The Great Escape: Making Your Condo Perfect for Staycation

If you don’t know where to start, the best place to begin is on the internet. Look for inspirations or pegs that you want to achieve for your condo. Pinterest and Instagram are always a great place to browse for the dream look you want to achieve in your home. Follow interior designers and architects and save their posts for future references.

You can also buy design magazines and create a mood board to remind you of your inspirations for your home. This way you can have a visual of the design you’re going for or you can show it to your interior designer if you decide to get professional help.

Before making any changes with your space, talk to your condo admin first if the plans you want to achieve are doable. Is it okay to paint the walls in a different color? Are you allowed to put holes in the wall? Do you need to pay a fee for construction, etc.? Better to be safe than sorry and be fined with some huge penalty, right?

Take measurements of your home, too, before heading out for shopping. It’ll be a big shame if that new couch doesn’t fit through the door, right? Measure every room and space and of course, note them too, so once you go shopping you’ll know what size of furniture to buy. By measuring your room, you can also think of ways to save space and possibly buy more efficient items.

It’s no secret that some condo units in our country are quite small. But that shouldn’t faze you in turning your home to your staycation dream! There are plenty of ways that you can make your unit seem larger and avoid looking like a cramped space.

First, you can install floor-to-ceiling mirrors in the living room to make your space look bigger. You can also opt for lighter and neutral tones when choosing a color to make your home feel light and spacious. When choosing furniture, you can also opt for raised ones in which their legs are exposed, like couches, tables, etc. The exposed legs create an illusion of space, while skirted ones will make them seem bulky.

This black couch from HMR still provides the comfort that you need and the size also makes it a perfect accent piece for your living room. But notice the exposed legs, they maybe big but they don’t look bulky at all!

Dual purpose furniture is a great space saver especially for small condos. Buy ottomans that can be used as a chair and as storage at the same time or tables with drawers to put away small items like remote controls and chargers. You can also opt for foldable items like tables and chairs so you can store them when they are not in use.

The ottomans pictured above from HMR only costs PhP699.00 each and can be used as extra seating for your living or bed room as well as storage box.

Everyone deserves a good spa-like environment after a hard day’s work. To create your own space of Zen, make sure to treat all your senses. Place scented candles all over your home, especially in your bathroom and bedroom, to create a relaxing vibe. If candles are not allowed, you can also opt for air humidifier or diffusers and just put your preferred essential oil.

If you want more nightlights in your bedroom, you can also add string lights above your head board or even a canopy to create a calming mood. To mix things up a little bit, try adding quirky lights like this ceramic pineapple lamp from HMR. They will add soft lighting to your room and a punch of personality.

Condominiums can sometimes be stuffy and too industrial. To break the hard lines of your condominium, place pillows and throws in your couch to give it a cozy feel. You can also layer rugs and faux fur on your floor to soften your home. To add character to your home you can mix and match throw pillows like the ones pictured above. They are super soft and will help give you a sense of comfort.

Another simple way to bring warmth to your condo is by adding a touch of nature like succulents and cacti. They are cute and easy to take care of plus they add greenery to your home.

Lastly, redesigning shouldn’t have to be expensive. Before you swipe your card in malls near you, check all your other options first so can get the most out of your money. A great place to find pieces for your home is retail and trading stores like HMR Trading Haus. Their products are mostly categorized as out-of-season, overrun, or shelf pull items from various brands local and abroad so they are able to offer them in the country for a much cheaper price. But cheap price doesn’t mean low quality, so rest assured that the items you’ll find in their stores are still topnotch.

Aside from being easy on the pocket, the range of products that they offer is also impressive. They have everything from apparel, to furniture, and even electronics making it easy for customers to scout and check everything in one roof. They also have an online auction where you can bid for as low as one peso and outbid other buyers.