Think Big in a Smaller Space: A Guide to Decorating Your Independent Living Apartment

Moving to a one-bedroom apartment for seniors is the perfect opportunity to refresh your design style and start the next chapter of your retirement just the way you like. By infusing both your creativity and organizational skills into your decorations and furnishings, you’ll make your new space feel like home in no time.

Read these 5 fabulous tips on how to decorate a small apartment and find why you don’t need a big space to live large at John Knox Village.

1. 1. Plan your layout

Whether you like to entertain your friends for coffee, spend a few hours coloring with your grandkids on the weekends, or want to wake up with a morning yoga routine, choose a floor plan and layout that matches your lifestyle and has space for your favorite activities in your new home in Lee’s Summit.

Consider these tips when choosing your layout:

• Review the details of your floor plan.
• Think about how your layout affects the flow of traffic to places like the patio/balcony door, bathroom, kitchen and front door.
• Imagine your home filled with friends and family.

You can have fun playing around with some of the interactive senior living floor plans available here at our Life Plan Community in Kansas City, MO. Think about what you’re looking for in your new home, click on a floor plan that piques your interest, select “Interactive Floor Plan,” and arrange the variety of virtual furniture to your liking.

1. 2. Fill your space with natural light

Nothing quite beats the warm feeling the radiance of sunlight brings into your home. Natural light is a mood booster. It also can provide ambience to a comfy space and highlight your design choices.

Here are a few tips on how to maximize natural light in your home:

• Put tall or bulky furniture on the darkest side of the room, so they aren’t blocking light.
• Consider using décor that reflects light, like mirrors, shiny metals or reflective glass.
• Choose window treatments made with a material that allows light to pass through.
• Select light-colored furniture and wall décor; choose dark-colored accent pieces.

Many of the one-bedroom apartment floor plans feature large windows and private balconies, patios, sunrooms, or screened-in porches that let in plenty of natural light. Some also have a “bonus” room. For example, The Monarch floor plan features a den with its own entrance to the private outdoor area, which makes it the perfect room for knitting or sewing, a home office, or conversation room.

1. 3. Add plants

Plants are the perfect independent living decorations because they provide an easy and natural way to add a splash of color to your apartment and often require minimal care. Plus, gardening and caring for houseplants has been shown to reduce stress levels and increase feelings of well-being.

Here are a few tips on how to add houseplants to your apartment:

• Choose low-maintenance plants that can thrive in a wide range of lighting, like succulents, cacti or snake plants.
• Group plants together to create a lush, tropical feel and add visual interest to a room.
• Be mindful of how large a plant will grow and make sure you have enough space for it to thrive.
• Add air plants in small vases throughout your apartment.

If you love fresh-cut flowers and herbs, consider growing your own in the community garden at our senior living community in Kansas City, MO. Fresh flowers and herbs in a beautiful vase are wonderful for decorating a one-bedroom apartment or giving your neighbor a big smile. Of course, you can always use your garden space to grow fruits and vegetables too!

1. 4. Choose versatile furniture

When moving to a new home, many people like to purchase new furniture. What a perfect opportunity to invest in multipurpose furnishings that look great and pull double-duty!

Look at these tips on choosing versatile furniture to suit your space:

• Find furniture with built-in storage like ottomans and platform bed frames.
• Purchase a recliner or armchair that has cup holders, built-in lighting, and storage pockets on the side.
• Think about using vertical storage space solutions like pegboards, floating shelves and over-the-door organizers.
• Consider selecting pieces with a touch of tech, like nightstands with wireless charging capabilities or tabletop organizers that double as a charging station.

The adaptability of our one-bedroom apartment floor plans for seniors makes it easy to arrange your furniture just the way you like it.

1. 5. Show off your personality

Decorating a senior apartment in independent living is an empowering experience that gives you the opportunity to showcase your personality, and start the next chapter of your retirement in your own style. It’s also a lot of fun!

These are tips on how to show off your style when decorating your apartment:

• Seek inspiration from magazines and Pinterest pages that match your style.
• Upgrade travel photos or your grandkid’s art by having your favorite pieces secured to various sizes of canvas to create a mini art museum on your wall.
• Use rugs to add color and texture and help define different areas within a room; just make sure they’re safely secured to the floor with rug grippers.
• Declutter by clearing out decorations that might distract from your design or style.

Our senior living community in Kansas City, MO, features an arts and crafts studio and a woodworking shop so you can showcase your style by making your own decorations. You can continue to pursue your passions, build your skills, and fuel your creativity with all the tools and space you need to produce a masterpiece.

With our Moving Assistance Program (MAP), we help you make your current home market-ready and gives a hand with sifting, sorting, and packing your belongings – so you can spend more time decorating your new space in our community. Contact our senior living consultants online or call us at 816-892-4294 to learn more about floor plans, financial options, and anything Life Plan Community.