One of the most painful parting experiences of your life comes when you are trying to move from a large home to a small apartment. For those who love the furnishings that have been so carefully hand-picked for their home, it becomes tough to leave a few of them out as their lives are revamped and resized. Here are some useful tips that will help make the transition smooth and easy for you.

Pick only what you need and get rid of all the junk

“Why waste them, when you have them?” This is surely the most difficult part as most people have a tendency of holding on to things believing that they will be useful “some day”. But when space becomes a premium you cannot continue to think like that. You will have to almost ruthlessly let go of stuff that has no place in your new apartment.

Have a garage sale before you move

No one is trying to suggest that you take a big dumpster and throw away all the stuff that you own. Have a garage sale before you move for all the stuff you wish to not really carry along, but would still serve good for others. If you cannot find takers for something that is still in pretty good condition, feel free to donate. It will both help lift your morale and will make packing, moving and re-decorating a lot easier for you. We are sure the guys at places like Salvation Army will accept such donations.

Bring in furniture that is space-conscious, versatile in use

Multi-tasking is the modern mantra when it comes to furniture and once you get around the market, you will be astonished of what you can find in terms of highly flexible and space saving interiors. These might cost you a bit more than the traditional stuff that occupies more space, but they sure will be great as long term investments. Think about shifting to a hide-a-bed couch or even a Murphy Bed that folds up neatly into the wall and provides shelve space during daytime. This is just the tip of the iceberg. You can find folding tables, chairs, hanging beds and even folding bathrooms. Product designers out there are working overtime just for you!

Pick a single theme and use get the arrangement right

This obviously goes for every place that you live in, but it’s  more important when you are moving from a home to a small apartment. One will have to change their lifestyle and designing ways when moving from a home to an apartment as the new place has comparatively less room – hence a multitude of variations will be hard to portray in such a small area. Sticking to a single running theme and intelligent use of lighting along with arranging furniture in a non-cluttered manner will help immensely in accentuating the apartment’s beauty.

Use the walls as a way to store stuff

Unless the walls in your apartment are too thin and weak, you can always hang something on them. Its a storage option that most people overlook. Remember that using the walls intelligently will create more room and by hanging stuff up, you will add your own unique flavor to the space around.

Moving from a home to a small apartment is a conundrum that most people face in their lives these days and while it appears like a challenging task, a clear mind, un-cluttered design and willingness to invest in ergonomic and versatile furniture can help shape up your new apartment as good as your old home, or maybe even better.