Urban condo living has a lot of perks. From easy access to the city’s core and its countless cultural and entertainment activities to a low-maintenance, lock-and-leave lifestyle, the bonuses are abundant. Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty represents some of the finest luxury condos in the greater Seattle area, places with stunning layouts, superb views, and extensive amenities—from rooftop pools to a chef-worthy shared kitchen, and entertainment spaces.
It’s no secret that often a condo means a bit less living space compared to a single-family home. Yet, the right mindset paired with strategies from some of the country’s finest interior designers maximizes the space you do have. From smart storage to creative lighting ideas, these are RSIR’s favorite decorating ideas and space-optimization tips for urban condominium living. We hope you’ll find these ideas as inspiring as we do.
Think Functional Furnishings
If square footage is limited in your new condo, lean into multifunctional furniture. No one needs to know that you’re storing books, board games, and blankets on your coffee table or ottoman (more likely, they’ll be inspired by your resourcefulness). Use a daybed as both a sofa for guests and a sleeping surface if they’re staying over, or a twin-size Murphy bed to transform an office into a guest room.
Folding or multi-use furniture earns its keep, too: Consider a small dining table that can be folded away when not in use, or nesting tables in the living area. Incorporate benches with room for baskets and a desk that closes up into the wall when work hours make way for leisure time. In the bedroom, opt for a bed with built-in drawers.
While we’re talking storage, be sure to maximize shelving—perhaps installing built-in shelves to hold books or knickknacks in a way that looks intentional.
Embrace a minimalist philosophy and you’ll free up valuable floor space for entertaining and conceal clutter at the same time. Think functional, and you won’t have to compromise on style.
Be Smart About Kitchen Storage
Love to entertain? Your luxury condo in Seattle, especially one of the newest represented by RSIR brokers, will likely come with gleaming, state-of-the-art appliances and sleek countertops. Yet, if you’re cooking for a crowd, you can never have too much storage for your gadgets, and pots and pans. Consider installing a storage rail on your backsplash to hang cookware, oven mitts, and often-used utensils. Use floating shelves for pretty glassware or showpiece dishes.
If your condo does not have an island, use a tall wooden table instead that can offer both extra counter space when prepping meals and bar-height dining space during parties.
Take Time to Reflect
Reflective materials will maximize your space, making it feel airier and more open. Use lacquered wall finishes, glossy tiles, and mirrors everywhere to bounce the light around. For a showstopping effect, create a wall of mirrors or a gallery of mirrors of different sizes and shapes. There are countless styles to choose from, depending on the vibe you’re going for. This is a particularly useful trick for those spaces of your condo in Seattle that don’t always get abundant natural light.
Use Color Wisely
Give your condo a cohesive feel with a muted color scheme, accentuating clean lines and incorporating natural materials in your choice of area rugs, pillows, and throws. To make smaller spaces feel larger, paint the walls and ceiling white, which helps reflect the light (see reflective materials above). In guest bedrooms or diminutive half-baths, you can liven things up with a brighter color, particularly if the room doesn’t have a lot of natural light.
However, if you choose to use color in the main living and dining areas, particularly with an open floor plan, commit to a continuous scheme to make the space feel larger and less cluttered.
Alternatively, use color to define spaces. If you’ve chosen an upscale studio or one-bedroom condo, you can use color blocking to make spaces look like two separate rooms as shown here. Accent walls also provide visual interest in smaller spaces.
Choose the Right Rug
Not a fan of the carpeting in your new condo? No worries. Flooring options abound, including the creative use of area rugs for creating the illusion of space. You can choose to connect spaces with a large area rug, create a sense of separation between rooms, and add flair to your condo with funky rug patterns and colors. One thing to remember: Don’t use a tiny rug in a larger space, as it will just make the room feel smaller. Stick to floor coverings large enough to go wall to wall, or that most of your furniture will sit on.
If you’re not keen to tear up the existing carpet, layer a fun shaggy rug over a carpet. It’s a plush treat for your toes, and it will mute the sound of your footsteps for your downstairs neighbor.
Get Creative with Lighting
Lighting fixtures can make a statement these days, with options for every space and every personality, from classic to bohemian, wired to plug-in. For your smaller bedrooms, take a tip from Irene Gunter, founder and creative director at Gunter & Co.: “For small bedroom ideas, I really like using wall lights as opposed to table lamps for bedside lighting. Small room ideas inevitably call for smaller bedside tables and when the full surface is taken up by a table lamp it just seems to defeat the object.”
As opposed to flooding small spaces with bright ceiling lights to make them appear larger, consider layered lighting. Even when you have tall windows and vaulted ceilings, using floor lamps, chandeliers, and task lamps, for example, can create a moody vibe and some dimension to the space while still providing plenty of light for reading. For the lowest level, think lamps on end tables, followed by lamps sitting on a desk or console, then finally, some directional ceiling lights, perhaps focused on your favorite piece of art. From sconces to table lamps, eye-catching pendants to elegant flush mounts, this is a facet of your condo’s décor that you can really let, er, shine.
Lean Art on Floating Shelves
Sometimes the drawback of a bright, open floor plan in a luxury condominium can be a lack of sufficient wall space on which to hang your prized art and photographs. Consider installing slim floating shelves and leaning art in matching frames (bonus for varying shapes and sizes of art).
Another option is a carefully curated wall-to-wall gallery wall. Pick one of your biggest pieces as the centerpiece and build out from there, mixing and matching depending on your style. Keep everything cohesive in sleek white or black frames, or go eclectic by varying textures, colors, and frame materials, and even adding in clocks or funky, tactile wall hangings.
More Fun Gallery & Design Ideas for Small-ish Condo Spaces
Living in a luxury urban condo need not mean giving up distinctive décor or storage space. Even if you consider yourself design-challenged, there are plenty of ideas out there to jumpstart your creativity, from both upscale design firms and homeowners passionate about creating a space to call their own. Check out additional rooms and design ideas from Home Design Lover and Decorilla – and there’s always Pinterest!