Rising land and construction costs are pushing builders to create smaller, more affordable housing units in urban centers, resulting in a surge of uniform white-cube apartment developments.
New-build residents are finding creative ways to transform these generic spaces into personalized homes, as reported by The Guardian.
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Affordable Transformations
Off-the-plan apartment owner and artist Ben Mazey altered his two-bedroom Melbourne property by installing custom stainless-steel cabinetry and choosing floor-to-ceiling white square tiles in the bathroom.
"Paint's straightforward, not that expensive and can absolutely transform a space," Mazey says, after painting his walk-in-wardrobe a vibrant pistachio shade.
Designer and artist Cat Yenn used gingham fabric to create curtains for her Sydney studio apartment, masking her fridge nook and exposed shelves to manage visual clutter.
"I took inspiration from small Italian apartments and went curtain crazy," she says.
Designer and stylist Jono Fleming utilized the existing brick feature wall in his Sydney apartment as an evolving art wall decorated with trailing ivy and open shelving.
Subtle adjustments like swapping out handles, architraves, or cornices offer affordable alternatives to expensive structural overhauls while significantly modifying the perception of a space.
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Smart Furniture Choices
Fleming suggests placing two identical sideboards together in open-plan living areas to gain styling and storage space without paying for bespoke joinery.
Multi-functional furniture items, including stools, ottomans, and extendable drop-leaf dining tables, optimize restricted layouts when entertaining guests.
Mazey recommends utilizing digital secondhand platforms like Facebook Marketplace to source affordable and beautiful oak furniture within a reasonable budget.
Personal items grouped by tone and color help ground an interior layout, turning ordinary sideboards and tables into engaging focal points.
"Everything has a story from somewhere we've travelled, or it's from an artist that we like or from a favourite shop," interior architect Ryan McGregor says.
Yenn notes that art displays function most effectively when harmonious colors visually connect the pieces together across a petite living space.
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"Objects that you genuinely respond to" aren't an exercise in excess, Mazey explains, because decorating can be achieved affordably.
