Having lived in a couple of studios, where I'd sink most of my money right away is a good bed. You need a decent night's sleep.

A good bed could be a twin bed that functions as a day bed with lots of pillows. Or a futon on a frame that moves from sofa to bed. Or a sleeper sofa. Or a murphy bed.

Your choice. But whatever you get, make sure that the mattress is comfortable for you. And do consider what it will take to make the bed. If you want a nice-looking studio, you pretty much have to make the bed daily. How difficult will it be to turn the bed back into a sofa? Will you have to move other furniture (like the coffee table) to do this? How many pillows/cushions will you have to remove and find space for? Where will you put your sheets and blankets during the day, if they can't stay on the bed when it is being a sofa?

I've always had a real bed and done my best to make it comfortable as a sofa. Or, in a larger studio, just had a double bed and made it blend in with the rest of the furniture by the choice of duvet/bedspread.

Check out Apartment Therapy, lots of advice and pictures. They also have an annual competition of the best small places with lots of great suggestions.

Here is a link that might be useful: apartment therapy

Visit Ikea and explore their displays for small apartments - they have great ideas from europe (where many people live in very tiny apartments) on how to divide up your space and create sleeping/social/work zones etc.

Congrats on your new space. A few quick tips from someone who's been there:

You should avoid clutter. the more stuff you have, the quicker a small studio space will look like a hoarder's nest. It can happen surprisingly quickly in a studio.

For entertaining, I highly recommend take out, served on paper plates, with plastic utensils etc. Everyone (including you) will be able to relax and have fun without a lot of burning pots and stacked up dishes and glasses taking up all the surfaces in your small kitchen.

Go digital as much as possible. Buy mp3s instead of cds, e-books instead paperbacks, etc.

Plants in Mason jars ;-)

Plants in Mason jars ;-)

Hey,
I lived in a studio apartment 500 sq ft for two years. It is important to get multifunctional furniture more than anything. Consider a futon, loft bed, or bed with storage underneath. Look for a drop leaf table that you can fold down to get out of the way, and chairs that stack or that you can hang on the wall. The ikea showrooms provide plenty of inspiration. If you've got a space that'd divided into separate areas, (mine was one large room) than look into storage ottomans, fold out or storage sofas, etc. Look for pieces that you can take with you to your "house" when you grow out of your apartment so you aren't wasting money. Pieces that can grow with you. Check out the ikea norden gateleg table for one, it has drawers for storage, folds into a compact table, but expands large enough for 6 people. It's not made from fiberboard, and it can easily function as a desk when you move to a bigger home.
-Ella

"There's not much nature light in the apartment, so I'm just wondering what could help with that."

Mirrors or light paintings/pics/etc.

Expandable (tension rod) curtain rods using light, sheer curtains can double as doors.

I've even used a laundry line (with curtains) to define an extra space.

Try the thrift stores for curtains and K-mart, etc to find tension rods. Measure first!

When I lived in the world's smallest garage apartment I "created" a bedroom with a six-foot folding screen I bought online. And by putting it across the foot of the bed I also had a little living room with a loveseat and wingback chair. I owned a small dressing table which I placed on the other side of the screen and put the tv on it. Last, I bought on sale a couple of cube-style ottomans that went in front of the loveseat as a coffee table with a bonus; they had removable lids and provided wonderful storage. I had an old (but clean) horse blanket that I draped across the cubes for color and texture.

With limited floor space start utilizing the walls and hang floating shelves to hold pretty baskets. Cheap bookcases don't require much floor space and can hold even more baskets. And you'll be amazed at all the storage and organization available from Ikea and The Container Store; additionally, go online and google same and Wow! Talk about infinite variety.

During this period I was limited financially as well as spacewise, so I would find all the nifty items online and then hit Goodwill, Salvation Army and all the resale shops I could find. And don't forget flea markets and outright junk stores and, best of all, "curbside emporiums."

Finally, rig up a grow light for those plants you adore. I put mine on a timer to turn on at night, and the slightly blue light worked well with my quirky personality. Good luck and have fun!
Kaye

I can imagine how excited you will be about this as the Studio Apartment was your all time dream and your dream actually have comes true. I think you should decor your apartment with the various plants and herbs as it will enhance the apartment and also keep the atmosphere healthy and positive.