You’ve just moved into a new apartment, you’ve finally gotten rid of all the cardboard boxes, and now you’re left with the task of how to decorate. Even when you bring over your belongings to a new place, different spaces come in all sorts of sizes and require different decor. Designing a space to cater your personality is no easy feat but, with a little help, you can get some apartment decorating ideas and make a new place your own!
Living Room Decor Ideas
Pick Properly Sized Furniture
Though it can be tempting to stuff a sectional sofa into the corner of your apartment, sometimes it just isn’t in the cards. Our minds run rampant with different decor ideas when confronted with a new space, but you need to stick to what is best for the space you have. If your new place is on the smaller side, you should have furniture that accommodates that. Nothing will look crammed, you won’t have sofas taking up 60% of the room, and your space will just look better in the end.
Yes, you’ll need to make the required measurements and finding your perfect furniture will take some time. But it’s worth it in the end.
Slap Down Some Area Rugs
Area rugs are a multipurpose piece of fabric for your living room. If you have an open concept apartment and want to separate the rooms in a more obvious way, you can lay an area rug underneath your coffee table or sofa to accentuate the living space. Area rugs are also adorable ways to show off your personality; you can get ones that are solid in color and match the paint of your apartment, or you can get one that’s more playful to add color and various designs to the room.
Mirror, Mirror On The Wall
The thought might never have crossed your mind before, but adding a mirror to your space opens up the entire room. You can purchase a floor mirror for your living room to make the entire space seem like it’s a bit taller. You can also get a few different ones with an assortment of frames to create a mural of mirrors that not only opens up the area but also acts as a conversation piece. If you’ve ever hunted around for apartment decorating ideas online then you’ve no doubt seen a variety of inspirational photos showing off mirrors in the home and that’s because they make space look larger but also keep things elegant.
Bathroom Decor Ideas
Put Some Artwork On The Walls
The bathroom might seem like the last place you’d want your fine art hanging, but grabbing a few pieces to place above the toilet or sink brightens up the entire space. The last thing you want is to have a boring ol’ bathroom with nothing but a toilet, sink, and shower. You may not have thought you’d see someone suggesting artwork in the bathroom, but you shouldn’t rule it out entirely. Your personality doesn’t need to stop short of the washroom and you can jazz up the room with pieces that accentuate the room or reflect your tastes.
Sprinkle In Pops Of Color
Oftentimes when you move into a new apartment the bathroom is painted in pretty blah colors. The walls are either a solid white with nothing to them or they’re in muted tones that look a little boring. Yes, you want your decor to flow with the overall look of the room but that doesn’t mean your bathroom won’t benefit from pops of color here and there. Add bright colored towels, have a toothbrush holder in a funky color or even put up some curtains in a different color.
Set Up Camp With Some Cool Plants
Bathrooms can really benefit from having added greenery. Look into getting some small plants for the bathroom that you can leave atop counters or on any storage units that harbor your accents. They would also do well on window sills so they can soak in the sun without getting in the way of anything. Plants are a terrific addition to a room well-known for its plain colors and muted tones. Plus, if your bathroom doesn’t exactly have a bunch of natural light, you can always get low-maintenance plants that thrive in the shade.
Kitchen Decor Ideas
Keep A Chalkboard
When you walk into any little coffee shop you’re bound to notice their menu written neatly on a chalkboard. Oftentimes the words are framed between quirky art or accompanying drawings that show off creativity. This is exactly why adding a chalkboard to your own kitchen can highlight your personality and serve multiple purposes. You may not want to copy others by writing a menu on your board and you don’t need to. Write an inspirational or funny quote, use it as the Magnadoodle from Friends and always have different artwork or messages on it, or keep reminders there; the choice is completely up to you. Not to mention, the chance to work with an assortment of cute colors? Yes, please!
Make Things Pop With Color
Just like with the bathroom, a kitchen can be barred down with boring colors that your apartment lease may not permit you to change. So you’ll need to make do with what you have by adding colorful accents, cookware, or dishes to the mix. You can add focal points in the form of artwork, buy some cute plants, grab cookware in a bright color (like red), place little bursts of color along the window with trimmed curtains or paint an accent wall. There are lots of subtle and bold ways to incorporate color into your kitchen that show off your personality without making the room too quirky.
Spice Up Your Cabinets
Dressing up your cabinets to be more than a storage space for dishes is the perfect way to make your kitchen stand out from the rest. When considering the best apartment decorating ideas for your kitchen, show off different cabinetry that displays your tastes. Remove the cabinet doors to have open-concept shelves that show off your dishes and give the place a rustic feel. You can also use your shelves for more than just dishes by placing smaller cookware on top of them or brightening them up with a tiny plant. If your apartment permits it you can also do some dirty work and paint them a different color that still complements your kitchen.
Bedroom Decor Ideas
Don’t Be Scared Of Minimalism
Our bedroom is the hub for personal accessories, artwork, comforters, and just about anything else that makes us unique. But that doesn’t mean we need to make this one specific room the only place to show off our personal style. You have an entire apartment to yourself so there’s no need to cram everything into one room. A minimalist bedroom for a more open-looking, cleaner space. Minimalism is chic and affordable and not an option you should turn your back on.
Place Your Knick Knacks On Floating Shelves
If you’re dealing with a smaller space or an abundance of little knick knacks then you should look into additional storage for your bedroom. If you can use a bookshelf or storage units brought over from your last residence, that’s a start. But by putting up some floating shelves you welcome more storage and get the most out of your space. You won’t need to stuff your personal knick-knacks under the bed and can leave them on display for you to enjoy. You also keep things off the floor and maintain a simplistic bedroom.
Make Your Ceiling Stand Out
While we’re busy trying to figure out how to decorate things on the ground we often overlook the ceiling. Your creativity doesn’t need to be capped where your walls meet the ceiling and you should look into painting the ceiling a soft color that complements the wall color but is ultimately a different shade. This properly defines the room a little more and makes your bedroom more unique. The bedroom ceiling is often referred to as the “fifth wall” and you should treat it as such; don’t neglect it when you’re laying out your perfect bedroom.
Now that we’ve covered some of the basic apartment decorating ideas, you’ll certainly have an easier time taking your rooms in the direction you always envisioned. Just remember that you don’t need to break the bank when decorating the place and incorporating a few splashes of color or setting up a floor mirror are little ways that you can better your space and make the entire space more enjoyable to live in.
