Woman's Smart IKEA Solution Makes A Studio Feel Like A Cozy Two-Bedroom

With apartment and housing prices on the rise, some aspiring homeowners will often settle for a cheaper accommodation with less square footage just to finally have a place to call their own. Less square footage for apartments often means fewer bedrooms, if any. Studio apartments – or apartments that have no division between rooms and are essentially on an open-floor plan – are usually a less expensive alternative compared to their one or two-bedroom counterparts. While studio apartments may not be an ideal living arrangement due to the lack of separation and privacy, there are ways to add walls and divisions within a studio apartment that will not cost you your security deposit, just like TikTok user @chiarabelladesigns shows in her video. In addition to other genius tips for dividing rooms in a studio apartment, your local IKEA has items in stock that can make a studio feel like a cozy two-bedroom using this smart, reversible, and affordable solution.

A little imagination and vision go a long way when adding separation and privacy to an open space. Like these decor ideas that give your studio more privacy, the key to giving your open-floor plan apartment the illusion of having two rooms is to use furniture pieces or home decor items as room dividers that can compartmentalize areas within a studio apartment. Shelving units or free-standing wardrobe systems make excellent dividers while also providing additional storage space. If shelving units are a bit too bulky or expensive, adding curtains to create separate areas can be a cheaper alternative.

For affordable and coordinated pieces to convert your studio into a cozy two-bedroom, IKEA has a few essential items in stock. If you're leaning towards incorporating shelving units or free-standing wardrobes as room dividers, IKEA's PAX wardrobes make perfect "walls" that can double as storage while compartmentalizing the studio space to make it seem like a multi-room apartment. There are several wardrobes to choose from, including units with doors and ones without. To create separation, simply assemble your chosen PAX wardrobes and place them where you want to establish the borders of your "rooms". The size of the wardrobes will basically create a wall that comes with the added perk of built-in storage, which is something you can never have enough of in a studio apartment.

While PAX wardrobes can make for great impromptu walls, they can run a little on the pricier side. PAX wardrobes with doors start at around $300, while their doorless counterparts are pricier at just under $600 and up. If those price points are out of your budget, worry not, there is a cheaper alternative! You can also create separation by adding double layers of curtains to create a "wall" between your bedroom and main living space. Using this IKEA Curtain Track hack that utilizes IKEA's VIDGA single curtain track set, you can add a curtain pretty much anywhere with a ceiling. Simply add a VIDGA curtain track to the ceiling above where you want to create a divider, add a thick curtain or a double layer of curtains, and voila! You now have a multi-room set-up in a studio apartment space.