Whether you are living in a studio apartment with one room and a bathroom or a larger apartment with three or four separate rooms, decorating challenges can and will occur. There is no reason to be discouraged because, as you will read below, there are several decorating tips that you can use, without spending a fortune, to make any size living space both functional and stunning.

The most important obstacle to overcome is the color that you select for the walls and/or ceiling. When selecting a color choose one that is warm and inviting, as well as, one that promote a stress-free environment. In some instances, the living room, kitchen, and dining room all over-lap. If this is the case, then you will need to make sure that the colors you select for each room corresponds with one another and that the d'cor? blends easily with each room. One suggestion is to choose a color that you can get varying shades of so that it separates each room while maintaining the unified color scheme. Dark colors tend to absorb light and visually make the walls seem as though they are closing in on you so take this into account when selecting a color. Keep in mind that the smaller the space the lighter the color of the walls and ceilings should be. Use bold and bright colors when selecting accents to give the room that burst of color that you are looking for. If you must use a dark color in a small space then the most workable solution is to paint the largest wall in the room a dark color while leaving the other walls a lighter more reflective color. This will create a nice contrast to the room without drawing attention to the small space.

Now that you have selected the color scheme for your room(s) you will want to think about lighting. Lighting can make or break a room! A typical apartment will have flat overhead lights which make a small apartment seem smaller. If you are not at liberty to remove and replace the overhead lights then consider strategically placing lamps throughout the room to ?stretch? the corner of each room and leave the overhead lights off. Using lamps and/or other light sources give you the freedom to control the room's atmosphere, conceal cluttered areas due to limited space, and add a separated glow around the room.

It is imperative that the furniture you select be both versatile and functional. For example, if you are living in a one bedroom apartment a futon couch can serve both as a couch and a bed. Position your couch facing the entrance to the living room to give your guest a sense of being welcomed. Another example of a functional piece is using a coffee table with built-in drawers that can hide throws, magazines, or just about anything that might otherwise create clutter in the room. Keep in mind, when purchasing furniture, the size of your apartment as well as the functionality of each piece.