With the right furniture, your small apartment can feel spacious while remaining fully functional. Before buying anything for your space, it’s important to assess your furniture and storage needs. Read on for tips on studio or apartment furnishing that will make rented spaces feel like home.

Our Top Apartment Furnishing Tips
Must-Have Apartment Essentials by Room

Our Top Apartment Furnishing Tips

Whether you're trying to figure out how to furnish an apartment on a budget or want small space solutions for apartment-living, we've got you covered.

1. Establish a Budget – And Stick to It!

(Shop this image: ladder desks, brown office chairs, wicker storage baskets, swing-arm wall sconces, and abstract wall art)

What do you need to furnish an apartment that meets your needs – and your budget? There are so many helpful ways to achieve your aesthetic while maintaining a healthy budget. Review these first apartment tips to determine a spending plan that ensures you stay within budget:

Set Your Budget: The cost of furnishing an apartment looks different for everyone. Establishing a set budget early on helps you visualize and plan out your spending activities in an efficient (not to mention cost-saving) way. Once you determine how much money you can devote to apartment furniture, you can start looking for pieces under that price bracket and you can keep yourself from overspending.

Communicate With the Landlord: Some apartments come fully or partially furnished so be sure to communicate with the landlord or property owner about which furniture items, household appliances, and accessories you don't need to purchase yourself. This can help you put more of your budget toward other items.

Start With Staple Pieces: Worried about how to divide your furniture budget for each room in your apartment? Start by choosing one to two staple furniture pieces for each room. This helps you create a foundation on which to fill up your apartment. Pick a loveseat and an accent chair for the living room; a table and pair of chairs for the kitchen, and a bed frame, mattress, and dresser or desk for the bedroom.

Embrace Sales Items: Ensure you stay within budget by shopping for new apartment furniture and decor on sale. This way you can get some higher-quality items for a fraction of the full price while also extending your budget even further.

2. Think Small

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Whether you're furnishing a bedroom, living room, or bathroom, we recommend picking pieces that are small in scale. Below are some examples:

Try a Loveseat: Although full-size sofas and sectionals provide a lot of seating, they take up a lot of space. Smaller loveseats allow for more floor space.

Consider Compact Dining Furniture: Instead of a rectangular or square dining table, choose a versatile or compact version. Options that create extra space include: round, collapsible, and wall-mounted tables. Tables with drop or butterfly leaves can be expanded when necessary, but can be made smaller for everyday use.

Opt for a Small Bedroom Dresser: Small-profile dressers are a great space-saving way to add storage while furnishing a one bedroom apartment without overwhelming the space. These are specially designed to be more narrow and set closer to the wall so you can fit them between furniture items and in other tight spots. Have a bedroom closet? Place the dresser inside to open up more bedroom space.

3. Choose Multifunctional Furniture

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Add extra seating, tabletop space, or storage with double-duty furniture. Multifunctional pieces are a must-have for any tiny space.

Go for Hidden Storage: Hide odds and ends in a coffee table or ottoman that doubles as storage.

Combine Function With Storage: Leaning and ladder desks are unobtrusive and include significant shelf storage space for books, files, and other odds and ends.

Nest Your Tables: Nesting tables are sized so that they fit into each other. They can be spread out to transform from one small table to a whole set. Slide them out when entertaining or instantly tuck away when you need the space.

4. Store Smartly

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Hefty cabinets, vanities, and dressers can not only take up excessive space, but they can also be difficult to move into and install in a small apartment. Instead, opt for some lighter, less obtrusive storage options.

Utilize Above-Toilet Space: The wall space above the tank of your toilet is perfect for extra bathroom storage, especially if you don’t have a vanity.

Store Under the Bed: Under-bed space can be valuable for storage. There are many under-bed drawer options that are easy to slide in or out of the space. Some beds are even designed with built-in storage as a bookcase-like headboard or slide-out drawers below.

Use Shelves Instead of Cabinets: Keep your kitchen open and simple by storing cookware on shelves or racks above the countertop, instead of in bulky cabinets.

