Initial state: the walls need a new paint, the floor needs to be restored, the kitchen is in a good condition, the sofa should be replaced, new curtains are needed, the carpet should we cleaned, the ceilings are in a normal condition, the doors should be left as these are, the lamp can be left, the furniture is in a good condition.
Condition and limitations: minimum investment keeping intact those parts of the interior, which are in a good state.
Concept: Italian contemporary rustic based on the elements and parts of the interior left intact.
Colour palette: olive, light green, peach, light and a bit darker wood, dark red, white, brown, beige, and a little bit of blue.

The result: can be seen in the photographs.

Any apartment regardless its size can be transformed into different zones according to functions desired. This is more applicable to not very spacious apartments, which do not assume zoning based on the functions of different rooms thought.

Rustic elements, sometimes hand-made, sometimes manufactured, nicely fit apartments’ interiors to make a modern twist more warm. Various objects and details in rural style match well with furniture and colour palette of the interior, if chosen accurately and fit in tones, form, and texture the whole space.

Here are some of the possible details one can use to decorate a living space with a rustic feel.

Ceramic hand-painted pots with plants

These are usually sold on craftsmen markets or brought from trips to the countryside or abroad. Shades of not glazed ceramics go well with beige tones of a room. Their simple form make you feel more grounded and closer to the nature.

Rustic style floor tiles

Floor tiles in a pronounced rustic style, matte, in earthy tones also add a feeling of a countryside house, with stone elements used in its construction. Looking very cosy and comfortable, these add a relaxed note to any interior.

Woven elements of furniture

Many furniture producers offer lines in a countryside style, with fragments from natural materials incrustated on furniture surface.

Curtains laying on the floor

Long curtains laying on the floor is one more rustic interior trait. Such a style is very common in countryside houses and would remind you of some walks in the nature somewhere far away from home and would establish a connection with holidays.

Asian textile, like pillows and bed covers

Various textile products are widely popular in many stores. Indian woven carpets, pillow cases, and sofa covers — all have become an inalienable part of many apartments. These are relatively cheap, soft to the touch, and don’t require any special care.

Choosing the right bedding is not as easy as it might look like from the first sight. Various internet shops full of bedding products offer a wide choice of pieces in terms of size, colour, material, and style allowing to make a purchase quite easily according to your own taste. Some are in the category like the best value for money, others are in a more luxurious segment. In several clicks you can order the products, which you really like and can afford.

However, there is no need to hurry up. And that is why. Unfortunately, making a choice of a bedding, which you just liked is not enough. There is a very tricky thing you should bear in mind before you complete your order — and that is the size of your sleeping accessories, namely pillows, duvets, as well as the size of your bed.

Taking into account only your preferences regarding the size and quantity (single or 2 singles versus 1 double in case you are choosing a bedding for the bedroom you share with your partner) of duvets is not the only thing you should bear in mind while choosing the bedding for them.

Finding a perfect fit of the bedding and the duvet — that is a real trick. If you take a ruler first and measure the size of your sleeping accessories in case you have already some and then compare to the size chart of a chosen bedding, you might be surprised how much the measurements differ! And that would be less painful if the bedding is larger that your duvets and pillows, while it might be a big disappointment if the size wouldn’t be in your favour, meaning that there wouldn’t be enough space for your duvet if placed inside the duvet cover. The same applies for the cases and bed sheets.

There are two solutions, however, for this problem. The first one is not to be a perfectionist and go for making a purchase choice even if there is a slight difference and the covers and/or pillow cases are a bit larger in size. That would take some of your time on making the calculations, but still would let you stay with your duvets and pillows (in case you have already ones you want to keep or you have chosen ones, which perfectly satisfy your expectations because of their quality, material, price). Of course, you may be a lucky one and/or persistent enough to find a perfect match as in terms of design, as well as in terms of size match.

The second option, which might be much easier, is to buy both duvets and pillows as well as covers and cases in one shop. Usually experienced producers offer a selection of all products keeping in line with their own size chart.

One of the most popular stores is IKEA, of course. There is no need to tell anything more about it.

However, there are also less known shops as well. One of the suggestions might be the shop www.bedfolk.com. According to information on their website, they have various products available in their shop, which perfectly match in terms of size.

You can make your own research as well and find some more producers of bedding and sleeping accessories for sure.

First decisions about interior renovation

Interior renovation and design is a lasting process. It might take a month or several months depending on its complexity. It also may be very costly or more affordable depending on your decision, to include only basic interior renovation or some extra design elements too. All this is influenced by your budget at most.

However, there are some figures regarding the investment proportion in interior design, which varies, but still is determined in some range as a percentage of the property value as well. This topic will be covered lated on.

A living space renovation is also related to some discomfort, which might arise because of such works as wall or ceiling painting, floor covering, purchasing and bringing to the apartment new furniture. An extra dust and a lack of usual furniture during some time might disturb, especially if you live yourself in the apartment during the reconstruction process.

If you have already made a decision to go for a new design, it is also worth considering several aspects more.

One of the important decisions before realising an idea of apartment’s interior design, is whether to hire a professional designer or make all design decisions on your own, based on personal taste and knowledge.

The pros for hiring a designer would be such factors like quality of work and shorter time of a renovation, while the cons could be a difficulty to find a “right” designer, which style and attitude would be close to you, as well as an amount of fee, which you would have to pay besides the expenses on materials and design elements if you do everything yourself. For sure, there are also some difficult works like floor covering, which most probably would require a specialist and incur extra costs, since you cannot do completely everything yourself. These are not expenses on a designer’s salary however.

In case you have decided to realise the interior reconstruction and design project yourself without help of a hired designer, it is worth considering several more question, for example, your presence in the living space. Definitely, it could be vital and would add some extra charm and warmth to the final result, since it would allow you to not only apply theoretical knowledge in the field of interior design, but also to be able to feel the apartment first, letting the experience of living in it make you a right decision regarding the budget, the colour palette, and the style before you start your interior renovation works. Of course, it depends on your working schedule. As it was already said before, the complicated side of it would be some lack of comfort for a period of renovation and some feeling of “living in a reconstruction mode”.

Whichever way you have chosen, it is important to understand that the ambiance of a place is influenced by many factors, and the location of the property, proximity to the infrastructure objects, your neighbours, view out of the window, and even the floor are among these. All these external factors combined with the purpose of renovation, which will be covered later on, could also have an impact on how your apartment will look like in the end.

Last, but not least. If your believe that you have all the necessary skills and can do most of the things yourself, it is important to take into account that your workload (at a paid job as a hired employee or with your projects if your are a self-employed person) will define the length of your reconstruction process — the more free time you have, the faster you will move.