How to Decorate a Chic Apartment

From luxury apartments to fairly average flats, there's no rule saying a tenant or landlord can't make it something more memorable. Where you live should inspire you. If it doesn't, you haven't yet found the proper layout, furniture, or décor style. Decorating a chic apartment is about style and personality with the right tone.

Here's how to decorate and accessorize a vibrant apartment filled with the perfect mix of colour and chicness.

Use Colour Smartly

The paint colour you choose for your walls, trim, and ceiling will determine how a space feels. Remember that your decor will be nestled into an apartment painted with a colour palette. Decide what that colour is.

Accessorize in an Accent Colour

Pick an accent colour to use across your décor and accessories. Small pieces in the same colour tone execute a visual strategy that keeps neutral colours less intense while the accent colour pops with excitement.

Embrace Multipurpose Rooms

Even in a luxury apartment with a lot of square footage, you will often find multipurpose or multi-use rooms. A dining room with a breakfast nook, a playroom for kids, and a home office—the possibilities are endless. The way you lay out furniture and rugs differentiate these zones.

Match Your Furniture

There is no mix-and-match. Your furniture should match your dining room, living room, and bedroom. In luxury apartments, unmatched furniture and the appearance that you've drifted into your main furniture pieces detract from the chic aesthetic.

Try Alternative Seating

Guests may not come over every week or month, so there is no reason to have a lot of furniture with empty seats. Instead, opt for ottomans or poufs, which can be moved in and out of your living space to create more seating. They also look great!

Gallery Wall or Wall of Art

A gallery wall lets you display your favourite photos, art, and more on a single wall. You can match frames if you prefer or alternate the colour scheme if you want quirky colours. There's very little to go wrong with a gallery or art wall.

Add Shelving

Shelving offers storage space and décor display. It can also add visual interest to each room, whether the bathroom, bedroom, living room, or kitchen. Adding containers, bins, or organizers to the mix dramatically improves space organization.

Light with Sconces

Sconces or decorative light fixtures can refine a space while saving space. Whether you have a minimalist or maximal decor aesthetic, sconces work. Indoor light fixtures work well in any area, including hallways.

Focus on Windows

Dress up your windows with light-filtering fabric blinds or curtains. If there's a windowsill, consider whether you want to place books, plants, or small decorative objects on it. Consider other ways to stylize your windows.

Conceal Ugly Spots

Conceal irremovable or unfixable elements. Any eye sores – such as radiators or permanent damage to the floor or ceiling – can be cleverly covered with fabric, art, and other décor. This reinvents negatives and converts them into prominent positives.

Find a Rug That Fits Well

An area rug in an apartment provides softness under your feet, adds colour and aesthetics, and can be rotated out depending on the season. Ensure your rug is not too small, making a room feel too open or too large, making the space appear unbalanced. The goal is a rug that fits and feels right.

Try an Accent Wall with Wallpaper

Although wallpaper is not always the trendiest way to decorate a room, it works exceptionally well and always has when used as an accent wall. Add wallpaper in an aesthetic of your choosing, especially in a small space, begging for personalization. As an aside, if it's a rental, make sure it's removable wallpaper.

Edit Your Finishing Touches

It's easy to have too much décor. A room should have a few finishing touches. Edit your collection to avoid too many pieces that clutter the space.

Premium Fabrics

Any pillows, throws, blankets, or fabric covers in your chic apartment should be carefully selected. Make them soft and premium. Rely on your preferences in how a fabric feels to guide you.

Books and Records

Set up a small record collection of artists and songs that represent you. Create a small library, even if it's just a shelf. These represent you and make chic conversation pieces.