Key Tips for Decorating your First Apartment.

Are you moving into your first apartment and confused about how to start furnishing it with things you love and won’t regret in a few months? Read through our key tips for decorating your first apartment.

Have a Plan

It takes time and money to outfit your first place, so be sure to start planning well in advance—at the very least, three months out. You should make lists, have a budget, and stick to both! Know your timeline and start saving asap.

Prioritise and Start Early

One of our key tips for decorating your first apartment is to prioritise and start ordering things as early as possible. Once you have a better idea of what you need and what you want the space to look like, start nailing down specific pieces that are in your budget. Prioritise the most essential things first, like a mattress, lamps, and dishes, and wait on things you can live without right away.

Add Colour to your apartment

An otherwise ordinary apartment is given a vibrant facelift through colour. Start with a neutral foundation and gradually introduce colour.

Additionally, some landlords forbid tenants from painting their walls and use the limitations as a chance to add colour while maintaining a neutral background with carpets, curtains, furniture, and artwork.

Cover Wires

Unattractive wiring can take away from your apartment’s cozy atmosphere. Covering them with stylish boxes or wire organisers would hide the mess. 

Get Creative with Bathroom Storage

Bathrooms often go unnoticed when decorating your first apartment. However, decorating yours can go a long way towards making you feel at home.

Start with creative bathroom storage ideas to reduce the clutter. Focus on a clean, bright aesthetic.

Add Some Wall Art

Wall art shows off your style and creates a conversation piece without needing to spend a ton of money. There are plenty of places to buy cheap art for an apartment; you just need to always be on the lookout for the one that speaks best to you.

Decorate with Plants and Flowers

Plants and flowers are colourful and refreshing ways to spruce up your apartment. They also come with added health benefits.

Choose the best apartment plants for your space, from low-maintenance options to varieties that promote relaxation and calm. Remember, there are tons of pots with colourful designs to give your apartment decor an added boost.

Pick One Investment Piece

Even if you DIY your furniture and use inexpensive options, choose one investment piece that you will keep for many years. 

Consider what matters most to your needs and way of life, such as a gorgeous dining table big enough for guests or an incredibly comfortable couch.

Set a goal to furnish your entire apartment with an investment piece every year, or as much as your budget will allow.

Embrace Minimalism

It’s possible to create an entire aesthetic around simple, straightforward apartment decor. Minimalism encourages paring down furnishings to the bare essentials, leaving lots of white space, and living an uncluttered lifestyle.

It may be less stressful, less expensive to recreate, and will help you make better purchasing decisions.

Add Some Rugs

Warm up your space with some area rugs and runners throughout your apartment. That’ll make your apartment look more inviting and create more separation and division in smaller spaces.

Focus on Comfort

Sometimes, we get so caught up in how our apartment looks that we forget about comfort. Focus on a style like hygge that encapsulates a feeling of coziness, contentment, and well-being.

You can customise hygge to fit your needs. However, it typically leans towards warm and neutral tones with throw blankets, pillows, soft lighting, and a fuzzy rug to envelop you after a long day at work

Add an Aroma

When you think about your favourite aunt’s or uncle’s home, what scent comes to mind? It could either be good or awful, and that’s why you need to pick an aroma for your space. Invoke an instant mood with candles, incense, and essential oil diffusers—arguably the easiest and cheapest tip on this list. Fresh scents leave you feeling clean and refreshed, making them great for bathrooms, while warm florals and woody scents can give a cozy vibe to bedrooms and living spaces.

Maximize the Natural Sunlight

Elevate your favourite decor by drenching it in as much natural light as possible. Swap out heavy curtains or drapes for light and airy options.

Move clutter and heavy furniture away from windows. Try hanging a mirror directly across from a window. That’ll create the illusion of additional light scattering across your apartment.

Make it Personal

Displaying your favourite images of you and your friends, travel mementos, and hobbies will help make your apartment feel more personal.

You can switch out objects to represent your interests as your tastes evolve. The nicest thing is that when someone enters your place, they immediately know who you are.

Create a Nook

Whether you live with a roommate or have a place to yourself, everyone needs a private little nook. Invest in a comfortable chair and a small end table.

Add a basket with some of your favourite things, and watch that corner become your favourite space in your apartment.

Don’t forget about the small stuff. 

You likely know that you have to spend a lot on big furniture items, but remember to also make a list and budget for the little things, like dish-ware and hangers.

Whether you’re just moving into your first apartment after college or starting over in a new city, furnishing an entire home from scratch can be a daunting process. You may know what you want your first apartment décor to look like, but your wallet may not be there to support your vision, leading to tough design decisions.

So we hope the above key tips can help you with decorating your first apartment.