Apartment Rentals Archives - Oh My Heartsie Girl

If you’re living in an apartment, chances are you’re not drowning in space. Most apartments don’t come with much square footage, so if you’ve got 300 square feet per person, or less, you probably wish you had more room.

The good news is, there are some easy ways to make a small apartment feel big. Simple tricks can do wonders. Without further ado, here are five ways to take your cramped space and make it seem larger.
Add Shelves

If you’ve got walls, walls, and nothing but walls, you can improve both the look of a room, and your storage problems, by adding shelves. Whether you install “floating” shelves in the living room, or build a bookcase headboard, you can make way better use of your apartment space if you store upwards. Head to a home improvement store in Lyndhurst, Eastlake, and Greater Cleveland and start creating your own storage solutions.

Put Up Art

Even the ugliest room can be improved by great, framed art. Besides improving the aesthetic, art also makes a room look larger, since it controls the wall space. Your tiny bathroom can look brand new and wide open with a few jungle or beach art prints. Like tiny windows, prints break up the white and lend atmosphere. You can put up Acrylic Photo Prints or start browsing artists on Society6.

Hang Mirrors

A mirror will make your space look double the size. If you hang them right, they’ll transform a room. Mirrors capture and reflect light, amplify colors, and provide a “window” into a new space. Any sized mirror will help, but if you’ve got a poky living room, a huge mirror behind the couch might be exactly what you’re looking for.

Hang Your Curtains Higher

Any space looks bigger when you amplify the distance to the ceiling. If you hang your curtains at the top of your squat windows, your place is going to look squat. If, however, you hang the curtain from the ceiling down, both the window and the room look bigger. Make your ceilings appear taller by hanging curtains an extra foot or two higher.

Color Code

If you’re cramming every book you own into a tiny space, your shelves are going to look cluttered. To reduce the maximalist effect of all your stuff, try arranging things by color. Put all the red books together, all the green books together, etc. That kind of arrangement will help your space breathe more easily.

A beautiful apartment isn’t dependent on great architecture or tons of space. Your small living quarters are a fantastic challenge–one you can pass with flying colors. If you incorporate some or all of the tips from this article, your small space will start feeling open in no time at all. Keep your apartment full of your own personality, but remember to decorate with a strategy in mind. You can transform your current apartment to the apartment of your dreams, all by the way you arrange.

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Who Would Think Your Apartment Can Boost Your Confidence

Did you know that only 15% of people have “great” self-esteem? The rest of us go through life with less-than-ideal confidence levels. We doubt and criticize ourselves, but we often don’t consider the way our self-esteem is affecting the rest of our lives. Self-doubt can make it hard to get a job, get a promotion, get a date, or pursue our dreams. Procrastination is an indicator of low self-esteem, so if you regularly drag your feet about tasks, it might be a sign that you don’t think you’re capable.
Don’t let your low self-esteem influence the course of your life. Instead, take practical steps to improve it. While there are many great ways to affect our confidence-levels, here we’re going to talk about one of the most fun: how your apartment can boost your confidence.

Self-Expression is Key
One of the best ways to start building our self-esteem is to compliment ourselves. Maybe we’re trying to avoid being vain, or an egomaniac, but we often neglect to think positive things about ourselves. Instead of focusing on the bad, take active steps to celebrate the good in you. Your apartment is the perfect place to begin that self-expression. White walls and haphazard furniture? Out it goes. Ditch the couch that you’ve had since college and upgrade to some modern furniture. Get decor that reminds you of a favorite book or global location, and put your favorite quotes up on the wall. Go with what feels right. The more your apartment expresses you, the more of a haven it will be.

Exercising Personal Choices
Usually, we think we’re making all our daily choices. But often, it’s not really us making the choice. We have a perception in our head of what we “should” do, or what others would “want” us to do, and we make our choices based off of that instead. Your apartment is a place where you can practice true-you choices, by making decisions based off what you really want, not what others would think. Have a swing in your living room. Get the pet your mother never let you have as a child. Hang canvas prints and paint the wall in colors. If you want to paint your bathroom bright pink, go for it. This is about practicing being your true self. You only get one life to live and you might as well make it memorable.

Your Own Space
Last but not least, your apartment is your zone of belonging. If you go through life without a place you can truly call “yours” you may feel unanchored. It can help boost your confidence simply to have a place you know you belong. The decor, colors, furniture, and atmosphere was all designed by you. You “fit” in your apartment, and when friends and family come to visit, your apartment can be a quiet declaration of self-expression. That kind of grounding can play an important role in making you feel better about yourself. So, when all is said and done, when it comes to a confident future–start at home.