When you live in New York City, living in small spaces is almost a given. From lack of storage to tiny rooms, creating a spot that’s still functional and stylish can be tricky.
With almost four years under my belt of living here (and a lot of small spaces in between), I wanted to share some of my favorite ways of staying organized, while still bringing in your own personal style.
- Keep a cohesive color palette: When spaces are small, I’ve learned that a lot of different colors and patterns can make a space feel smaller and messier. For my bedroom, I stuck with white and black bedding and furniture and let my art be the pops of color. Feel free to mix different textures and fabrics though, from cottons, to a fur rug, to a cozy throw.
- Use every empty space: There is not a cabinet or corner that goes unused in our apartment. One of the best ways to find extra storage is too put your bed up on lifts like these to help create space under my bed. This allows for me to store larger items, like my suitcases, as well as keeping my seasonal clothes (I use this vacuum seal bags to help keep them flat)
- Buy items with dual purpose: My biggest recommendation when choosing furniture for your apartment is finding pieces that have extra storage in it. My favorite find has been this tufted ottoman that we use for our coffee table but also to store important paperwork, craft supplies, stationary, etc.
- Display things with purpose: I always used to hide everything in drawers or closets but now with a lack of space, some things have to be left out for everyone to see. The easiest (and chicest) way to help display and organize my makeup and jewelry has been these acrylic organizers. Not only do they keep my desk clean and free of clutter, it has also has helped cut down my getting ready time with knowing where everything is!
- Get creative: For me, there were important pieces that I couldn’t part with so I had to get creative on how to make them functional here in NYC! The biggest obstacle? My collection of almost ten years of Vogue magazines! The fix? Stacking them and adding an acrylic tray on top to create my bedtime nightstand. I recently swapped my original tray for this monogrammed one and it’s a perfect size to add on top with a personalized touch!
SHOP MY BEDROOM DÉCOR:
SHOP MY FAVORITE ORGANIZATION ITEMS:
I’ll be downsizing for a few months. I’m a little worried about space because I don’t know if all my stuff will fit inside whatever apartment I move into. However, I really like that idea of using furniture that have extra storage in it. That’ll be a big help.