Whether this is your very first apartment or you’ve been living in them all your life, you want the décor to be a reflection of you. The problem with living in apartments is they all look alike and there’s nothing you can do about it. You can’t change the paint. You can’t change the carpet. And you certainly can’t knock out that wall and put in a window to let in a little more sunshine. You need some decorating tips that won’t have your landlord tossing you out on your ear.
Apartment living is wonderful. You get all the perks and none of the headaches. If something needs to be repaired, you just pick up a phone and let someone else handle it. The only problem is decorating your apartment so it doesn’t look like a carbon copy of the apartment next door, or upstairs, or two buildings over. Here are some apartment decorating tips to help you add color and warmth to your living space.
Add color to your apartment without painting
The first thing you’ll notice about your apartment is that it’s probably painted the same shade of eggshell white as every other apartment in the world. Don’t panic. It might look drab and dreary and cold right now but you should actually be thankful for that color. It’s very easy to work with no matter what color scheme you choose.
Most apartments have blinds in the windows and to add color and warmth to your apartment all you need to do is add some window treatments. Use valances or sheers if you’re worried about your budget or go with custom-designed draperies if your pocketbook allows. Either way, you’ll warm the place up without risking eviction just by hanging something on all the windows.
Most landlords will allow you to hang pictures as long as you don’t use railroad spikes to stake them to the wall (no kidding, I’ve had that written in one of my leases!). Your neighborhood hardware store has an assortment of picture-hanging hardware to suit any need. If you use the kind that is sticky on the back, make sure the package says it’s easy to remove. If they rip a hole in the plaster when you take your pictures down, your landlord will ding you on your deposit.
Add warmth to your apartment without ripping up the carpet
The next thing you’ll notice about your apartment is that the carpet is also a dingy shade of eggshell white AND it stains if you even look at it the wrong way. It’s also not the best quality, so high-traffic areas are going to show wear quickly. So not only does your carpet look bad to begin with, your landlord is going to keep money out of your deposit to have it cleaned and possibly replaced when you move out.
To spice up that dingy carpet and add warmth and color instantly, use rugs. Plenty of rugs. Area rugs in the living room and bedrooms. Throw rugs at every doorway, in the kitchen and the bathroom. Runners in hallways and entryways. You get the picture. Cover it up and protect it from further damage.
Adding warmth and color to your walls and floors can change your apartment in amazing ways. You’ll soon have your own, unique place in the world and your landlord won’t have a thing to say about it.
