Apartment Decorating Tips

How To Call Your Apartment, "Home"

Given our country's current economic status, the housing market is not doing too well. More and more people across the country are opting to rent, giving the multi-family industry and nice favorable boom! There are many advantages of owning rather than renting. There normally isn't that much of an ability to express your own personal "decorative freedom" when it comes to customizing your apartment, whereas homeowners can do all sorts of things to the interior and exterior of their home. Although most landlords and property managers have certain restrictions on how tenants can alter the appearance of their apartment (which are usually explained in the tenants' lease), there are several ways you can turn your apartment into your home. Here are some apartment decorating tips to help you in your quest to make your living space the best it can be!

1. Color Your World: Most likely, you must keep the walls the color that they are painted. It doesn't hurt to ask, however, and some landlords will allow you to paint, so long as you paint the walls back to their original color before vacating the apartment. Some property managers or landlords will let you make any improvement to the unit, so long as it improves the unit's value. Open communication between you and your landlord will allow you to explore what opportunities you have. If painting isn't an option, one idea would be to lay fabric on your walls like you would with wallpaper. You can do the whole room, or just one wall as an "accent wall". All that is needed is the fabric of your choosing, a bit of starch or stiffener, some push pins, and a roller. Clean the wall first, to remove and dirt or debris. Roll or Spray the starch onto the wall. Smooth the fabric onto the wall, making sure that there are no air bubbles between the fabric and the wall. Carefully pin the fabric to the wall temporarily so the starch dries.

Make sure that the fabric you use is several inches taller than the wall itself allowing a bit of extra at both the ceiling and floor, and that if you are using a patterned fabric, the pattern will line up when you place the fabric on the wall itself. Trim the fabric at the floor and ceiling once it's completely dried. To remove the fabric, gently pull at the corners. If the fabric isn't pulling off as nicely as it should, dampen the fabric with a sponge. This is the best way to add a splash to your rooms, even if it's just one wall.

2. The Tools You Use: The right job cannot be done without the right tools. A basic toolkit including a hammer, screwdrivers, level (can't stress the importance of a level enough), and a drill (which is optional) are important. You must also have the right hardware. Hanging up framed pictures with thumbtacks is a risk best not taken. Depending on the construction of your apartment, wall anchors and screws may be in order, otherwise picture hooks are suitable. If your landlord is firm on not allowing you to drill or make any holes in their walls, 3M makes a wide variety of products to suit your hanging needs. Most of those products include removable "strips" that attach to the wall. With a gentle pull on the tab at the bottom of the strip, it safely removes itself leaving all of the paint on the wall where it should be - not on the strip!

3. Shed a Little Light: Does your apartment have limited lighting? A great way to expand the light in any room is to add mirrors. Small decorative mirrors can be purchased at many craft stores and in home furnishing stores like IKEA for only a few dollars for a set of 4. When strategically placed on a wall, they will enhance what little light may be provided in the apartment already. Not only that, it will prevent you from having to buy another light, which could mean a small addition to your electric bill. Adding mirrors will also add depth to any small room. If real candles aren't allowed, small battery powered votive candles are available at most home furnishing stores and home improvement stores. These are also safer for apartments with children or very curious cats!

4. The Battle for Space: Not all apartments offer an abundance of closet space, making storage an obstacle that needs to be overcome. This is a good time to make use of the space below your bed or sofa. Storage bins for these types of spaces can be found at many stores, including Target, WalMart and Kmart. Not enough space for under-bed storage? Bed risers can give your bed a small "lift", adding a few extra inches underneath for a box or two. Another way to combat the storage issue is to use decorative boxes. The same stores mentioned above sell both the risers, and the boxes. The boxes usually require a bit of assembly and are made of either cloth or cardboard, or a combination of both. They can be used to store tapes, DVDs, "brick-a-brack", sewing items, or even tools. For your out-of-season clothes, vacuum packs are great. They won't take up as much space as boxes, and can be stored in a shelf in your closet.

5. One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure: Although "dumpster diving" isn't exactly a safe activity for many reasons, sometimes using a bit of creativity can help you find that one item that can tie the room together. Looking on websites such as Craigslist may help you find that missing item. One creative idea is to look for wooden window frames that are being discarded due to home renovation. With a bit of paint or stain, it can be a new way to display your photos or artwork. Another idea would be to replace the glass in the window with a mirror. Older homes that are going through some exterior changes usually have beautiful and odd-shaped window frames. Since they will most likely be throwing these out, why not take advantage of the situation?

6. We're Not In Kansas Anymore: Moreover, most people want to refer to their apartment as their "home". Before moving into an apartment, get a good idea of the floorplan and room dimensions. Visually "place" your furniture and make sure there's enough room for you to move around safely. Whatever d�cor you choose for your apartment, whether it is minimalist, country, modern, or retro, make sure it's comfortable for you, and that you will enjoy it. The worst feeling in the world is to go home to an apartment you don't like. Make your home your place of respite. Then you too can utter Dorothy's infamous words, "There's no place like home."

Thank you to Amy Belmonte for this "Apartment Decorating Tips" article.

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