6 Ways to Maximize Space, or the Appearance of it, in a Studio Apartment

  • Author: Devin Henry
  • Last Updated: June 16, 2022
Table of Contents

Space in Washington DC studio apartments can be tight, but they don’t necessarily have to look or feel like it. With the help of a few decorating tips, creative storage units and furniture arrangements you can maximize the use of space in your studio apartment. Let’s take a look at a few tips and tricks.

1) Maximize Opportunities for Storage

Maximize DC Studio Space

When it comes to living in small spaces, it’s all about how to creatively use furniture and closet/cabinet space for storage. In a perfect world, all studios would be transformed into smart spaces. They would have drop down storage units, bathtubs that double as sofas, and beds that rise from the floor.  Unfortunately, our DC reality calls for something more along the lines of: using coffee tables that double as desks, hollow ottomans that can store blankets, and raised bed to hide storage boxes.

2) Bright White Spaces

White SPace

Although effective in creating the illusion of a smaller waist size, black or dark colors only serve to make rooms smaller and more cramped. We love this studio on Wisconsin Avenue because the bright color opens up the room and adds energy.

3) Room Dividers

Room Divider

To create the feeling of a proper bedroom that a studio can sometimes lack, you can divide the room into different spaces with accordion panels, or larger sliding installations.

4) Build Up if Possible

If you have the capacity to change your apartment’s interior, building shelves closer to the ceiling helps to draw the eye upward. Also building an elevated bed, or a Murphy bed, would give you the space you need during waking hours.

5) Mirrors

6 Ways to Maximize Space, or the Appearance of it, in a Studio Apartment 1

Strategically placed mirrors do wonders for reflecting both natural and artificial light in a room to make things look brighter and larger. If you can swing it, it helps to have a floor to ceiling length mirror to create the illusion of higher ceilings. We suggest putting the mirror directly across a window or source of light!

6) Stripes

Stripes

Just as in when you wear stripes, having them on your floor or bed covers tends to either elongate or widen the room depending on the direction of the stripes. Simple, yet effective!

Looking for something? Visit our Tenant Resource Center to submit a work order. Visit our Client Resource Center to log into your account. Check out our awesome DMV located rentals. Get in touch for our property management services.

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The Documents area contains monthly financial statements:

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Month over Month Statement

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You can use your owner portal to communicate with our team. Any messages you send through the portal will go straight to your Account Manager. When we reply, you’ll get an email notification and you’ll also see the message in your portal next time you log in. 

Here’s an overview of using the communication platform:

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Commincation Dashboard Screenshot
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Owner Portal New Message Screenshot

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Please scroll through the sections below to get a better understanding of how to interpret the ledger. 

By default, transactions are sorted chronologically:

Owner Ledger Dates
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If you have multiple properties with Nomadic, you'll see the address for each transaction in the "Location" column:

Ledger Property Column
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The Description column displays the transaction type:

Owner Ledger Description Column
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The Amount column shows the dollar value of each transaction:

Owner Ledger Amount Column
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Owner Ledger Account Balance Column
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Navigating the Propertyware Owner Portal

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Scroll through the snapshots below for an overview of portal navigation! If you need more help or have specific questions about using the portal, you can reach out to your Account Manager any time for a screen share. 

You can filter all info by date range or property:

PW Portal Filters

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PW Owner Dashboard View

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Owner Portal Ledger View

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Owner Portal Document Library

View a suite of real-time financial reports:

Portal Reports View

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Owner Portal Bills View

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Portal Bill Details

You can also communicate with your Account Manager through the portal:

Owner Portal Communication Tools

How do net distributions work?

Net distributions keep your accounting clean and simple. Each month we’ll collect rent from the tenants, deduct any repair expenses for the previous month and any management/leasing fees for the current month, and credit the remaining net operating income to your account. 

Net Distribution

You’ll receive a statement via email each time a net distribution is processed, and can view all transaction details in your Propertyware owner portal.