This is a guest contribution by HipVan

Serviced apartments for the corporate market increasingly have better interior design complemented by high-end, durable furnishings and finished with tasteful artwork & accessories.

With a little knowledge of current interior style trends, you too can create an appealing, functional, comfortable spaces to transform your asset into corporate apartments, ensuring that it will stand out from the rest. Here are some tips on using space, colours, materials, furniture and home accessories to achieve Scandinavian, Industrial and Mid-Century Modern looks in your apartment.

Scandinavian style emphasises light-filled, practical, functional spaces. Here’s how to achieve the simplicity, utility and beauty of Scandinavian look in your apartment.

1. The space – Scandinavian interiors are known for being light-filled, clean-looking, visually-relaxing and well-used spaces. Minimise clutter with well-chosen storage cabinets and shelving and you’re halfway there.
2. The colours – A distinctly Scandinavian palette consists of neutral colours with occasional bright hues to help create a clean and calming look (e.g. whites, greys, blacks and browns accented with pop colours like dusty pinks and rich sea greens). Keep your walls white, to allow your furniture and art to captivate.
3. The materials – Use wood & metal decoratively in furnitures such as sofas and coffee tables as well as lighting and accent pieces.
4. The furnishings – Scandinavian furniture emphasises form and function, think clean lines, natural hues and smooth rounded edges.
5. The art & accessories –  Be intentional (remember, “less is more”). Choose simple, decorative accents which add subtle colour and texture e.g. elegant ceramic vases, pillows with geometric patterns, fresh flowers and botanicals, pendant lamps or wall lights with a metallic shine or slight patina.
6. Windows & flooring – Invite as much light in as possible by leaving windows bare (or choose sheer or light fabrics like linen). Similarly, flooring should be hardwood and left in its natural colour or painted white to visually expand the space (no wall-to-wall carpeting).

Give your apartment a sophisticated edge with Industrial Chic’s raw, utilitarian appeal with stripped-back architecture and salvaged objects. Because it uses humble materials and is rough around the edges, Industrial style can be quite an affordable style to furnish your apartment.

1. The space – Due to Industrial style’s origins in large cavernous buildings (e.g. warehouses, garages, factories), open floor plans, high ceilings and expansive multifunctional rooms are hallmarks of the look. Furnishings have minimal, strong, clean lines without a hint of excess and infrastructure tends to be on display e.g. unfinished walls, bare windows, exposed ductwork and beams, metal stairwells and countertops.
2. The colours – The colour palette tends to be cooler (grey with a little black and white), but there’s room to move as long as you don’t overdo it. Try neutrals with cool undertones with saturated hues (citron, tangerine, fuchsia) or dark and moody (e.g. indigo, plum, moss).
3. The materials – Metal is the go-to material for this look, adding a touch of sleekness without feeling too upscale: tin, steel, iron, aluminium or anything forged or welded is ideal for Industrial.
4. The furnishing – Repurposing is central to the look, so keep furnishings functional and salvaged where possible. Mix new pieces with reclaimed ones (the more worn the better) e.g. wooden crates for tables, old lockers for storage, battered ladders for shelving.
5. The art & accessories – Go for edgier art and accents mounted on walls or massed on shelves. You can’t go wrong with giant abstract works, mixed-media sculptures and ‘found’ objects (e.g. old road signs, pulley wheels and giant faucet handles).
6. Flooring – Anything that’s fit for a warehouse will suit the Industrial look:  polished concrete floors, aged wood, epoxy, simple tiles, or even rubber.

Spanning 25 years from the mid-1940s to 1970, Mid-Century Modern style bridges the organic and man-made with an uncomplicated, fresh, functional aesthetic. With its emphasis on pared-down forms, contemporary patterns and natural materials, this chic style will help create a seamless flow between indoors and outdoors in your apartment.

1. The space – Mid-Century Modern’s organic style and ease of living is reflected in the use of simple lines and pure form in interiors. Furnishings and floor plans are stripped down to their essential forms, with no excess detailing or unnecessary flourishes.
2. The colours – this style’s palette revolves around neutrals paired with brights. Think warm and earthy colours with a few strokes of rich, saturated colour spanning the spectrum.
3. The materials – This look is dominated by natural woods offset by graphic patterns (bold geometrics, sensuous curves and whimsical motifs). Heavy, textural fabrics (e.g. burlap, wool knits) can add weight and give a room some punch.
4. The furnishings – Iconic furnishings from the era were driven by innovative mass-produced furniture and accents by household-names: George Nelson, Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen. Opt for singular furnishings and accents, from iconic sofas to sculptural dining chairs or coffee tables
5. Art & accessories – The Mid-Century era is rich with groundbreaking artists and designers whose forms are sculptural enough to double as art, without neglecting function. Finish your rooms with period art and accents (e.g. an Eames Hang-It-All or a George Nelson clock) and striking mid-century statement lighting (e.g. Sputnik chandeliers, Bubble lights, Arco floor lamps).  
6. Windows & flooring – Indoor-outdoor flow is key. Create a connection with the natural world and bring the outdoors inside with wooden flooring, wide windows, sliding doors, patios where possible.

So there you have it, three world-class style trends to incorporate into your apartment and boost its appeal. Rest assured, you will stand out from the rest and you have been warned, your guests may never want to leave!