Living in a small space might be limiting in some ways, but to make an apartment a home, it’s the personal touches that matter. Add some seasonal panache to your place with cheap, easy craft ideas that you can do with the kids or on your own. Since we’re still staying home due to the pandemic, it’s the perfect time to put some “heart” in your Valentine’s decor.
Tissue Paper Hearts
Any easy and cute craft activity, you decorate a wall, fridge, or door with these pretty tissue paper hearts with just a few simple supplies.
Potato Stamp Heart
A classic DIY project, creating poster prints, framed art, v-day cards, gift wrap, and more from a simple potato print is a sure way to add a little sweetness to your space.
Paper Heart Garland
Beautiful year-round, these handmade heart garlands take a bit of patience, but add a cute, romantic pop to any room. Hang across a window, above a bed or across the top of a doorway for a little extra love.
Looking for more craft ideas? Check out this huge list of cute V-day crafts they’ll love HERE
When you don’t have access to your own garden, but still want to bring the outside in, look into creating your very own container garden indoors. There are a wide variety of houseplants that can survive happily year round in your apartment. Not only do they bring a bit of vibrancy to your home, but they also purify the air — a great benefit for small spaces. In this post, we’ll fill you in on the hardiest houseplants and some fun ideas for indoor summer gardening to inspire your green thumb.
Easiest Herbs to Grow Indoors
Head to your local nursery or Home Depot store to peruse their wide selection of starter plants — they’re already well on their way to healthy growth and are easy to transplant into pretty terracotta or plastic planters. In a sunny window, try your hand at growing hearty herbs such as basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, mint, chives, and chervil. Learn some handy tips on indoor herb growing HERE.
Flowering Houseplants
Houseplants don’t need to be all leafy green varieties (though we love those too!). You can add a pop of color with low-light flowering plants such as Bromeliads, which have a tropical look and brightly hued, waxy flowers (Ikea carries these, and a great selection of other low-light thriving house plants, at affordable prices). We also love delicate African Violets, whose thick, fuzzy leaves and tiny purple blooms are both cheerful and charming. Click HERE for more flowering houseplant ideas.
Bonsai Trees
The beautiful Bonsai tree has long been connected to ancient customs and mind-balancing, zen practices. They thrive in warm environments, so in Minnesota, growing them indoors is ideal. Place in a sunny spot and enjoy incredibly low maintenance care and infrequent watering responsibilities. If you really want to get into the bonsai spirit, regularly trim and prune your tree to influence its shape. Find Bonsai online or head to Ikea’s garden department.
Hardy Leafy Varietals
Your local garden center is rife with good, hardy houseplants at affordable prices. Add some lush greenery to your apartment without worrying about needing full sunlight or dealing with finicky plants that need a lot of attention to survive. Fiddle Leaf Fig plants offer dark, waxy green leaves and grow high, not wide, saving you floor space. Pothos plants can be hung in a basket or potted normally, with tie-dye looking leafy vines that are known for their air purification properties. Learn more about many other wonderfully hardy houseplants HERE.
Spring is the perfect time to add some color and life to your space. Play with floral prints, tropical hues, plants, and more to bring energy and good vibes inside, and reflect the colors of the season. Here are a few suggestions:
Ikea Plants & Decor
Redecorate without breaking the bank by raiding Ikea for cute home decor, accent pieces, and yes….plants! We particularly love Ikea’s seasonal selections, from hardy house plants and succulents to delicate orchids and more. Their artificial flower and plant selection is nice as well, if you don’t have a green thumb. Pick up cute pots, baskets, and accessories to bring the outside in this Spring.
Artist-Designed Decor
www.society6.com
A one-stop-shop for artist-designed art and decor, Society 6 allows you to select from thousands of creative options in the realm of art prints, pillow cases, shower curtains, furniture, and more. If you fancy yourself an artist, you can also upload your own designs and personalize your interior in more ways than one.
Mirror, Mirror
The easiest way to open up your space, create a brighter mood, and reflect color and light is by decorating with mirrors. Create a salon-style wall hanging installation with small vintage mirrors, or go big with an over-sized piece that you can lean against the wall. Mirrors make any space feel bigger, so if you’re feeling a bit claustrophobic in any room, try this stylish, functional, and easy solution.
As an apartment dweller, you may not have your own private backyard, but there’s no reason you can’t celebrate the season in style! In today’s post, we offer a few fun, easy and affordable ways you can bring a little summer fun to apartment living.
Grow a Mason Jar Garden
Just because you live in a small space, doesn’t mean you can’t exercise your green thumb. A sunny window or patio is all you need to grow your own mini herb or flower garden! In this helpful YouTube tutorial, learn how to make your own DIY garden using mason jars and crates. A alternative to mason jars would be to paint small terra cotta pots in fun colors and designs.
Create a Floral Canvas
Summer is all about color, and while you’re apartment may seem small, there’s no reason not to go big with blooms! In this super easy tutorial from Michael’s craft store, you’ll learn how to make a faux flower canvas that will light up the room (and show off your creativity). Consider doing a number of mini canvases that just feature flowers, to create a pretty grid installation on your wall. Floral canvases also make great gifts!
Jazz It Up With Washi Tape
Totally removable and totally awesome, washi tape is a great way to change up your apartment each season without fear of damaging walls. This Japanese rice paper tape is similar to masking tape, and come with fun colors and patterns galore. Create an abstract, freestyle mural or pattern treatment on your wall; place colorful accents around the house and more. Check out some fun ideas in this video, but also google or Pinterest “Washi tape projects” to see the many ways people use it for interior design.
While convenient and comfortable, apartment living can sometimes have us dreaming of spacious entryways, chef-worthy kitchens and sprawling floor plans. However, just because you don’t have the square footage, doesn’t mean you can’t open up your space and make it feel beautiful, bright and airy. Today, we’ll run down a few tips and tricks we’ve picked up over the years — enjoy!
Mirror, Mirror
Do not underestimate the optical illusion power of mirrors when it comes to making your space feel twice as big. Add a large mirror above your couch or mantle, or create a mirror wall with smaller, decorative mirrors hung in a creative way. A large, framed mirror leaned up against a wall is a casually tasteful way to open up the room too. It’s easy to find affordable mirrors on Craigslist, at garage sales or at discount retailers around town. Click HERE for more tips on decorating with mirrors.
Clean Color Schemes
Using light, luminous color tones to decorate your space creates an effortless brightening effect. Textiles and furniture in shades of white, soft greys, fun pastels and lighter wood selections will give you that spacious feeling without a heavy focal point in any room. Love color? No problem. Balance those light tones with vibrant potted plants, a few colorful throw pillows and of course, works of art.
Making the Most of Windows
Ok, so your apartment’s window game may not be 100%, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of what you have. Avoid heavy curtains or blinds that can’t easily be retracted or hidden. Choose lighter colors when it comes to your window treatments, and look for textiles that allow light to penetrate without sacrificing privacy. Keep the areas near windows clear of clutter or furniture — instead opting for a window-sill height platform, slim bench or console table for potted plants or decorative items.
Declutter Your Life
It’s easy for small spaces to become overwhelming when it comes to staying organized. Keep on top of it all by creating a system that works for you. Whether it’s throwing out or donating things you don’t need on a weekly, monthly or seasonal basis, or developing clever storage solutions, your apartment will feel that much more open and clean with a few adjustments. Click HERE for some tips on decluttering.
