We all had to, during our studies or at the start of a career (which can drag on for a while), move into a studio. In a way, this is an obligatory passage: one rarely goes from the parental cocoon to one’s own home. And when moving to such a place for the first time, you might wonder: how to delimitate all the needed zones in such a wall-less place?
Don’t worry, our team is right here to help you, with some top tips for arranging these small spaces (we’ll be generally talking about flats between 20 and 30sqm) and create a little dream home for yourself.
Each living area must have its own space
First of all, it is necessary to establish your spaces. Since you don’t have a partition, you need to create a zone for each “room”: kitchen, living room, bedroom.
If you decide to combine the living room and the bedroom, you can start setting this room up by acquiring a multifunctional table. You can opt for a dining table, or a narrower bar table which will serve you well as a worktop, a space to eat your snacks and a desk.
The mezzanine tip
If your ceiling height allows it, you can opt for a mezzanine bed. Under it, you can place your working desk, some storage shelves, drawers and other work stuff. Space saving guaranteed!
Optimized storage
Clean up your moving boxes if you do not want to suffocate in such a small flat! Seriously, don’t underestimate this advice and start your belongings’ unpacking by sorting away stuff you truly don’t need. As for the things that had the luck to remain a part of your life, we advise you acquire some furniture with walls to hide your belongings. Avoid libraries, open wardrobes, wall shelves, or use them only in limited quantities. This way, you will zone out your working or personal space, while also using the improvised wall to stock your stuff and not crowd the visible space.
Individual installations
If your budget allows it or if you are a bit of a handyman/woman, the most optimized tip for a studio is to create made-to-measure facilities for your exact space. Personalized and 100% adapted to the space, such individual installations are THE solution for a dream studio, practical and functional, because they help you zone the space while also showcasing a piece of your personality. So dare to create a wall of shelves or a bookcase cabinet by yourself, and feel the satisfaction of looking at it everytime you go from your kitchen to your improvised bedroom.
Transparency
Glass partitions, furniture or even roofs (if you’re lucky) are the must-have of studio flats. They delimit and separate spaces, while retaining light passages and avoiding a fixed and inflexible partitioning. So if you live on the last floor and have some dirty glass windows on your roof, don’t hesitate to take the time and clean them up properly, for a boost of sun and light, which will visually enlarge your small home.
If you’re not among the lucky owners of such homes, you can deal with glass furniture or doors, which will zone out the space but will still let light into all the rooms you’ve set up by yourself.
Light colored walls
Apart from the fact that light colors tend to make a space bigger, they can also be easily used for zoning. Another strategy is to opt for vertical stripes or other patterns which increase the height of a wall. Note, however, that the best option is to use these stripes and patterns (or a more intense color) on one wall only. This will help visually zone out the spaces and will make them look like different rooms with different purposes.
The uniqueness of the materials
Even though we’ve been just talking about making the spaces feel different, do not forget you’re setting up a flat, a connected composition of spaces. This means that the general design should be intertwined throughout your entire home. No matter the way you zone your studio, we advise you choose a limited range of materials. Select the same wood for your furniture, the same metal for the accessories and so on.
Mirrors
Using a mirror will make your space bigger while also zoning it quite effectively. You can place a large one against a wall-cabinet or other zoning items. In addition to being practical and very classy, this tip will help you create the illusion of a larger room and will hide the not so pretty back of the zoning furniture.
Lighting
This element also has an important role. Use a main light source in your living room, to highlight it as a whole space, and multiply the secondary light sources by varying the orientation. Moreover, use additional lamps for other zoned out spaces.
Even if your only room is divided into two spaces, you can’t use one light source for both, because it will be blocked out by the zoning items and will complement one space in the detriment of the other. Moreover, this one light source will give out the fact that those spaces were initially one whole room.
Refined decorations
Once again, be sure to maintain harmony in your decor. We advise you to set up your whole studio according to your favorite style (loft, Parisian, contemporary decor, etc.) and to “limit yourself” to it, no matter the zoning strategy. This will help all your permutations look harmonious and close-knit.
And if you’re looking for those exact pieces of furniture to zone out your new studio, know that they all await you on New York Furniture Outlets, an online catalog with outlet items at the best price!