Moving out and getting an apartment of your own can be a pretty stressful experience, and the whole process can be even more intimidating if you are going to be living alone. If your home looks dull and lacks life, that’s one way of making sure that you’ll feel even more lonely than you already are. Therefore, it is important to make conscious decisions when you select colors and wall decor in order to make your apartment vibrant and make it feel more like home. If you are at a loss and don’t know where to start, follow these simple steps below to add color to your house and create a homey ambiance.
- 1. Pay attention to your kitchen
When you think of decorating your new home, you may instinctively place your kitchen at the bottom of your list, when instead, it should be at the top of the list. This is especially if you like cooking and will spend a great deal of your time in the kitchen preparing your meals and having them. If you fancy a quirky style, opt for colors like electric blue, red or cream for your appliances and walls. For a slightly vintage and old-fashioned aesthetic, you can hang up some antique-looking plates and dinnerware on your walls, and install retro accessories like napkin rings and condiment holders. If you’d prefer a chic and modern-style kitchen, go for classic colors like white and black to achieve a seamless and clean effect.
- 2. Accommodate guests
Even though you are going to be living alone, try to have enough furniture to cater to guests
when your friends and family members decide to pop by. Avoid getting a single cushioned
armchair for yourself and choose small sofa sets that can accommodate at least two to three
people. If you lack space, you can go for foldable alternatives that are portable and can be
stored in your storeroom when you do not need it. Having enough drinks and snacks for
unexpected visits are also important. You should get a relatively spacious refrigerator or bar cart to store beverages and snacks for your guests, instead of just a mini-fridge as it can
only fit enough groceries for one. Being prepared for visitors is key, so plan ahead and get
relevant furniture and appliances to accommodate them. This can help you to avoid embarrassing
situations where your guests can only have water as an option and are forced to sit on the floor!
- 3. Make wise decor decisions
Having an apartment to yourself may tempt you to indulge in a dorm-room style look, which you may regret later on. Pasting posters of your favorite band and heart-shaped photo collages on the walls of your living room may look pleasing at first but may prove to be an eyesore after you grow out of that phase. Opt for mature decor options that will leave your apartment looking classy and chic, and go for a more refined interior design rather than a college-girl aesthetic. Avoid excessive stick-on wall decors and choose frames instead. It will help your house to look more elegant and posh. Messy bookshelves are also a no-no as well. Instead, look into getting glass display cabinets to showcase and store your prized collectibles. The rule is to have clean and organized walls and shelves, and always remember that less is more!
- 4. Purchase large mirrors
One con of staying alone is having no one there to check your outfit for you. To curb this problem, go for large mirrors and place them at strategic places like your bedroom and living room. Since they are large in size, it lets you check out your whole look, compared to a normal bathroom mirror that limits your view from waist down. Large mirrors also achieve the illusion of a larger area, making your home seem brighter and more spacious. It effectively opens up and creates more light in your house, thus allowing your apartment to feel more pleasant and vibrant.
- 5. Create conversation spaces
Living alone does not mean that no one is ever going to come over to visit. With that in mind, be sure to make conversation spaces for your guests to hold conversations at. That is, having furniture face one another at different corners of the room to create communal areas for your guests. This not only enhances the homey-ness of your apartment, but it also helps to make your house look more dynamic. Furthermore, having more furniture around creates the illusion of having more people in the house, thereby helping you to feel less lonely at home.
- 6. Incorporate greens
By adding living plants and flowers into your living space, it not only adds a touch of color but it also brings more life to your otherwise dull home. Having spots of greenery at different corners makes your apartment look livelier, and might bring you joy. If you do not trust yourself to take care of living plants, go for succulents that require less maintenance. Not only are they easier to take care of, but their unique shapes and sizes offer aesthetic variety. If you like fresh flowers, you can buy a few bouquets to spruce up your house or go for potted plants that are more sustainable in the long run. Some popular indoor pot plants include English Ivy, peace lilies and spider plants that are both easy-to-care and pleasing to the eye.
All in all, make sure that you decorate your house the way that you like it. Blindly following these tips instead of choosing decorations that you fancy will just leave you feeling empty and unsatisfied. Draw out a rough plan of how you envision your apartment to be, and work on the color scheme first, followed by the nitty-gritty details. Achieving a cohesive look for your entire apartment is the first step towards creating a furnished home that you’ll look forward to coming home to every day. At the end of the day, it is your apartment that you are decorating so be sure to accommodate your style and have fun during the process; and if you need some home decor and styling tips, victoria plumbing has some awesome ones that might just suit your style!
