It’s an amazing feeling when the “adulting” falls into place. You’ve got a good job. You’re making good money. And with that comes the opportunity to find a new apartment. There’s a lot to consider when looking for a place to live. Perhaps the location is the most important aspect for you, you may want to be close to work and close to entertainment and dining.
Or perhaps you can compromise on location as long as you get the upscale features you’re looking for. But whatever your driving force, the magic happens when all the pieces click together. You don’t have to sacrifice anything because you can easily locate an apartment. The benefits of renting are vast as typical problems are not yours to solve.
But with a basic color palette, the decor probably leaves much to be desired. As you start to get settled into your new apartment you probably want to decorate it well, you want your new space to reflect you and your personality. Don’t let fine art become an afterthought, take some time to choose pieces that can be the focal point you build the entire look off of.
Tips to decorate new apartment
1. Use Color
Most apartments feature neutral colors on the walls and typically even in the flooring. While painting may be a no-go, that doesn’t mean you have to be limited. It is very chic to have rooms that are primarily white with just a pop of color as an accent. This style is gorgeous and upscale, if not hard to keep clean sometimes.
Your other choice is to go bold! Use removable wallpaper to change how your walls look. They won’t damage the walls so you can still get your security deposit back but they will change the feeling of the room for sure. Paired with an interesting sculpture or painting and your apartment will be looking great.
2. Get An Area Rug
Whether your apartment was carpeting or has hardwood floors, bring your own personality to the floor with area rugs. Whether you love a shaggy look to your rugs or you prefer the classic Oriental style, you won’t regret using a rug to break up your space and make the room feel more like home.
Different rugs are going to make a room feel different so it is best to have a plan for how you want your room to feel after it’s placed. If you’re going for a nautical beachy theme, a blue rug might be the way to go. Rugs are the perfect way to make a room feel completely different with minimum effort.
Not only will a rug protect the flooring of the apartment but they can also define spaces. Do you want to designate part of your living room into your office area? Use two smaller rugs and position your furniture around them. It’s that easy to create mini-spaces and make your new apartment the amazing space you have been looking for.
3. Window Treatments
Don’t want to just rock the white mini-blinds that come standard? Then add your own window treatment right over them. If you install a curtain rod, you will have to use screws, which may mean patching holes when you move out. But curtains or valances will make an apartment feel like home quickly and also give you an outlet to be creative with color or patterns.
Since light can change how you sleep consider getting blackout curtains for your bedroom. You can find stylish options that will make a bedroom look beautiful but also help you sleep better at night. Blackout curtains are certainly worth the modest investment and they look much nicer than miniblinds.
4. Use Curves to Change the Space
Because apartments are by nature boxy in layout and design, sometimes that can make a room feel cramped. By using a round rug, curved chair or oval coffee table your new apartment will make your space feel more comforting and less sharp and edgy. The use of different shapes will make the curves more pleasing to the eye.
5. Keep Everything in Scale
While an oversized couch can be comfortable, if it is too large it will make your apartment feel cramped. Don’t be claustrophobic in your living room and choose slightly smaller furniture pieces. A smaller sofa will pair nicely with a chair, giving you plenty of seating for guests and well as room to move around.
Where your furniture is small, you can go big with art on the walls. By using your apartment’s verticle space for larger, more dramatic pieces you draw focus to the height and the edges which can make even a tiny room feel larger.
6. Let There Be Light
Avoid using the glaring overhead lights apartments have by placing lamps all around. While you may not have control of the overhead lighting fixtures that doesn’t mean you can’t brighten up a room with table and floor lamps. Your lamps will create a warm glow, which is welcoming to guests and will make you feel right at home.
A lampshade, if you’re using one will change the quality of light. A darker lampshade will make the light darker as well, so it’s worth figuring out your lighting goal before you purchase. A well-placed mirror will also help reflect the light and is an easy addition to an apartment over buying more lighting fixtures.
7. Don’t Forget the Kitchen
Whether your new kitchen is tiny or large, it can be easy to overlook it and focus on your living areas and bedrooms when decorating. It’s a good rule of thumb though that where there is food, people will gather, so don’t let your kitchen be an afterthought. While you won’t want to sacrifice counter space for an oversized sculpture, you can still incorporate beautiful art into the design.
Look back over this list for your kitchen specifically: does your kitchen need color? Could you add a rug? Round placemats can add curves to a kitchen easily. Get rid of the 4 slice toaster and get a compact one in a bold color, making your countertop more efficient and colorful with only a minor change.
Read more: How to budget your first apartment
Conclusion
Once you have found your perfect apartment you will want to decorate it to your personal tastes. Following these suggestions will make personalizing your new space fun and easy. It’s okay to start small with just one perfect piece of art as your inspiration and watch your apartment turn from standard to spectacular.
Your tips about what kind of lighting to use in an apartment were really helpful to read. I’ll be doing a lot of remote work and studying from the apartment I plan to rent out, so I can really utilize proper lighting like this. With that in mind, once I find an apartment listing that I like, I’ll make sure I prepare these lighting fixtures in advance.