10 Apartment Inspiration Ideas for Any Aesthetic

Evelyn Long

May 15, 2023

apartment inspiration ideas for any aesthetic

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Do you want to mix up your decor and elevate your space, but you’re unsure how? We came up with 10 ideas to match your aesthetic. Browse the apartment inspiration to find a design idea that speaks to you.

What Is Your Decor Aesthetic?

A home decor aesthetic blends functionality with visual design elements to create a usable space that looks appealing. You might not have a specific aesthetic, but most people lean toward certain design styles. If you’re looking for apartment inspiration but are unsure which aesthetic you prefer, browse a few and see what speaks to you.

1. Cozy

A cozy decor aesthetic is about warmth and comfort and less about appearances. That being said, there are still a few signature decor pieces. Most comfy apartments have a lot of low, warm light and plenty of blankets, pillows and soft things scattered around..

If you’re looking for apartment inspiration for a cozy apartment, look no further. Incorporating certain handmade pieces into your decor can go a long way in boosting how comfy your space looks. 

Do you knit, crochet or paint? A chunky knitted blanket has appeal on its own, but a handmade version combines functionality with sentimentality. You can include your pieces in your apartment to increase your cozy aesthetic since handmade wall art and blankets provide comfy feelings.

2. Trendy

Modern decor is typically centered around textures and colors that are hard, cold and neutral. It balances everything with pops of color that draw attention and bring life back into the space. 

A colorful bathtub may be the perfect design solution if you’re looking for apartment inspiration. Have you ever seen a bathtub that wasn’t white? While that technically fits into a modern aesthetic, incorporating color into your space is more fun and innovative.

You don’t even have to do something as drastic as painting your tub since porcelain can be colorful instead of white. You can pick a color that matches your space and bring some modern influence into your bathroom.

3. Eclectic

The eclectic home aesthetic is fun and unique. While it adheres to a cohesive design style, it’s a mix of random patterns, colors, textures and styles. It’s about balancing the use of space and the amount you present each design element. Your apartment decor doesn’t have to make sense, it just has to look fun.

The point is to achieve a design using elements that don’t traditionally go together. Take a pink velvet armchair, a zebra print rug and a neon sign, for example. It might seem like they’d look wrong together, but it works since everything is equally out of place. 

Since this aesthetic is mainly about color, you could take inspiration from color itself. For example, blues and reds are energetic, while white and tan are calming. Each gives a feeling and inspires a particular reaction, so design your space with that in mind. 

Place accents of particular shades throughout to subtly trigger specific emotions. For example, you could paint the wall yellow, get a blue couch and have red throw pillows. You might not be able to completely redesign your space and get new furniture to match the aesthetic, but changing up the color of your current furniture is enough.

4. Industrial

An industrial aesthetic focuses on raw materials, hard edges and open space to put function over everything. While the design trend has plenty of modern influences, its main focus is about centering on imperfections and the bare bones of a room.

Exposed brick, wooden beams and cement are crucial industrial decor elements because they emphasize a space’s rough, natural aspects. You’ll also typically see a lot of metal, wood, neutral colors and natural light. If you don’t have those things, you can still take inspiration from them to achieve the aesthetic in your own space.

Industrial decor focuses heavily on the natural appearance and wear of things, so an easy way to get some is to simply shop around flea markets, antique stores, garage sales and farmer’s markets. For example, a used leather couch would be a good find because it’s functional and natural. Furniture that has been worn down over time can look the part and has the benefit of being affordable.

You can also take inspiration from historical pieces and find matching modern counterparts. Edison bulbs, for instance, were initially introduced decades ago by Thomas Edison. The LED version lasts five times longer than the original but looks exactly the same. It is functionality combined with design appeal that adds to the industrial aesthetic of your apartment in a natural and affordable way.

5. Minimalist

Minimalism is about having the least amount of clutter as possible. It might seem odd to look for apartment inspiration for something that’s all about the lack of decor, but it can help elevate your space.

