With mounting prices of real estate and regular transfer of employees, young professionals have realised that a studio apartment is the perfect response to their lifestyle. While studio apartments range between 300 and 700 sq ft, designing this nook is a Herculean task.

The relatively smaller size of the apartment and need to preserve the functionalities of the living room, dining room, bedroom, and kitchen all in one room without making it look cramped hamper conventional designs.

The mantra of one-size-fits-all goes against studio apartments and rich interiors are incomplete with- out home décor, flooring and furniture. Ketan Sheth, managing director, Mumbai-based Goldmine Project Consultants, says the over- all home decor for a studio apartment is normally sparse or minimalist with light and subtle colours like pastel and beige dominating the walls.

Wallpapers, though a tad expensive, go a long way in giving the studio apartment a sophisticated appearance. Goldmine Project Consultants has worked on numerous interior creatives.

The usage of mirrors to reflect light is also used to enhance the essence of space. A large mirror or several small mirrors placed strategically can make a small space feel lighter and larger. Many couples prefer a modern style of decorating, furniture and tables with metal or glass that give the illusion of space expansion.

Another significant area in designing studio apartments is flooring. The darker shades of colours tend to make a space feel smaller. When habitants paint the studio apartment, the choice of an interior colour that is light and bright is preferred. Paler shades of greens and yellows can do wonders, says Prasanta Roy of Kolkata- based Interioresting.

Properly lighting the small spaces is vital. Track lighting or halogen ceiling lamps are some commonly used options. Use interior lighting to separate different areas of your studio. Put one set of track lights in the bedroom and another in the living room, says Sheth.

Whatever one does with décor and flooring, furniture will ultimately make or break the design.

When designing for a studio apartment, dual-function furniture is great and also saves on floor space.

Try to use small-end tables with bottom storage. The bottom line is find furnishings that are multipurpose. For instance, chairs with storage area are a great addition. The use of containers will make the room appear larger as small items vanish and reduce the overall clutter factor, feels Ravinder Jain of New Delhi-based Home Decorations.

Roy of Interioresting feels that the most common mistake made by habitants of studio apartments is irrelevant furniture. There is no use of big sofas or the expensive long dining room table when your apartment is just about 550 sq ft.

The way pictures or paintings are arranged inside the drawing room also becomes important, adds Roy. Sheth feels the best trick is to buy furniture that is higher off of the floor. The human eye will look under these pieces of furniture and add visual space.

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