The best-rated apartments are often the most unique—and sometimes that means that they’re the most uniquely-shaped. Apartment layouts vary from property to property and even from unit to unit, and that can prove to be a problem when moving from one space to the next. Maybe your best-rated apartment’s living room is incredibly small; maybe your bedroom is triangular; or maybe it’s just hard to fit all of your furniture into your new best-rated apartment’s layout. In fact, it may seem that no matter where you put that sofa, it will never seem to fit in with the rest of the room. But don’t give up! Before you kick that unruly couch to the curb, try these nifty tricks to turn your best-rated apartment’s awkward arrangement into a comfortable space.
Arrange and Rearrange Your Furniture
Before you completely despair over the state of your apartment, try every single furniture arrangement you can think of—even the ones that seem unlikely to work! A layout that failed in your previous apartment might succeed in your new, best-rated apartment’s layout. Some rooms look better with grouped furnishings floating in the middle; others work best with an open center and furnishings pushed toward the walls. So go on—put the loveseat right in the middle of the carpet. Anything is possible.
Switch Your Rooms
If you just can’t make a furniture layout work, consider what would happen if you switched, say, the dining room and the living room. Just because an area comes pre-labeled with a purpose doesn’t mean it can’t change to suit your needs. There may be more wall space in the “dining room” to mount the TV on the wall, leaving the “living room” free for a dining table and chairs to entertain guests. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the placement of furniture in your apartment.
Divide and Conquer
If you don’t like the way an individual room is laid out, use a tried-and-true trick that renters of studio apartments rely on: room dividers. A couple of large bookshelves, a folding screen, or a curtain can all serve as dividers in a room that is awkwardly-shaped. Suddenly, a bedroom is divided into a sleeping space and a workspace, or a large room is separated into a kitchen and dining area. Give it a try in your best-rated apartment’s space; a room that you hate might become your new favorite.
Add New Furnishings
If all else fails, spring for new furnishings or build your own! For example, if nothing else can fit into an awkward corner in your new bedroom, install your own shelving. You’ll get some use out of an area that might otherwise have none and gain some vertical storage to boot. Similarly, if your favorite armchair won’t fit in your living room, it may be time to move it to the corner of your bedroom and spring for new décor for your new space.
Tell Us About Your Best-Rated Apartments
Is your apartment strangely-shaped? How do you make it work? Tell us about your best-rated apartment’s layout by finding Renter’s Voice on Facebook and Twitter.
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