Since cleanliness and empty space are significant aspects of the aesthetic, increasing them is key. You can take inspiration from natural light because it’s clean and bright. You can’t exactly add more windows, but you can use mirrors, white rugs and minimal furniture to increase the amount of light in each room. More light opens up the space and can give the illusion of it being bigger than it is. If your apartment appears larger, it’ll seem more minimalistic.

You can also add hidden storage features to reduce the clutter in your space. Tables or couches that double as containers help to make your space feel minimalistic and open.

6. Cottage

The cottage aesthetic is becoming more popular because it focuses on returning to nature in a technological world. It features greenery, soft pastels, natural textures, warm lights and small patterns. Cottage decor works nature into furniture. 

Take inspiration from the outdoors for this aesthetic. A vertical garden is a good alternative if you already have potted plants because it’s easy to install and looks appealing. You can grow herbs or native flowers right on your walls.

7. Vintage 

The vintage aesthetic takes inspiration from Victorian styles and classic romantic designs. It typically features deep colors and rich textures. 

Most vintage decor prominently features velvet because it looks appealing and timeless. The texture is immediately noticeable and adds a certain depth without being overbearing. It’s also a surprisingly durable fabric. The variant of synthetic velvet is particularly resilient and doesn’t wear easily.

If you’re considering using velvet in your apartment, consider adding seating. Velvet sofas are instantly recognizable because they’re commonly used as vintage furniture. Beyond aligning perfectly with the aesthetic, they’re often very functional.

You don’t have to find an actual vintage couch at an antique dealer because faithful recreations are available online. Take the Belffin Velvet Convertible futon, for example. It’s a statement piece for small spaces with classic influences. It’s also versatile — it can be a sofa, bed or two separate chairs if you need the space.

8. Farmhouse

The farmhouse aesthetic incorporates a lot of natural colors and materials. It takes heavy influence from farm living and country styles, typically showcasing plenty of farm animal print, checkerboard patterns, leather and wood. Many people even use miniature barn doors for their pantry or shutters.

You don’t have to be a farmer to enjoy the farmhouse aesthetic, but you can look the part by using pallets. They aren’t typically featured in home decor catalogs, but they have many design uses. You can get pallets for free from most hardware or grocery stores, so it’s a really affordable design option. 

If you want farmhouse apartment inspiration, it’s a great choice because it’s versatile. You can repurpose it as a shelf, place pots in the gaps to grow plants, turn it into wall art or hang it and use it as a coat rack. The simplistic style and natural material can look great, and the result can be very functional.

9. Gothic

You might think of spiderwebs and plastic skulls when you picture the gothic aesthetic, but it actually takes inspiration from history. Gothic architecture features ornate and dramatic spaces, often incorporating stained glass, arches and vaulted ceilings. In decor, it translates to moody colors, floral patterns, ornate fixtures and heavy wooden furniture. 

If you want gothic inspiration, look to flowers. Although floral doesn’t sound very gothic, wallpaper with a black background and twisting roses complements the subtle additions of color in a space. You can match the style of your apartment because there are many flowers and colors to choose from. The right wallpaper will darken the room and add that signature gothic flair.

10. Maximalist

A maximalist apartment is all about excess. It usually contains abundant color and clutter that blends together into a cohesive style. Most maximalists cover their walls in decor because the idea is to take up as much space as possible.

If you lean towards a maximalist aesthetic but want an easy, affordable way to use every bit of space, consider using paint. You can use paint and painting tape to create a clean design on your walls. Experiment with geometric or abstract patterns to match the style of your room. 

You can even paint with the same exact color you already have on your walls, but use a semi-gloss or high-gloss version instead. It creates a subtle, interesting illusion that adds depth to your space. 

Inspiration for Your Apartment

Finding apartment inspiration that matches your specific aesthetic might be tricky, but these ideas can blend well with whichever you have. Even if you don’t have a distinct style, you can try incorporating some of them into your space for a fun, new look.

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