Tips on Decorating Your First Apartment

By Alyssa Laffitte on June 19, 2019

This article is brought to you by CORT Furniture Rental. We take the hassle out of furnishing your new place so you can do more important things like read this article. Learn more about why furniture rental is the best way to get a great looking apartment.

One of the most exciting moments of transitioning to adulthood is decorating your first apartment. Decorating your first apartment is the first time a place is entirely yours and you have complete control over how it looks. It might seem intimidating at first, since you have so much freedom in your space. In this article, we will discuss easy ways to decorate your first apartment. But with these tips, you can create a beautifully decorated apartment that’s totally you. 

Image via Isorepublic.com

Be as minimalistic as you can

When you are excited about decorating your first apartment, it’s easy to buy many new things you don’t really need. These things will simply take up precious space in your new apartment, and will break your wallet! For this reason, you need to find a balance between buying fun decorations for your apartment and being minimalistic. After all, the fewer things you have, the less clutter you build up. When it’s time to shop for apartment decorations, think carefully about what you buy!

Have a place for everything

The best way to stay organized is to have an assigned place for everything and to keep everything in their correct places. As you get settled into your first apartment, use this technique to keep your items under control. When you have a place for everything, you will not lose things, because you will know exactly where they should be! You will also have less mess because you know where to put your things when you clean up. All in all, having a place for all your items, from the get-go, is how you will keep your first apartment organized.

Add some green to your space

There is something so relaxing about having houseplants in your apartment. Adding even small succulents to your space will make it much more vibrant and lively, since plants will bring life to any room or apartment. If you do not have much time to care for plants, you can get plants that don’t require much care, or you can get fake plants that don’t require any care at all! Either way, adding some green plants is a perfect way to bring life into your first apartment.

Organize your bookcase

It’s easy for bookcases to quickly become messy, especially when you are a college student who accumulates many books and papers. For this reason, you should periodically clean out your bookcase. You can decide which books you can donate and which papers you can recycle or file in a safe place.

Now that you have fewer books, you can use the extra space to style your bookcase by storing books horizontally and vertically, and adding intricate bookends. When your bookcase is organized, it will not only look pretty, but it will also free you from clutter.

Hang decorations on the wall

Decorations, especially art or clocks, will make your first apartment much more personal and homey. Look for a blank area in your wall, and add something fun there! It doesn’t need to be anything big; even small pieces can make a statement. Of course, check your apartment complex/dorm building policy on hanging items before you do this. Some places don’t allow tenants to insert nails into the walls. If that’s the case for your place, you can simply use Command strips to hang your decorations. Again, decorations will definitely spice up your place, so you should definitely have them!

Choose a color scheme or aesthetic, and stick to it…

An apartment with no color scheme or “theme” can look messy. On the other hand, choosing a color scheme or aesthetic will make your place look more put together. Pick a specific style and a couple of colors, and have them in mind as you go shopping for decorations. Buy things that fit that style! If you need some decoration inspiration, you can easily search on Pinterest for some cute decorating ideas.

…But don’t be afraid to add some accents!

On the other hand, a place that looks TOO cohesive is boring. A general theme is a good idea, but don’t be afraid to add a couple of accent pieces. For example, you can add a vibrantly-colored throw pillow to a neutral couch. You could also include a circular-shaped coffee table when all your furniture is square-shaped. These pieces will stand out and make your place look better. In other words, don’t be afraid to add some unique, unexpected pieces when you decorate your first apartment.

Make it a place you love

At the end of the day, your first apartment is just that… yours! As you decorate it, make it a place that shows off your personality and individual tastes. That is what will make your apartment unique, and what will make you love living there.

Congratulations on getting your first apartment, and enjoy the decorating process!

Looking for an easy way to furnish your off-campus apartment? Renting furniture from CORT saves you time and money. See how easy it is to get great looking furniture without breaking the bank.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format