We don’t want you to flip into decorating relapse, but remember your first apartment? All that freedom. All those parties. And, geez, what a dog-ugly place it was.
First apartments, though, can have their decorating moments–and they don’t all have to be bad. There are steps that you can take to give the space a fairly pulled together look.
One of the big problems in decorating any apartment is that, in many cases, you can’t touch the walls. Forget about painting unless your landlord is particularly understanding.
Color has to be added in furnishings and accessories.
Splashy accent colors
Start with two basic colors for the furnishings, advises Deb Fritz, home decor consultant for Target stores. Then add splashy accent colors with accessories such as dinnerware, glassware, table linens, throw pillows and window treatments.
If the apartment is cramped, make the most of the space by thinking vertical instead of horizontal. Use tall floor plants, lamps or vertical furniture (tall bookcases come to mind) to raise the gaze upward.
Apartments, especially those in large, faceless complexes, tend to be boxy. To eliminate that feeling, think area and throw rugs.
Carefully placed throw rugs and layered area rugs can create a focal point and draw the eye away from the boxy configuration of a room.
Another good game plan is to surprise the eye by placing furniture in unexpected arrangements, Fritz said. Instead of squaring against the wall, which is all too predictable, angle the pieces to change the room’s focal point.
Spicy window treatments
Window treatments often are total nothings in apartments. Simple drapes, and that is that.
Think valances. They’re a great way of spicing up a window’s appearance, and they are relatively inexpensive if you’re willing to invest a bit of time shopping fabric store closeouts.
Valances can be hung using tension rods that won’t damage those touch-me-not walls and trims.
Secondhand furniture is a staple in most first apartments. For a small outlay, you can give those down-and-out pieces a fresh look and coordinate them with your decorating scheme at the same time.
The magic ingredient in this little recipe is fleck stone, textured spray paints and faux-finish paints. They come in lots of colors and textures and can make a knocked-out old coffee table look like it just got off the Neiman Marcus delivery van. Well, almost.
