Want a home that’s well-decorated and inspiring? Don’t let limited space restrict your style and creativity. There are a number of ways to enhance petite living quarters. Here are some tips for decorating small apartments.

• Utilize every possible area. For example, use your kitchen wall to hang pots and pans, or mount open shelving in your living room to store books, photos, and other items.

• Hang curtains floor to ceiling to create height. You can also use vintage tapestries like these.

• Choose furniture that “float” or have legs. They take up less floor space and make a room appear bigger.

• Mirrors are a favorite accessory in many small homes because they bounce light around and make your apartment look larger, especially when positioned to reflect open spaces.

• Big graphics can also expand a room visually, such as these Tree Inspired and Panoramic Inspired wall covers.

• Look around your apartment for extra storage – on top of cabinets and bookcases, and underneath sinks and tables.

• To create the illusion of more space, use open shelves like this Antique Wire Shelf instead of bulky cabinets.

• Lighter walls and floors can visually open up a room, but also can darker colors when matched with the right color furnishings.

• Combine areas. For example, a living room/computer room, or a home office/guest room.

• Do away with rooms that you don’t need. If you have no need for a dining area but require a computer area, prioritize the latter. Just because a room was sold to you as a dining room or a living room doesn’t mean that it has to stay that way.

• Lights not only create a sense of space, they also make a home interesting and feel welcoming. Pay attention to position and temperature – warm uplighting, for instance, accentuates high walls and detailed moldings.

• Small digs look bigger with proportional furnishings, so go for littler pieces. Don’t stuff your space with too many items, however.

• Clear glass and Lucite furniture have less visual density than traditional wooden pieces, giving a sense of openness while addressing practical needs.Each home is different, so there really is no “one size fits all” plan for decorating small apartments. Still, we hope that you found these tips helpful and are able to enhance your space!

It’s that time of year again, and even if you’re not heading back to school it doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a couple of fabulous new outfits (and maybe a new pair of shoes. Make that two). But when you’re living in a tight space, Stuff Overload can be a very serious affliction. Avoid the mess (and the invitation to appear on TLC’s Hoarders) with a few special decluttering tips.

4 Steps to More Space in Your Closet

Out with the Old, In with the New

Tried and true, this technique is the go-to for people with a serious case of Pack Rat: for every one item you purchase, you have to donate, give away, or trash one item you already own. It ensures you never start accumulating a collection of forgotten fashions, and keeps you looking fresh and un-faded. No ratty sweats here!

Seasonal Selections

If you live in a place with drastic seasonal changes (I’m looking at you New England), there is no choice but to keep your wardrobe well-stocked with both wooly long-johns and linen shorts. It can wreak havoc on anyone’s closet – do you know how much space winter jackets take up?! Your best bet is to have a seasonal rotation of clothes in your closet and the rest packed away. Invest in a couple of plastic storage tubs or those nifty vacuum-sealable bags, and turn under-your-bed into a hideaway for off-season apparel.

Every time the weather changes, have a massive “spring” cleaning and evaluate your new wardrobe. What has gone out of fashion during the year? What no longer fits? Get rid of the stuff you won’t wear, and go have a little shopping spree.

The Hanger Turn-Around

For guys and gals who are already elbow-deep in accessories, serious intervention is required. The Hanger Turn-Around goes like this:

1. Go into your closet and hang your clothes so all the hangers are facing the same way.
2. When you wear something, flip the hanger around to face the other way.
3. After some amount of time (3 months, 6 months, a year) gather the garments that have not been flipped and get rid of them.
4. Don’t cheat and flip something around that you haven’t worn. That’s not the point.

Disclaimer: This technique really only works if you are fairly organized. There is no way to flip hangers around when all your clothes are in piles on the floor.

Kiss Sentiment Goodbye

A small apartment is no place for ex-boyfriend’s sweatshirts and the pair of sneakers your uncle bought you when you made the high school basketball team. Seriously. If you don’t wear it on a regular basis, donate it or rent a storage locker. Just get it out of your closet so you have room for those NIKE kicks you’ve been eyeing.

Can’t bear to part with everything? Consider transforming old clothes into new apartment accessories. Sew gorgeous fabrics into throw-pillow covers, or combine all your sweat shirts into a cozy camping quilt.

Do you have any other tips for living Carrie Bradshaw style? How do you stay on the cusp of fashion forwardness, but don’t get buried in Burberry? Let us know!

About the author:

Emma Thesenvitz writes for PadMapper.com, a web application that makes hunting for apartments for rent suck less. She lives in a tiny room in Seattle, and has a fabulous collection of rain boots in her closet.

Excited to move into your first home away from home? Dorm rooms may be drab little spaces with boring furniture, butyours doesn’t have to stay that way. With a bit of ingenuity and creativity, you can spruce up your dorm room and turn it into a haven that you can retreat to after a stressful day on campus.

Start the school year right with these dorm room ideas that are fun, easy to do, and most importantly, won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

• If you would like to add some color to your room, but your dorm doesn’t let you paint the walls, use accessories like throw pillows, bed covers, tapestries, or rugs to brighten up your space instead. The Psychedelic Colored Rug and the Multi Colored Stripe Pillow are some great examples.
• You can easily personalize your dorm room by decorating a wall with your own photos, posters, postcards, and other memorabilia. Check first if you are allowed to poke holes into the walls. If you can’t, use tape. Another way to adorn your walls is to draw on them with colored chalk, which you can wash off later.
• Plants can instantly liven up a dorm room and make it feel more like home. If you don’t have a green thumb, opt for low-maintenance varieties or even fake flowers. Place them in unique vases like these.
• Bright fluorescent dorm lights may be good for studying, but they’re not very good for your eyes or for creating ambience. A few inexpensive candles or lamps should do the trick.
• Suction cup decorations are a fun and inexpensive way to make your windows more interesting. You can even create your own – simply affix plastic insects or flowers to suction cups.
• Since most dorm rooms have limited space, don’t add too much furniture. If you had to bring in just one piece, make it a comfortable chair. Choose one that doesn’t take up a lot of space and can be moved around easily. This Reclaimed Steel Chair provides both style and comfort, while this Sturdy Butterfly Chair can be folded and stowed.
• Storage is often an issue in dorm rooms, so invest in some good stackable plastic crates and closet organizers. You can also use decorative hat boxes.

Hopefully these dorm room ideas have inspired you to come up with other ways to make your campus home cozier. Remember, decorating your dorm room doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult. We can’t help you with your homework, though.