Command hooks are a huge lifesaver, and a must-have for most DIY apartment projects. Instead of nailing or screwing things into the wall, Command hooks will help you hang paintings, tension rods, and more. As you probably already know, you can find Command hooks practically anywhere. Check your local hardware store or superstores for the right size. Always make sure to check the weight limit on your hook.
Adding backsplash to a kitchen immediately makes it look more luxurious. However, most of the time, you have to put on permanent adhesive and possibly hire a contractor to help you. Believe it or not, they make removable subway tile that you can put up on your own, and easily take it down before your lease is over.
Most apartments come with ugly plastic window shades, because they are the cheapest option. However, you do not have to live with these shades during the entire length of your lease. You can hang cloth Roman shades that fold up and down, and match the fabric to the colors of your interiors.
If you have a studio apartment, you can use a folding screen to help divide spaces. You can also use them to hide anything unsightly, when your friends and family come over to visit. And if you find an interesting folding screen at an antique store, it can also double as a statement piece that any visitors will envy.
Almost all apartment closets are equipped with those cheap wire shelving. However, it is not always the most attractive or convenient type of shelf to use, because items fall through the slots of the wires. Thankfully, there is a cheap and easy solution. The Do It On A Dime YouTube channel has a great step-by-step tutorial video on how to transform wire shelving into attractive shelving using just Dollar Tree items.
Clear over-the-door shoe racks are great, because you can create a storage area, and hide it once you close the door. These storage racks are also great for just about anything you need to organize. It doesn’t have to be shoes. Plenty of people use these in the closets of their craft rooms for supplies, as well.
Most apartments are small. If you are trying to keep a lot of stuff in a small space, it is all too easy for things to become cluttered and messy. This is why it’s so important to have a front entryway storage area. Shoe racks, benches, coat racks, mirrors, and small side tables are all great for getting ready to start your day and head out the door.
If you have a studio apartment, you probably want to have some kind of dividing line between the living room and the bedroom. One great way to do that is to get a bookshelf that doubles as a wall. Of course, it also serves as a storage space, as well. Decorate this shelf with books, decor, and bins to add some personality and aesthetics to your space. Just be careful to not make it too cluttered.
No matter where you live, you can keep plants. And believe it or not, buying real plants can sometimes cost a whole lot less than fake ones. Some people are afraid to get real plants, especially if they travel a lot, or they have pets. However, succulents are a great plant to keep, because they are easy to take care of. They only need to be watered every couple weeks. So, even if you go on vacation, it won’t be dead by the time you get back.
If you are going to do something out of the box with your apartment decorations, always ask permission from your landlord. Even if they say yes and assure you that it’s fine, don’t take their word for it. Always get their response in writing, laying out exactly what kinds of changes you are requesting to make. You never know if this will come back to bite you later. Your landlord most likely has a lot going on in their life. They might completely forget that they said yes when it’s time for you to move, or pretend that it never happened. Always take before-and-after photos and videos as well.
Let’s be honest. Most apartment bathrooms are not very attractive as-is. They’re often fitted with the cheapest tile and furnishings the owner could find, and everything is usually in a shade of white or beige. If you want to do something different to the bathroom, you actually can do it without risking the security deposit! They make peel-and-stick floor tiles that you can put down and remove before you move out of the apartment. Check out the video by a YouTuber called The Lone Fox, where he did a $300 apartment bathroom makeover.
If you frequent interior design blogs and makeover shows, you might have seen teak shower flooring in luxury homes. Even some tiny homes have been made with a teak pouring because the owners have the ability to start their bathroom from scratch. But did you know that you can buy teak floor mats and lay them on top of your existing shower? These cost between $25 to $50 each, depending on the size. You may need to purchase two if you need to cover the entire floor of the shower. And when it’s time to leave, you can take them with you to the next place.
An interior design trend that we see a lot nowadays is layering two rugs on top of one another. The most popular method of doing this is to have a jute rug to serve as a base underneath a rug with a patterned design. Aesthetically, this gives more depth and texture to the space. This works best in somewhere like the dining room, where you’ll have a table holding down the two rugs. Keep in mind that you might accidentally trip over this if it was in the middle of the room.
When you run out of storage space in an apartment, there are very few options for you to get more. It’s not like you can build on an addition like you can with a house. So your only option is to go up, and take advantage of vertical space. This is where open shelving comes in. Having shelves above your kitchen cabinets is a great way to take advantage of the blank walls. When you’re ready to move out, you will most likely need to use a spackle to cover up the holes that were made in the walls.
One of the biggest goal items that I want in a house is to have those built-in cubbies when you walk through the front door. Obviously, I’m not the only one who feels this way. However, even if you own your own house, a project like this would cost a few thousand dollars to build. Luckily, there are alternatives that can be made using pieces of furniture. All you really need is a coat and boot rack combination. There are also people out there who have done and Ikea Hack for these built-in cubby coat racks as well.
When you are on a budget, it’s probably not possible for you to buy a completely new set of furniture for your apartment. Or, you might be waiting for your next lease before you splurge on new furniture. That’s why it could be a very good idea to paint or upholster your existing furniture to freshen things up a little bit. Before you get started, you may need to take the furniture out to your balcony or transport it to a friend’s house with a lawn before you do anything like spray painting. If this is not an option, you can still do DIY projects like putting contact paper on top of a table.
