How to Decorate Your First Apartment on a Budget

Moving into a new apartment can be daunting, especially if you don’t have much experience decorating. White walls with no décor and barren wooden floors can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to begin. Whether you’re moving to a new city and starting fresh, moving on your own for the first time, or starting an apartment home with a family, you need to have a vision and a budget that supports it. The following tips will help you bring everything together.

Realize Furnishing and Decorating is a Process

You need to budget for the essentials, but there’s no reason to rush out and try to bring in every piece of furniture or decoration right at the start. To prepare, order larger essentials ahead of time and add smaller pieces to a wish list. You can keep an eye out for your wish list selections at garage sales, thrift stores, and as hand-me-downs.

Keep Space in Mind

Clutter is the enemy of any modern apartment. If you over-decorate or cramp a room, you’ll never feel comfortable with your set-up. Often less is more when it comes to furniture. A slow-decorating style can help you accumulate affordable pieces while you evaluate how having all of that furniture makes you feel on a day-to-day basis. Remember, your tastes may also change over time.

Color Isn’t Everything

Yes, color is important, but you need to keep in mind how different colors will interact with textures and proportions. Often picking one or two pieces with like styles (a wooden coffee table and a rustic end table, for example) and building around them can help maintain a creative consistency while keeping your options open. The key to creating an upscale apartment vibe is to use space, texture, and color to complement one another, not just decorating with one element in mind.

Think Customization

You can upgrade your apartment home periodically by adding temporary wallpaper to a bathroom cabinet or kitchen island. You can also install new hardware, like dresser handles, to thrift pieces to give them an entirely new look and feel at an affordable price. Keep your eye out for any vintage pieces like a sculpture or a trunk to punctuate a living room.