Apartment Living and Antiques Make a Great Team

Apartment living can be a really good choice for many different reasons. With the economy as it is, it is not a bad option for people looking to save money. Should you decide that apartment living is for you; how you choose to decorate it will determine how much you enjoy your new lifestyle. It is all about space and how much of it you will have.Antiques are not for everyone but most people have to admit that, if nothing else, they are timeless. They are also unique in charm, character and workmanship. Most people think of antiques as being mainly decorative, used for the purpose of achieving a certain look. Antiques were not used for decorative purposes when they were new – every piece was designed for a certain purpose and they were actually quite practical and sensible additions to the home. There is no reason they cannot be that once again.If you have visited a number of older homes that have not yet been restored you will notice that the rooms in these homes are much the same as you find in many apartments – they are not overly spacious and they don’t have much storage. Many antiques were designed for just such living spaces.You should not be put off by the proportions of some antique furniture pieces, thinking them too big and bulky for an apartment, you should concentrate on the storage they will provide instead. Believe it or not, these pieces can even give you more room than you might have had otherwise. What would require two or three pieces of traditional furniture to accomplish can sometimes be handled by just one larger antique piece.One example of a multipurpose piece would be an antique hall tree. Usually used in an entryway, it is tall with a shelf on top, a mirror, a number of hooks for coats or hats, a seat bench with inside storage and some of them even have an umbrella stand. That’s a lot to have going on in a space of about three and a half feet across.There are many types of antique beds from which to choose. Victorian high back beds are usually quite fancy and beautifully done in rich oak or walnut. There are also the classic antique four poster beds that are still quite popular today, if the number of reproductions out there is any indication. Antique beds however do pose a problem for many people. They do not come in queen size and they most certainly do not come in king size.You have to remember that apartment living requires some compromises. A couple may not be willing to sleep in a full size bed but a single person may be amenable to it, especially if it means additional space in the bedroom.Even better would be an antique Murphy bed. This would allow you to have your bed up and out of the way during the day and only down taking up floor space in the evening. This would be particularly advantageous if your bedroom served a dual purpose.To take full advantage of the storage capabilities antiques have to offer then you need lots of antique case goods. Case goods include bureaus, dressers, sideboards, chests, highboys, lowboys and the most important of all, armoires. If your apartment lacks enough closet space you can create your own with a couple of well placed antique armoires for clothing, shoes and purses. Also, taller chests provide more drawers than shorter waist high bureaus and dressers. Using as much vertical space as possible will save on floor area.Another important way to save on floor area, especially if your apartment does not have a separate dining room is the use of an antique drop leaf dining table. If you position the table with the sides down behind your sofa it can sub as a sofa table. Two side chairs, one at either end, will provide the necessary seating when you put up the outside leaf to serve a meal.Since you can never have enough storage in an apartment, instead of a bench at the end of your bed or a coffee table in front of your sofa, consider two large antique trunks. You could add a custom cut glass top to the one in the living room and a custom cushion to the one in the bedroom. You will still have a coffee table and a bench to sit on but you will also have a ton of hidden storage inside those two trunks.Last but not least is an antique tilt top table. When not in use, it takes up very little room when it is placed against a wall. In addition to being beautiful, a tilt top table is also very versatile. When you need a small table, simply pull it away from the wall, tilt up the top and snap it into place.There are a huge variety of antiques available at local shops and auction houses. They come in all shapes, sizes and designs. Visitors to your apartment will be able to admire the way in which you showcase your furniture. There will be no clutter to distract them because it will all be hidden away inside your space friendly antiques.