Tip!

For more apartment living storage ideas, read our 17 Tips for Organizing Small Spaces.

5. Open Up the Space

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A mirror is the best furniture for studio apartments because of how it can Instantly make a room feel larger. Mirrored pieces also reflect and boost natural light, which gives the room an open and airy feel. The room’s reflection in the mirror also creates the illusion of a larger space. Here are some ways to use mirrors to enhance your apartment’s space.

Go Big: Opt for an oversized wall mirror to create a window-like focal point in your room.

Go Long: Full-length mirrors leaned against walls look like doors to another room, widening the appearance of your space.

Mirror Your Furniture Too: Using mirrored furniture, like mirrored coffee tables and side tables, is a well-known design trick for opening up a space in a functional way.

Tip!

Furnishing an apartment with upholstery in light neutral fabrics (soft gray, cream, or white) will help a small space feel light and open. For more decorating tips, check out our 5 Tips for Decorating Your First Apartment.

Must-Have Apartment Essentials by Room

It's super exciting to move into a new apartment and contemplate all the ways you can make it your own, but where do you start? When it comes to furnishing an apartment, we recommend spending less money on larger items that might not fit when moving from space to space, and instead putting more money into small furniture pieces and decorative accents that can help you feel at home wherever you go. Review our furnishing an apartment essentials checklist below to determine which items you should splurge on and which you should bargain-hunt for in each room.

Living Room

(Shop this image: gray sectionals, round white coffee tables, yellow ottomans, white area rugs, gold bar carts, irregular mirror sets, and white side tables)

Your living room is typically the first space you see when entering a home. Since it is commonly used as a place for relaxation (and often entertaining), you want it to be as welcoming as possible. Below are some of our favorite apartment essentials to make this area cozy.

Splurgables:

Coffee Table: You'll always need a table in your home, so go ahead and splurge on small furniture items like a coffee table that you can move from one apartment to another with ease.

Accent Chair: Like the coffee table, the accent chair is a smaller-profile furniture item that you can move to different apartments without worrying about living room size. Accent chairs are also a creative way to bring some personality to rental living rooms. Check out our guide to the Your Guide to the Best Accent Chairs to get ideas.

Decorative Pillows & Throws: Go all-out with decorative pillows and throw blankets to help make rented spaces feel like your own. This is especially helpful if your apartment already comes with a sofa or other living room furniture.

Plug-In Light Fixtures: You may not be able to change up the ceiling lighting or wall sconces, but you can control the amount and type of light with plug-in, ambient lights. Opt for floor or table lamps in a design you love to easily make a new apartment your own. Then, when it's time to move, you can easily take them with you and plug them in at your new place. Get even more inspo with these 18 Living Room Lighting Ideas.

Savables:

The Sofa: We recommend saving when it comes to large apartment furniture like a sofa, because you can easily switch it out if you move to an apartment with more or less living room space ( or narrow doorways) without giving a second thought to what you spent on it.

The TV Stand: Save on the TV stand so you can splurge on the TV! Opt for a lightweight option that needs little-to-no assembly to help simplify your move.

The Area Rug: Apartment living room floors come in all shapes and sizes, so we suggest purchasing a relatively inexpensive area rug that you can easily swap out to accommodate new spaces. This way you can still make rented floors your own without breaking the bank. Choose the best living room area rug that meets your budget with our How to Choose a Living Room Rug.

Kitchen

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Food is a part of daily life, which is why the kitchen is the heart of the home. Here is an apartment essentials list to help you to stock up on everything you need.

Splurgables:

The Coffee Maker: No matter where you live, you deserve a coffee maker that fulfills your every need. Coffee makers are smaller appliances and plug-in to standard outlets, so you can easily transport them to use in your next place.

Your Go-to Kitchen Appliances: Along with the coffee maker, think about which other kitchen appliances you can't live without. A quality blender, juicer, toaster oven, or air fryer can go a long way to make you feel at home and keep your daily routine the same, no matter where you live.

