Small Apartment Decor

A Christmas tree in a small apartment usually means moving a chair into the bedroom for a month, and then finding somewhere to keep the tree for the other eleven. Lots of people skip it, and the apartment can still feel like Christmas. What works instead is decorating the few places you actually look at every day. In most small apartments that’s the front door, the TV stand, the windows, a wall or two, and the coffee table. Get those right and you won’t miss the tree much. ...

Every January the same thing happens: the tree box leans in the hallway, the lights sit in a knot on the counter and the wreath ends up on top of the fridge. In a small apartment you live with these boxes for eleven months and enjoy what’s in them for one, so it’s worth deciding where everything goes before you buy any more. One bin No garage, no attic, no storage unit. So the rule is: all your Christmas decorations fit in one bin. Two at most. ...

Most of what makes a room feel like Christmas costs very little: greenery, warm light, something that smells good. The decorations that look cheap are usually the shiny plastic ones, and those aren’t cheap anyway. Here are twenty ideas that each come in under $25. A lot of them are close to free. Things you can pick up outside or at the grocery store 1. A bowl of pinecones. Collect them on a walk, let them dry out for a day, and pile them in a big wooden or ceramic bowl. If you like, touch the tips with white craft paint so they look a little frosted. Cost: nothing. ...