Small Apartment Ideas: Lighting for an Apartment + Small Balcony Ideas + More!
Today I’m sharing some small apartment ideas and advice that will help you make your space into the dreamy, stylish apartment you’ve been pining for. 🥰
And I’m doing so by going straight to the source and and answering your small apartment decorating and lifestyle questions! In this third and final part of my Ask Me Anything trilogy, I’m giving my two cents in response to questions like:
How do I make my small balcony decor functional and stylish?
How do I figure out my apartment lighting in terms of floor lamps, table lamps, bulb wattage, etc?
And more!
So if you’re looking for small apartment decor tips, tips for lighting an apartment, some small balcony ideas, and general apartment life content, stick around!
Video Transcript ↓
How do you go about choosing the right lighting for your small apartment? What are some small balcony decor ideas that will make your balcony into a beautiful retreat? These questions (and more!) I will be answering in today's video, which is part three of my Ask Me Anything trilogy.
If you've watched the first two videos in this trilogy, you know that this was supposed to be one video, but I had to break it into three. Because I tend to go on and on when it comes to giving small apartment styling and cozy living advice. 🙃
And before I cut over to answering the rest of your questions, I want to share a little bit of really exciting news, which is…
I was in the Seattle Times over the weekend in the Sunday paper!
In the article, I gave my renter-friendly interior styling tips, AND our bedroom was featured on the cover of the Sunday paper insert:
Click here to give it a read! It's a really good article, and it has some really good small apartment styling tips from myself and from other interior styling experts.
And before we dive in, I wanted to let you know that you can now watch my free workshop, "Decorate Your Dream Apartment Without Spending Money on the Wrong Decor For You" whenever you want!
In this FREE, 1-hour workshop, I’ll teach you how to…
Discover your personal style so you can decorate a space that feels like YOU
Create mood boards to help you visualize what your apartment could look like before buying things
Shop for decor in a way that will save you money and allow you to buy things that actually fit your space and your personality
If all that sounds like exactly what you need to create the dreamy apartment you’ve been yearning for, click here to watch the workshop!
Alright, without further ado, part three of this Ask Me Anything trilogy!
This question comes from @jodicharlotte:
“Any tips for making small balconies functional and stylish?”
I do have some tips, although I'm afraid they're not really from my own experience. On our small balcony, we haven't really done anything in terms of decorating. We just have a small table and chairs out there.
But I can share what my vision would be and what you could possibly do with your small balcony!
First of all, there is some amazing inspiration on Pinterest for small balconies. I would start there. Seeing what other people have done can be really motivating, and it can give you some really concrete ideas on what you could possibly do with your small balcony.
And I would start a Pinterest board purely dedicated to small balcony decor, which I’ve done for myself. You can head over to my Small Balcony Decor Pinterest Board for a place to start!
Then, once you've established a vision and goal for what you would want your small balcony to look like, I would start taking in into consideration your limitations.
For example, we live in Seattle and it obviously rains a ton here. So we can't have furniture that would get destroyed by wetness. I suggest you take in what your limitations are, ask yourself what your environment will allow, and don't waste your money on things that will get destroyed by the elements.
Once you've found your inspiration and you've taken into consideration your limitations, that's when I would start having fun!
I would think about creating a vibe on your balcony. I would think about romanticizing your balcony. How can you create a mood?
I would consider outdoor lanterns and having candles on hand inside the apartment that you can easily bring out when you want to spend some time out there.Then you can light a candle or two and just have that ambience going when you're out there.
I think in our case - and in your case if you live in a place that gets a decent amount of rain - then I would turn to plants. And I say this as someone who is partial to faux plants and flowers. If you watch this video about shopping for faux florals, you know that I prefer my flowers to be immortal vampire flowers that don't die. 🙃
But if we were to actually take action on decorating our balcony, then I would start considering which kinds of plants would work out here. How could we create a bit of an urban jungle out there with what little space we have? Maybe grow some herbs and, like, basil, thyme, chives… You know, things that we can actually go out and pick and put in a scramble or something!
So those are just a few ideas off the top of my head!
To sum it up, look for inspiration, consider your limitations, and then have fun. Start creating that vibe, that mood out there in your balcony area so that it can feel like an oasis. I think that's what we should all strive for in our own specific ways. If you have a balcony, try to make it feel like your own retreat!
The next question comes from @shanhowareyou:
“How do I determine the right type of lighting (floor lamp, table lamp, wattage) for a small space?”
That's a very good question, because I am a firm believer in good lighting in a small space. Of course, I believe in good lighting for any space, but I think it's especially important in a small apartment because it makes all the more impact in a small space.
Dedicated Moda Misfit viewers will know that I am very much against using overhead lighting. So if you have overhead lighting in your apartment, try your best to never use it. Simply put, overhead lighting is usually ugly. It usually has a very yellowy, orangey cast. So just don't touch that light switch. Ever!
When it comes to figuring out your choice of lighting, I would say that you have a lot more freedom than you might think. I don't think there are any wrong answers here!
The only time there might be a wrong answer is if space constraints keep you from having, say, a floor lamp. Actually, this little area that my desk is in is a good example of how a floor lamp is obviously not an option here, so gotta have a desk lamp.
