10 Decorating Ideas To Make Your Apartment Feel Like Home
Whether it be somewhere you are renting, or a place you just bought, moving into a new apartment is always an exciting time.
However, while it provides you with your own space in which to live, usually, when you open the front door for the very first time, all you find yourself doing is walking into a blank space.
So how do you turn that tired, featureless shell into somewhere you are proud to live? Well, by giving it a makeover, of course!
With that in mind, here are 10 decorating ideas to make your apartment feel like home. Follow these tips, and you will quickly create a residence you will love.
First things first
Before you start channelling your inner Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, the first thing you should do in your new apartment is give it a thorough deep clean.
We are talking about disinfecting all surfaces, polishing the floors, washing the walls and steam cleaning the carpets.
It may seem like a labour-intensive activity, but from a psychological point of view, it figuratively gives you a fresh new start.
If you can't face the thought of doing this yourself, consider paying a bond cleaner to do it. You will be amazed at how much more life you can breathe into your apartment just by cleaning it up. So, this will be money well spent.
To get rid of any bad energy associated with the property or the previous tenants/owner, it is also worth lighting up some sage and waving it around every nook and cranny of each room.
Design Tips
Once you have given it a good clean, why not turn your attention to redecorating your new apartment? For most of the ideas outlined below, you'll find what you need at ArchiPro and other similar home-living retail stores.
1. Fix up broken stuff
One of the first things to do in your new apartment is to fix all its broken elements.
Change the washer in that leaking tap. Replace the cracked electrical socket. Tighten up the loose handles on the drawers and cupboards. Swap out damaged cornices.
If you take the time to fix these imperfections, there will be fewer things to dislike about your new apartment.
2. Get Painting
One of the best ways to immediately change the look and feel of any space is to paint its walls.
If you are not the property owner, you may need to get permission from your landlord - though it should be already clearly stated in the lease.
However, if you are ok to do so, adding some colour to the walls is a quick, effective and relatively inexpensive way of sprucing it up.
Just by painting your walls you could make them appear bigger and brighter. If you have some artistic skills, you may even want to create a feature mural.
3. Change the lighting
Lighting is crucial in any room, and as a rule, you should look to have at least three sources of it in any given space.
From a functional perspective, you need to ensure whatever lights you introduce into your home illuminates any given room sufficiently enough for reading, TV watching, cooking, cleaning or working.
From a design perspective, you should think about how the design of these light sources can best enhance the room's overall look.
For instance, choose between spotlights, a chandelier or a light shade in the ceiling. Similarly, consider table lamps or tall lampshades as necessary.
In an ideal world, you want as much natural light coming into a room as possible. So, you may want to add another window or skylight into the room.
4. Buy good quality furniture
We all need furniture for our homes, and it can be tempting to source it at cheap second-hand op shops - particularly if you are on a budget.
However, if you can fund the purchase of good quality furniture, it will make a world of difference to how you view your apartment.
That comfortable sofa, gorgeous coffee or heavenly bed are feel-good items you will own for a very long time.
So, if you consider them as long-term buys that will not only perform specific functions but also look and feel amazing, they will certainly add to the appeal of your home.
5. Put down quality rugs
When it comes to decorating a room, you can't go wrong with rugs.
Not only can they be fabulous design pieces, but they can also be the perfect accessory to tie the overall aesthetic of a room together.
Available in every conceivable colour, pattern, design and material you can think of. Rugs also make rooms warmer and cosier.
They are especially useful in large rooms with an open plan layout, as they draw your eye away from otherwise empty spaces.
6. Add Plants
Greenery should be an integral part of every home and those who introduce plants into their homes can enjoy several benefits in doing so.
These include brightening a space, reducing stress, eradicating air pollutants and even enhancing your own creativity.
In short, indoor plants won't just make your apartment look fabulous. But they will also make you feel happier.
7. Introduce artwork
If a picture says a thousand words, seven of them may well be "they will make any room look great".
Adding artwork to your apartment is a surefire way to increase its sense of homeliness. This artwork could take the form of family portraits, snaps you took whilst travelling or a painting.
Whether it is in the form of a feeling or memory, artwork can stir powerful emotions within us. It could lift our mood after a hard day or motivate us to achieve a goal. It may even remind you of a happy occasion or honour someone who is no longer in your life.
If every picture does say a thousand words, adding artwork personal to you will quickly make your apartment feel like home.
8. Replace the curtains
While blinds and shades are effective at blocking out the sun, there is something about curtains that instantly makes an apartment feel more homely.
The great thing about curtains is they come in several different colours, patterns and styles. Again, like with furniture, they should be considered long-term purchases. So, it is worth buying something of good quality that you can transfer to other places if you ever move.
When it comes to curtains, don't just consider their look. You will also need to think about how effective they will be at keeping out light in the morning or the cold in the winter.
9. Fill Bookshelves
Not only do bookshelves provide plenty of character to a room. But they also can be used to put trinkets, photo frames and various other bric-a-brac on top, or throughout of them.
Their main job, of course, is to hold books. It is a good idea to have a bookcase in your bedroom, study and main living as a feature of the overall décor.
As the books you read are an extension of your personality, it is also a brilliant way to put your stamp on your new apartment.
10. Display sentimental keepsakes
The last decorating idea to make your new apartment feel like home is to display keepsake items which have real sentimental value to you.
It could be anything from a beautiful vase your parents gave you to a trinket you bought on holiday.
Sentimental keepsakes are important to display in your apartment as it makes you feel good. It also evokes cherished memories that can temporarily transport you back to a happy moment in your life.
The more happy memories you can spread around your new apartment, in the form of sentimental keepsakes, the happier you will be living there.