Hi, all. So, I’ve just moved into my first apartment, and I’m pretty psyched. Can anyone share neat hacks they’ve done with their apartments? Interesting uses of limited space, unusual room dividers, etc.
Also, I have a specific question - I’d like a cheap, non-curtain-based room divider, roughly 7 feet long. Any suggestions?
I’ve seen people take those room divider screens and hang photos all over both sides. If you have a big enough photo collection, or if you have several posters you’d like to display, maybe you could try that.
Well, I doubt you have the money for this, but…
Check out places like Ikea and whatever your local furniture/household stores (Bed Bath and Beyond or Crate and Barrel or whatever they’re called) have - they often have room dividers for sale. They’re not always cheap, but you might catch a sale. Since it’s your first apartment, aren’t you obligated to make some bookcases out of cinderblocks and planks? 
I’ve never done this myself, but I’ve know people that have, so…
You can buy lidded plastic tubs that are about 6-8 inches high. They fit neatly under a standard size bed. It’s like having another closet.
Those under-the-bed storage tubs are great for things like out of season clothes or gift wrap or anything that’s going to be accessed only a few times a year. Plus, it gives the cats objects to Lurk behind, so they can zoom out and pounce anyone, human or cat, walking by.
I have two of this Ikea bookshelf, Expedit, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them as room dividers. They’re deep enough to use as bookshelves from both sides, or you can put boxes in the cubbies. I got them a few months apart, they were on sale for $50 each. Not dirt cheap, but Craigslist is a great place for used Ikea stuff.
That’s pretty cool, but I couldn’t help but be distracted by the fact that through his obsession with maximizing space he wasted so much of it to store that massive CD/DVD collection that could have easily been digitized onto a PC. Just think of how many more features he could have added.
My favorite thing to do is wander dollar stores for unusual items. You’d be surprised what a little paint and glue can do to make some nifty decorations. You can find cheap vases and colored glass for making artsy displays on bookshelfs, ceramic pots, etc. It’s crazy.
One of my favorite things to do is go to Walmart and buy a couple of tubes of craft paint, a pack of canvas boards and some masking tape. Then I tape off some abstract squares and shapes on the canvas, paint them different colors, and then maybe spritz flecks of gold or black paint on top.
Let it mostly dry - peel back the tape - and frame with cheap black poster frames. Voila! Ritzy artwork.
So many of my friends couldn’t believe I painted it myself. When I moved away, everyone asked if I was taking them with me and I had to do a lottery on who got them.
Yeah, we were poor. But we were classy poor!
I haven’t lived in an apartment in years, but I am fascinated with small space design. HGTV used to have a show about it, but it’s gone 
They still have some really great ideas on their website. I highly recommend checking it out.
Finding furniture that serves multiple functions is the most helpful thing, IMHO. RoniaBorkason’s shelves would be perfect for dividing a room. You could put books on them, get baskets or colorful boxes and put smallish things in them to store.
Most apartment kitchens have little counter space, so you might consider a dish rack you can hang directly over the sink to save counter space. Think shelves for spices or condiments. Don’t forget the backs of pantry or closet doors.
If you’re allowed to hang shelves that will be a BIG benefit. People sometimes forget to think vertically when it comes to storage. Hang a shelf to hold your microwave. Use shelving and boxes/baskets to store stuff you want out of sight.
Craigslist, freecycle, yard sales… all great for finding great bargains. Look at the potential of the item and not just the shape it’s in. Could it be painted? Does it just need new drawer pulls? It’s pretty easy to pop the seat off a dining chair and put new fabric on it. I got the most beautiful set of nightstands at a garage sale in a $$$ neighborhood. The drawer fronts had been dinged a bit and I painted just the drawers. The result was amazing. Also look for picture frames or inexpensive framed art. Even if the frame isn’t in great shape you can easily paint it. If you don’t like the artwork you can pop it out and use the frame for another piece.
Storage pieces that you put together have come a long way. You can always make them look better, too. Inevitably there is that really thin piece that is used as the back of the piece that either slides into grooves or you hammer fifty tiny nails into? Before I put that last piece on I take my handy staple gun and find a thin piece of fabric. I drape the fabric over the side that will face out and staple it to the back. Once the piece is put together it looks much better with the fabric backing.
Not all beds can accommodate storage underneath because of height issues. Think about bed risers. They can easily be hidden with a dust ruffle.
Okay, I’ll shut up now
http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/
Some of these can be junky looking, but the ideas abound and will get you in the right frame of mind to solve problems as they come up. Take your time and observe how you use the space before you try to functionalize it.
You can use bookshelves as a room divider, and put some $3 castor wheels under them. Voila! You can double your dining space for Thanksgiving in seconds, or provide some privacy for a guest sleeping ont he couch.
Also, I love this: Trundle_day_bedAlways think in terms of double/triple use before buying furniture. Guest_Bed_Ottoman
By “hack” to do mean tip or strategy? I only know two meanings for the word hack, and one doesn’t help because you’re not playing a video game, and the other would lose you your deposit…
As for room dividers, I saw any interesting idea on HG a few months ago: They made or bought shelving units with lots of little cubbies probably no more than 12"x12" in size, and only kept/put backing on some of them, so the rest were open on two sides. In those they placed interesting vases, big seashells and other visually interesting things, and in the cubbies with backing put things like books. It made a pretty room divider and functioned on some level as storage, which is something most apartments need more of anyway.
This blog is an excellent place to go for inspiration: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/
Congratulations on your first place. Have fun making it your home.
Thanks for the suggestions, all!
I have basically the exact same shelves except that it’s two of your units made into one (one large square). The cubbies are nice and versatile: and I have drawers added to a couple of the cubbies, and baskets in another two. And since I’m in a studio, the unit divides my sleeping area from the rest of the space. Works great!
I love that website, and every year or so they have a small space design contest, which has some great ideas. I bet they have archives on the site; I would take a look at those.
At Target, and probably at Bed Bath and Beyond, they have some plastic risers that you can put your bed up on, so you can store stuff underneath. If you’re not concerned with looks, or have a bed skirt or whatever, you can just stack a few cinder blocks under each leg.
Don’t just go to the fancy-schmancy home decorating stores. Hardware stores like Lowes and Home Depot have some great shelving and storage solutions. I bought some garage shelving way back in the day that has been an entertainment center, bookshelf, and now a kitchen shelving unit.
This book from Amazon has some good ideas.
And lots of books at your local library will, too. For free, yet.