When you have a studio or one-bedroom apartment, you may be surprised to notice that apartments with two or three bedrooms in the same building might not cost that much more. That may inspire you to start looking for a new, bigger apartment to call home.
If it's within your budget, consider looking for a larger apartment even if you live alone. Then use the extra room for something that would bring you joy. Here are some fun ideas you can use in an extra room.
AN ARTIST’S RETREAT
If you like to create art of any kind, consider setting aside an extra room in your home as your own special creative space. If you like to paint, set up a full artist's studio complete with a desk for sketching, easels to display your finished work and lots of space in the middle for you to work on all your current projects.
Consider all your senses and devise a set-up that will delight your senses and inspire you to create your best art while in your in-home artist's retreat. You could hang prints of your favorite artists' work in the space. Set up an area of the room where you can play music or podcasts that inspire you while you work. You could also place a small table with scented candles in the room.
If you don't enjoy creating fine art, set up a room that caters to the art you enjoy. For example, if you're a writer, make the room a writer's haven with space for you to relax and focus on your stories. If you are a sports fan, make this room a haven for watching and savoring games.
A HOME MOVIE THEATER
Use an extra room to create your own home cinema. Thanks to recent technological advances in entertainment, having an in-home theater is within reach of nearly any budget. Simply put a flat screen on the wall. If you'd like, add decorative red or golden curtains on each side of the screen to add a dramatic flair reminiscent of old-time cinemas.
For theater worthy seats, check out the selection of chairs and recliners at your local thrift shop. If you want a uniform look, stores like IKEA may have more affordable options. Alternately, put an ad in a local newspaper or website for theater seats. You may find that you can refinish former movie theater seats without spending a lot of money. That way, the room will really look authentic.
Frame posters of your favorite movies and hang them along the walls of your home theater to celebrate what you love about cinema. If you have autographed photographs of your favorite actors, this is a good place to display them. Set up a popcorn stand or display candy by the door to set up your own concession stand in your theater.
A MULTIMEDIA IN-HOME LIBRARY
Book lovers often daydream of a library all their own. Why not use an extra room as a library? A multimedia library can help you organize many of your collections of media and entertainment. For example, you can designate one wall of bookshelves for books, then use another wall for DVDs. Yet another wall could be shelve games or other things you collect.
Choose a theme for your library to give it a little extra appeal. For example, if you are a fan of Harry Potter, create a library that is themed around these books. Use wands as bookends. Put memorabilia alongside your collections. Turn a spotlight on the shelves to show off certain memorabilia. If Harry Potter isn't your thing, substitute your favorite books as the theme.
Finally, when looking for apartments, don't rule out larger-sized dwellings before considering what you may want to do with an extra room or two. Check out the listings that Montgomery Realtors currently have available and
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