Moving into your first apartment is a new, exciting experience. The place is yours and you get to decorate how you deem fit. Getting everything done at once is enticing, but slow and steady is the way to go. It takes time and thought to make decorating look great. Prevent yourself making these five mistakes when it is time to decorate your first apartment.
Furnish All at Once
Everyone wants somewhere to sit and relax as soon as they are done moving everything in. It is okay to have a couch or a couple chairs, but do not get too excited. An empty apartment is depressing but buying all of your furniture right away is a huge mistake. The idea to run to a furniture store and acquire all the cool pieces you see is intriguing, but that is an easy way to overspend and ruin your budget. Start with cheap, functional pieces of furniture that get replaced over time with pieces that match your style or theme. More often than not, you can find cool and unique pieces of furniture at your local thrift store for cheap. You can repurpose the items you find at the thrift store yourself and make awesome, one-of-a-kind furniture that will have all your guests asking where you bought it from.
Too Much Too Quick
As with everything else in life, “haste makes waste.” It is good to be excited to plan your new home, but walk, do not run. Get familiar with the space and develop a few ideas of how you want the layout to look before you start dropping cash on furniture. Designing an apartment is like a puzzle, and there are many ways to put the pieces together. By giving yourself time, you will manage your budget better and prevent overspending on useless furniture.
Buying All of Your Furniture in the Same Place
One of the most important rules to follow is not purchasing all from the same place. While a furniture store sales associate would love to have you get an entire theme from their one store, there are better options available to you. You are unique and designing your apartment is the same. Settling on one store to fulfill your design dreams is basically giving up on your creativity. Most of the cool furniture finds will be at a thrift store or an antique store.
Buying Only Cheap Items
Everyone wants to save money while they move into a new apartment, but do not limit yourself to only the cheap pieces. It is important to know which pieces you want to invest in right away and what pieces can be replaced later by a cooler item. There are many ways to beautifully decorate on a budget but only purchasing low-quality furniture is not one of them. For example, an end table does not have to be too elaborate, but since you will sit on a couch often, spend the money on a comfortable couch that you like.
Settling for Boring Pieces
As far as decorating, renters have more restrictions than homeowners, but you can still do a lot to make your space unique. Just because you are trying to be wise with your money does not mean you have to pick the lame furnishing pieces. Simple ways to upgrade your apartment include switching out lighting fixtures, the hardware on cabinets and drawers, and using large area rugs over hard floors. These are easy upgrades that do not have to break the bank. Additionally, ask you your landlord if you are able to paint the walls.
