before you get your furniture. Before you buy any furniture, pause and think if it adds any value to your home. if this piece of furniture will be used daily, or if it will fit in your house, in terms of size and aesthetics. If the answer is NO, you want to invest in a piece of furniture that serves more than one purpose.
A perfect idea in this situation is to buy multipurpose furniture items. One of the best examples will be Italica Coffee Table that can be used as a coffee/ tea in the morning, be eye candy for your guests, or be used as a cozy dining table for date nights. Investing in multipurpose furniture helps you to save space and money!
Organize/ Categorize your belongings
Cluttering is caused by small items that are scattered everywhere. Right from big things to small, start organizing everything with a label on it. Once you are done with sorting and categorizing, you need to designate a space for each and everything you own into storage crates/ boxes/ bins.
The hardest part is to maintain that categorization as time goes by. Therefore, you need to segregate the belongings in storage bins to keep your belongings separate. Keep your work papers in one paper organizing tray, your art supplies in respective organizers, a separate box for your medical equipment, and so on. You can decorate your storage bins and add labels to make them look more appealing and aesthetically coordinated.
You can also use such storage bins in your wardrobe to sort your clothing items into categories and minimize the mess! Even after categorizing everything, there will be many things that do not fall under any category. These things may not be indispensable. For such items, you can create a miscellaneous box with all the uncategorized stuff so that it will stay out of your way.
Arrange your furniture creatively
After you have decluttered, you would wonder how to decorate your studio apartment. There is no definite way to arrange your furniture, but you can certainly play around with them. So, place them in a way that they complement each other and the overall decor. No two furniture pieces should be kept close to each other, and there should be enough wiggle space around the furniture.
This is important because free space around the furniture will make your home look spacious than it is. Another critical thing to remember here is that you may feel like adding new items to your space as time goes by. Keep that in mind and furnish your place with some room to add a thing or two, if needed.
Customize your space
After you are done with all these steps, do not forget to decorate your home with a few pictures, plants, fairy lights, and other decorative items to add your personal touch. But remember, do not add too much! What are those essential decorative items that you would like to add to your room? We all buy things that would spark joy and make us feel cozy and comfortable but make sure you keep it minimal as per your needs and space.
And there you go. You have successfully decluttered your space!
If you follow these easy steps, cleaning your space will be easy and fun! If you found this blog helpful, share it with your friends and family to help them furnish their homes without cluttering their space!