One of the best ways to give the illusion of space in a small apartment is to use floor-to-ceiling curtains. Sometimes, that’s not enough. If you want to go above and beyond us, hang your curtain rod as close to the ceiling as you possibly can. Measure the space between the curtain rod and the floor. Buy the appropriate sized curtains from the store. The result is stunning. Even without furniture in the room, hanging these high curtains makes a huge difference in a space.
When you’re renting, you can’t do any construction like making a built-in library or going overboard with customized storage. However, if you follow some of the popular Ikea Hacks, a lot of these pieces appear to be built in but they’re actually just pieces of furniture that can be removed. You could always take these pieces apart and move it to your next apartment. Or, if you stay in your rental for several years at a time, it may reach a point where you don’t feel terrible about throwing these pieces away, since Ikea is so affordable in the first place.
No matter where you live, the way your home smells makes a huge difference. If you walk into a house that smells like something delicious, you immediately feel like you’re more at home. A scented candle can also make you feel more sensual, awake, or relaxed. When things feel clean, you can breathe better and it just makes the experience more pleasant. On the flip side, if you go into an apartment that smells like body odor and old garbage, you want to run away as fast as you can. Make sure you open your windows for ventilation, or put on fans to get some air flow in the apartment. Clean everything as much as possible, and consider purchasing an air purifier.
When you live in an apartment, you probably can’t have the built-in closet of your dreams or the cubbies near the front of the door. You might have run out of space in your closet for everything that you own. A simple and easy solution to this problem is to hang hooks. These can be placed near your front door for coats, purses, and backpacks. Hooks could also be in your bedroom as an additional closet space. Command hooks are peel-and-stick, and can go on any wall that has a flat surface. And when you’re ready to move out, it should be easy to remove without damaging the wall.
A lot of renters are afraid to paint for walls in a color that is too dark. This is for good reason. If you paint a wall black for example, you are going to have to use a primer and multiple layers have a lighter color paint in order to get that wall back to a neutral color. This is an expensive and time-consuming process most people are not prepared for. This is why so many people end up losing their security deposit if they paint their apartment too dark. However, if you stick with just one accent wall in a dark color and leave the rest light, it is far easier for you to bring everything back to code before you leave. An accent wall often brings a lot of depth and style to a space, and it could be totally worth the effort.
One of the most commonly known hacks for adding the illusion of space to a small apartment is by hanging a mirror on the wall. This is also true if you have a large body size mirror on the floor leaning against the wall. Not only does this make the room feel bigger, but it also gives you a place to check yourself out before you leave for work or school. However, just make sure your mirror placement follows the rules of Feng Shui so that you aren’t accidentally zapping your energy.
Sometimes, a really good piece of artwork can do so much for your space. It doesn’t have to be expensive or in a gilded frame to make a difference, either. This could be a beautiful gallery wall, or a framed poster that just compliments the room really well. Instead of trying to put up something overly fancy, ask yourself what the current aesthetic is of the apartment, and find artwork that compliments it. Once you have the right artwork on the walls, it makes all the difference in the world.
Apartments are typically very small compared to a house. And in a studio apartment, everything is contained in one room. You’re going to have to condense your living situation down to a small amount of square footage. This is why it’s a good idea to split up the apartment into “zones” where one section ends, and the other begins. Once you have proper zones set up in a small apartment, it can help the room to feel bigger, as well. Use area rugs to divide up a room, and use furniture as a faux wall.
You might not be able to do a full apartment makeover when you’re renting, but you can buy as many accessories as you want. Layering textiles of throw blankets and throw pillows can add a lot of comfort and coziness into your space. The more welcoming your apartment feels, the less likely you will feel the need to do a total makeover. As long as the space feels like home, that’s all that matters.
Sometimes, all your apartment needs is to feel a bit bigger than it does already in order for you to feel better about the space. There are a lot of optical illusions that you can use in order to trick your eye into believing that the space is bigger than it actually is. Here at Home Addict, we have already come out with an article called How to Create the Illusion of Space in a Small Apartment. Check that out after reading this list!
A lot of people who rent an apartment make the mistake of choosing furniture and accessories that they can afford in the moment. It might be a hodgepodge of things that they have collected over the years. A lot of these things don’t necessarily match the other. Instead of throwing a bunch of random things together, try to decorate your apartment with a color scheme. Make sure the curtains, accessories, and paint all match your color story.
Before you get started on an apartment makeover, figure out what will work in your space. Find photographs of apartments and houses that inspire you, and choose the elements that can be incorporated into your space without losing your security deposit. Pinterest is a great way for you to create a mood board beforehand. Once you know your inspiration, it makes decorating your apartment so much easier.
Last but not least, don’t get discouraged if you can’t do something you want to do in the apartment without losing your security deposit. Instead of letting it get you down, make it a goal. If you want to be a homeowner someday, start saving for that down payment right now. Make a vision board of all of your goals for this new house, and try to manifest that into reality. Some day, you can look back at the years you spent living in an apartment and feel grateful that you finally get to live in the home of your dreams.
