Decorating your new apartment can be hard, and it can be even harder when you’re living in a small but expensive NYC apartment that’s already sucking your bank account dry. How do you decorate a space that’s already small on a low budget? 

Well, there are decor tricks that will not only help you make the place look bigger and more open but also add some personality into your space – just like you wanted. Things like wall mounted furniture, some greenery, and even some DIY decor will be the perfect thing, whether you live in a small studio apartment or are sharing your space with a roommate. 

If you want to know more about decorating your NYC apartment on a budget, keep reading! 

Use Flowers and Plants 

A touch of freshness might be just what you need at home, which is probably going to be your only reprieve from the chaos of the urban jungle that is New York. Just because there aren’t enough plants in the city doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be any at home either.

In fact, there are indoor plants that can help you clean the air at home, and of course we can never forget about the succulents that you don’t need to take care of 24/7 – they’re the perfect plants for anyone who can’t be home all day to look after them. You can even grow a small herb garden in the kitchen, or place some small flowers pots in the windows. 

You can also opt for flower delivery if you want to decorate your place with some beautiful floral arrangements. 

Use Mirrors 

Mirrors are a great thing to put on the walls in your small apartment, mainly because of how they can make the space look bigger than it actually is. A simple full-length mirror probably won’t cost much, and you can always decorate around it to make it fit the theme. 

From fairy lights around the mirror to some prints or a cardboard cutout frame, anything will be good enough as long as it looks good to you.

If you want to give the edges of the mirror some texture, you can even get a hot glue gun and some twine – paste this on a plastic frame while twisting the twine in different patterns and swirls. If you want, you can place some beads and decorations in the middle of the twine too. 

Once the frame is ready, place it around the mirror and see how it looks. Be careful not to paste the twine directly on the wall around the mirror or the mirror itself – this will ruin both those things, which is not what we want. 

The Right Wall Decor 

We won’t suggest putting too many small tables, vases, or decorative furniture on the floor in your apartment. You have limited room and the furniture will probably be expensive too. This is why you should focus on the walls when you’re decorating your space, and mount most of your decorations on there. 

Whether it’s flower pots or lamps, it can hang on the wall. Once you’re done doing this, your walls might still look a bit bare. 

This is where you need to add an artistic touch to your apartment with the help of paintings, prints, or posters. If you want, you can make all these paintings yourself – but if you don’t, you can get prints and posters for economical prices straight from artists online, or from an art or home decor store close by. 

Make sure you always have a plan though – not knowing what you’re looking for and walking into a decor store can be the perfect way to lose money on things you don’t need or want. 

Play With Optical Illusions 

When you’re trying to make your space look bigger than it is, the whole thing just becomes an optical illusion. What else do you think the mirrors are here for? 

If you want to make your space look taller, opt for tall and narrow furniture like floor lamps and tall chairs. You can even use curtains for a heightening effect – just hang them as high as you possibly can and make sure they reach the floor. Think floor to ceiling curtains that are plain and made of a relatively light fabric. Vertical stripes on some of your furniture can also help, and so can some plain paneling on the walls. 

On the other hand, low and wide furniture like wide ottomans at the end of the bed can make the space look wider. Just make sure not to do both these things at the same time – that’s a recipe for disaster, and you won’t achieve a single one of these effects. 

Accent Walls 

Another great way to breathe some life and personality into a room with limited space is to paint an accent wall. Take some paint and color one wall in your living room a different color. Make it bright and bold or aesthetic and pleasing – and then fill that wall with art and wall decor that matches the color and the overall theme of your room. 

This can be a great way to save both money and space – all you’re doing is painting a wall and putting up some homemade wall art, after all – and it eliminates the need to add much of anything else to the place. 

Use Fabrics and Textures Wisely 

Like we said, there’s no use looking for decor options that take up too much space in the apartment. But if you want, you can decorate the place with the help of things that are already there – bright and colorful cushions, textured or colorful tablecloths, and even the right bed sheets can be the perfect thing to breathe some life into your boring old apartment. 

You can even make pillow and cushion covers with patterns and additions like beads or frills, and if you want something a bit more elegant and elaborate you can also embroider a simple cushion cover to make it look high-end and expensive. 

All this project requires is some time, and maybe a minimal investment on sewing supplies and fabric.