Honestly, space is the only constraint that I can think of. Beyond that, I would say go wild!
Find lighting that looks beautiful to you, that resonates with your specific sense of style. There really are no limitations here. Look for that sparkly feeling I’ve mentioned before in other videos. Find floor lamps and table lamps that really get you excited.
For example, this lamp that I have on my nightstand is probably my favorite lamp I've ever owned. I love it so much. I got it from Target when I first moved into the studio, so unfortunately I can't link to it. They don't sell it. Trust me, I've looked! Because I would love to have another one. But I just… I love this lamp so much because it embodies my vision.
So my suggestion would be to find lamps that do the same for you! And I know It's no easy task. Lamps can be really expensive. But give it a try. See if you can find lamps that really resonate with you and your personal style.
And to completely answer your question, when it comes to wattage, I think it depends on the size of the space. It also depends on how much light you personally need. I think as long as the bulb casts a calming glow, that's what you want to look for.
One thing to consider: if you have the type of lamp that has a shade, you can really use any light bulb. However, if you have a lamp like the one on my nightstand, where the bulb is visible, I would definitely recommend getting an Edison bulb. Edison bulbs look good when they're visible, whereas your average light bulb that you can buy at the grocery store simply doesn't look good. So that's the only thing I would consider when it comes to deciding on which light bulbs to buy; is the bulb visible or is it going to be covered by a shade?
All right, this next question comes from @paranormalkativity:
“You mentioned walking and hitting the gym in a recent video. What is your gym routine?”
Well, Kat, it is not the strongest routine. I mean, just to level with you, I am pretty much the epitome of an unathletic person. So I am not hardcore about my workout routine at all. I would like to become more hardcore about it, but yeah… physical activity has just always been a big challenge for me, starting way back in high school P.E. when I was always picked last for teams...
I don't have a great experience with physical activity emotionally and physically. 🙃
All that aside, I really do love going to the gym. And our apartment building has a kickass gym. It's stunning. It has a beautiful view of the city. It's up on the top floor of this high-rise building, and it's incredible. It really incentivizes me to actually go to the gym.
So basically, my workout routine is pretty simple. I start with the elliptical for 15 minutes just to get my blood going. And then I'll do some dumbbell stuff and then I'll do some abs stuff. And after 45 minutes to an hour, I am done.
This is usually the part where I ask you guys if you want some content around workout and fitness from me, but honestly, I'm I'm gonna take that off the table. I am the last person you should seek inspiration from because I frankly don't really know what I'm doing and I never have. So you're going to have to find the fitness inspiration somewhere else.
Like Kat, who asked this question! Her Instagram account is called @frighteninglyfit, and last I checked, she was documenting her fitness journey on Instagram.
So Kat, if you're still doing that, then here's a plug for you! Follow @frighteninglyfit if you want some fitness inspiration from someone who is more dedicated to it than I am.
All right, so the rest of the questions can be answered in a little bit more of a rapid fire style. So that's what I'm going to attempt to do! Let's see if I'm capable of not being extremely verbose…
This question comes from @grant_bowles94:
“What are some of your favorite things to do in Seattle?”
Honestly, ever since the pandemic, I've kind of… not done much in Seattle. Kobee and I have very much leaned into our homebody tendencies.
So right now, the things I love to do in Seattle are very, very simple. I love to take walks around the neighborhood and I love to go out to a good dinner. So yeah, other than that, we're not really doing much.
Next question is from @miryana_scotles:
“What is your favorite song from the TV show Game of Thrones?”
I love how specific this is! I wish I could give you a non-basic answer. First of all, I don't really listen to the soundtrack of Game of Thrones, so I'm not familiar enough to be able to say a song. But I will say that I think the theme song to Game of Thrones is one of the best theme songs in the history of television. It hypes me up every time I hear it. So yeah, I guess my answer is the theme song. I think it's epic.
And we have made it to the end! This last one isn't really a question, but I wanted to shout it out anyway. It's from @fablesandfells, which might be the prettiest Instagram handle I think I've ever heard. She says:
“I love all the cozy day in the life stuff, witchy stuff, creating a vibe, small styling tweaks, all things.”
And I just want to say thank you for that, @fablesandfellss! And you pretty much summed up what I want my YouTube channel to be. Like I've recently said in other videos, I've decided to expand the content of this channel a little bit from just how we decorate apartments to how we live in our apartments.
So @fablesandfells, thank you very much. That makes me happy and it makes me feel confident moving forward with this more expanded content world!
All right, so those were the answers to all of your questions! Let me know in the comments below if you have any suggestions for something I could make a video about. Again, not just small apartment styling tips - although I still am very much all about that - but also cozy living, what we do in our apartments, what are some activities, what is the lifestyle of living in an apartment? What is the experience, not just the aesthetic?
So if you have any ideas, anything you want me to cover, comment below!
For daily glimpses into my apartment life, you can follow me on Instagram @moda.misfit.
And for regular doses of apartment styling tips and cozy living inspiration, subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the bell to be notified when a new video goes up every week.