Pots & Pans: Splurge on a long-lasting pots and pans set that you can use for cooking your favorite meals, no matter where you settle.

Knife Sets: Invest in a good knife set for slicing and chopping cooking ingredients. These are easy to take with you on each move and can easily fit on kitchen countertops regardless of apartment size.

Bakeware: If you enjoy baked goods every now and then, consider splurging on bakeware items. You can store them in kitchen cabinets and pack them up easily when you move. Not to mention they can last you for years to come.

Savables:

Drinking Glasses, Plates, & Flatware: Some rental apartments come with usable dinner plates, glasses, and eating utensils, but it's nice to have your own options. Look for hard plastic drinking glasses and plates or stainless steel flatware that can withstand a few moves (no fear of breakage like with glass!) and save you money in the long run.

Dining Table & Chairs: Apartment kitchen and dining room sizes are different at every place. This is why we recommend saving on your dining furniture if you’re going to be moving apartments frequently. We suggest choosing a budget-friendly table and chair set that folds easily to create more space and makes moving seamless.

Storage Containers & Organizers: Storage containers and pantry organizers help you transform bare cabinets or blank counter space in your rental apartment while remaining relatively inexpensive. Look for plastic containers to prevent breakage during moves and opt for collapsible organizers that you can easily pack up or store.

Bedroom

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Some might argue that the bedroom is the most important room since it is where you sleep and recharge. Whether you are looking for your first apartment essentials or college apartment must-haves, you need to ensure it is as comfortable as possible.

Splurgables:

Mattress: Furnishing a one bedroom apartment? Go all out with the mattress. Your mattress is the key to a good night's rest and can last for years of use. Full-size mattresses create the perfect compromise between a twin and a queen to accommodate apartments with different bedroom sizes. Does your apartment come with more than one bedroom? Still splurge on your mattress and leave room for a budget-conscious mattress or sofa bed for the guest room. Get all the information you need to make an informed mattress decision in our Mattress Buying Guide.

Bed Linens & Pillows: Splurge on comfortable sheets, duvets, pillows, and pillowcases to ensure you feel at-home even in a new apartment. You can also easily pack and move these items to the next place when your lease is up.

Curtains: Curtains are a great way to transform a rental bedroom into a space you love. Invest in decorative curtains in a luxe material and design to make the room your own. Living on a busy street? Consider investing in black-out curtains to block out the light from street lamps and traffic.

Decor: Invest in quality art prints, houseplants, decorative mirrors, and bedside lamps you can easily transfer to your next apartment bedroom.

Savables:

The Bed Frame: Spend big on the mattress and save on the bed frame. Opt for a pared-back, easy-to-assemble bed frame design you can easily put together and take apart.

Nightstands: Look for inexpensive nightstand sets that you can easily switch out if your next apartment bedroom has more or less space than your current one. Find a nightstand that matches your bedroom size and bed height by referencing our Nightstand Dimensions: How to Choose the Right Nightstand Size for Your Bedroom.

Bathroom

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Bathrooms are the workhorses that can quickly be made more personal. Since there aren't too many large items you need, you can focus on making your daily routines feel more luxurious

Splurgables:

Quality Towels & Bath Linens: Spend more on fluffy, quality bath towels, hand towels, and washcloths to enhance your experience in rental bathrooms.

Countertop Storage: Make rental bathrooms your own with a decorative soap dispenser or soap dish, toothbrush holder, or toiletry organizer to transform the countertop.

Savables:

Shower Curtains: Choose a cheap shower curtain that helps keep water in your shower area without going over-budget with a fun design or higher-quality material. This way you can easily swap it out for a new one and it won't matter one bit.

Bath Mats: Opt for inexpensive bath mats that get the job done by providing comfort underfoot and preventing slippage.

Tip!

Get more first apartment tips in our First Apartment Checklist guide. Getting ready to move into your first college apartment? Check out the Off-Campus Apartment Checklist.

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