Our guide to designing your home into a unique hip-hop crib on a modest budget.

Graffiti is one of the four core elements of hip-hop. Place large g-prints against the blank canvas of your neutral wall to give your urban room colour and life.

Turning your home into a hip-hop crib is easy if you have the indispensable budget of a platinum rapper. However, if like most of us you are balling on a budget in limited space, then things can get a little tricky.

Following on from our Picasas article that showcased some of the best urban artworks on Instagram, here are few clever swaps you can implement to make your home look like a million bucks without breaking the bank.

Living Room

When it comes to hip-hop cribs, first impressions count for everything. These homes are designed to wow the visitor from the moment the front door is opened. So naturally, the living room becomes a focal point that sets the tone for the rest of the house. You can keep your visitors out of your bedrooms and hide junk in spare rooms but there is nowhere to hide when it comes to the living room.

Slick Tip 1: Declutter and keep things simple. It makes your home look bigger and stress-free.

A well-groomed contemporary design maximising space and minimising mess

Televisions

Big ballers love big TVs. Whether the crew comes through to watch the game or you Netflix and chill with the wifey, big screens create that cinematic experience we all enjoy. However, it’s all about scale. A 50 inch TV in a 10 ft x 8 ft room is like having spinning chrome wheels on your 98 Honda Accord, pack it in! The American visual reproduction standard THX recommend choosing the size of your TV based on your viewing distance.

Slick Tip 2: Divide the size of your TV in inches by .84 to get the ideal viewing distance (e.g, a 52 inch TV, divided by .84 equals a viewing distance of 61.9-inch or 5.2 feet).

Even ‘man’ like Red keep it real. If you want that wall to wall telly, wait till you have enough wall.

Decor

The grandeur of some of the homes showcased on MTV Cribs was often difficult to fathom. However, using a few simple tricks you can also create some splendour to make your home feel majestic despite its size.

Use two or three neutral colours like black, grey, beige, brown or white to create a theme for your walls, feature walls, floors (carpet) and curtains. Neutral colours also known as earth tones create an illusion that tricks the eyes to see more space. You can even use different shades of the same colour which looks dope if done well.

Slick Tip 3: Leave patterned wallpapers with lots of detail back in the 70s where they belong. They create visual noise which shrinks your room. If you must, keep the wallpaper in line with your colour scheme and keep it to one wall.

Urban space blending neutral colours on the walls, floors, and curtains.Straight dope!!!

Wall Art

You may not have your own record plaques to put on your wall but that doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate your exquisite musical taste in your mini crib. Instead, you could print and frame some of your favourite album art covers which provide brilliant conversational pieces with lots history. However, reserve some space for your main piece but unlike TV screens, size matters. A large colourful print that dominates one of your walls will draw attention and shift the focus from other areas of the room that you may not be so proud of.

Slick Tip 4: Place large graffiti prints against the blank canvas of your neutral wall to give your urban room colour and life.

Bedroom

With the average person spending a third of their entire life sleeping (yes that’s 26 years), it is imperative that the room “where the magic happens” is designed around that. However, the private nature of the boudoir allows one to explore their imagination and push the boundaries of design a little more than the communal rooms.

A bedroom should be a space you can wallow in and relax. Good lighting can be used to create the ambience for a romantic evening but absolute darkness helps the brain shut down for a restful sleep. A pair of matching bedside lamps with some contemporary shades can transform the aura of your bedroom. However, combining this with blackout blinds or curtains will ensure you get the best of both worlds.

Slick Tip 5: Pick soothing colors like blues, greens and pastels for your bedroom decor to create a calming room.

Looks like Lil Wayne got the memo for his simple yet elegant master bedroom in his South Beach pad

Once again, clutter has no place in a hip-hop crib. Scientists believe that too much clutter in your bedroom can actually cause sleep deprivation. So ensure you tidy up and organise your bedroom with smart storage solutions.   

Slick Tip 6: Don’t keep shoes in the bedroom. If you must, keep them inside a closed wardrobe rather than out in the open and spray them with an odour blocker. Your nose is accustomed bro!

Check out DJ Khaled and his humble sneaker storage solution #shoegoals

Incorporating a few of these design tips can transform your home into a crib you and yours can enjoy. For more home design tips, keep an eye out for more Slick Motive Home Hack features coming soon…