Efficiency or studio apartments are a one room apartment which combines the bedroom, living room and kitchen into the one room with a separate smaller area for the bathroom. Decorating an efficiency apartment may be easy or a challenge depending on the amount of belongings an individual owns. There is generally not much room in one of these apartments, so making it as comfortable and efficient as possible will be the main aim. Decide if you want to partition areas off and if so which areas these will be. If the apartment is well laid out there should be a reasonable amount of space for partitions. If you decide on partitions, Japanese screens or curtain dividers are an easy method and are available in many types of patterns and colors.
If you would like to change the color of the apartment or give it a fresh paint job because the paintwork is untidy, you will need to check with your landlord first to see if you are allowed to re-paint the room. If the landlord is agreeable, then painting it in neutral, traditional or contemporary colors, so that it matches your furniture will make decorating much easier. If the paintwork is tidy and you feel it is suitable enough and you don’t wish to waste your money on painting someone else’s property, then you can begin to decide where you would like to position the furniture you have. It is probably a good idea when laying the area out to have the furniture positioned so you are not continually bumping into it, basic furniture is often the best and if you cannot fit it all in, think about storing or selling what you don’t need. Having uncluttered clear areas will be much better than trying to climb over things to get to other things.
When decorating an efficiency apartment, placing the living area closest to the door will allow easy access, while a screen or curtain placed between the bed and the living area will give some privacy. If the apartment is only used for sleeping and not much else then it can be kept simple without the use of partitions, and a couch or sleeper chair which folds out as a bed is an option and may be more convenient. Favorite pictures or poster can be arranged around the wall areas, even a colorful rug will cover up untidy paint on a wall. If you work from home, setting up an office in one area with all the items required to run the office in the same location will make it much easier to find things. The kitchen area will be small so allow as much room as possible for cooking space, place utensils in racks or something else so they are easy to reach. Keeping only the furniture and kitchen equipment you will need for the time you are renting the unit, will help reduce the clutter and frustration that sometimes goes with having a small place to live in.