Space has become quite scarce. The newly built apartment blocks in the big cities are getting taller and taller, while the flats are getting smaller and smaller. The newly built flats seem to be focused on couples and bachelor or bachelorettes. Small living spaces don’t mean that the flat needs to look uninviting. It doesn’t mean that it can not look cool.
Today I am going to talk to you about how you can turn a small apartment into a cool bachelor pad by focusing on the important furniture.
1. Comfortable Sofa
The first thing to focus on is getting a very comfortable sofa. Sofas are an essential part of our living space. The couch will be the wow factor when you walk into your open space – living room. Do not forget, go big. The bigger, the better. I know this sounds odd when we are talking about a small apartment. Large items add scale and depth to the room. Go for an L shape sofa if you can. Lots of companies also have a short chaise lounge. So ask about an L shape sofa with a short L. That should do the trick!
2. Desk
As we are all working from home these days and offices are not rushing to reopen their doors, a desk is a must. You do not want to turn your small dining table into your office space. That will irritate you. Look into getting a 120cm or even a 130 cm desk. Check out Hairpin for simple but well-designed desks.
3. Office Chair
Working from home is making us work longer hours. We have all been noticing this behaviour. All the hours that we have spent travelling to work we are now sitting at home and working. If you are sitting for 10 or more hours a day, then a comfortable chair is a must. If you cut corners or money on your office chair, you will then be spending your money going to see your osteopath instead. For second hand but excellent condition Herman Miller chairs check out Rype Office
4. Dining Table
It is not easy finding good looking and small dining tables. It seems there is a shortage in small but useful looking tables. You do not want to look at a dining table that is the size of a bar table 60-70cm diameter or square. The right size table for a small apartment is between 80-90 cm dia 4 people will be able to sit around a table that size.
5. Dining Chairs
To complement the small dining table, you must get comfortable and great looking chairs. Chairs are normally an expensive piece of furniture, worldwide! No matter where you live, chairs will always be a large chunk of your budget. The shop Rockett st George have a great selection and the cost of the chairs are well priced.
If you have space and want to make your dining area more of an intimate or secluded area, put a rug under the table. Tip: rug needs to be big enough to have at least 500mm-1000cmm (50cm-100cm) around the chairs. So when you move your chair backwards, you are not falling off the rug.
6. Rugs
I personally like to have rugs as big as possible. Rugs need to be big enough to frame the area of the seating space. Do not go small with the rugs as it will make the small living space look even smaller.
7. A really comfortable mattress
We all love a good bed. That means that the mattress needs to be extra good. A good mattress makes a huge difference to your sleep and to your life A good mattress is a Silent Knight Pocket Sprung.
This will cost approximate £1000. There will always be cheaper ones or more expensive mattresses. But this mattress will last you many years of good night sleeps.
Check out Vic Smith Beds
8. Beds
There are endless beds to choose from. If a low bed, a high headboard or even no headboard. There are a few questions you must ask yourselves first before you go hunting for the ideal bed.
- What style are you, modern, mid-century, retro?
- Do you like to read in bed? if so then pick a bed with a high headboard
- Do you prefer a wooden bed or a bed covered in fabric?
- Last but not least, is this bed going to be staying with you for the next five years or is this bed supposed to last a year or two?
These questions will help you with the amount of money you will be willing to spend on your bed and also help you do your research in a more focused way.
This months Elle Decoration magazine have done a splash on different bed designs, which come mainly in the extremely high price tag.
Check out Shop The Room for a double or king bed with a headboard, for a price most people can afford
9. Bedside lights
I like to recommend largish bedside lights as they bring height and add dimension to the room. These days the bedrooms are usually the small room in the house. Do not be scared to add large bedside lights. It will look cool and well designed. If you decide for a no headboard scenario, then go for small bedside lights. But if you have a high headboard then go for large and tall bedside lights. If you have bought the flat, then how about getting a hanging pendant light that hovers over the bedside table. This will give you more space if you have small bedside tables.
10. Art
If you are not interested in an art collection, then do not fear. You do not need to spend a fortune on art. One trick is to get posters and good quality frames, and you have yourselves a great collection of art pieces.
Hope these ten ideas will give you a jump start to your cool bachelor apartment in the big city. If you would like to read more about my bachelor pad package have a read here.
With best wishes and stay safe.
