Moving into your first apartment is such an exciting time but it can also be extremely overwhelming! There is so much to think about, so much to plan, and so much to buy! At this point in my life I have moved several times and each time I learned something knew that I wish I had known when I was moving into my first apartment. So without further ado, here are my 14 tips for planning and decorating your first apartment on a budget!
#1 If Possible, Plan Ahead!
Moving into your first apartment is insanely expensive! There is so much that you have to buy, from dishes and silverware to bath towels and shower curtains. It can add up quickly so I definitely suggest taking advantage of Holiday sales, like Black Friday, Labor Day, or Memorial Day. Small appliances and household items are always on sale at these times and it will help you save a lot of money!
I also suggest that you start asking for house hold items for gift giving holidays like Birthdays, Christmas and Graduation! Doing this will allow you to spend your own money on the fun, cute decorations and not have to spend it on the boring but necessary household items. I know it’s not as fun to get a toaster for your Birthday but trust me, you will be grateful for it come move in day!
#2 Decorate to Taste not to Trend!
You’re probably wondering what that even means so let me tell you! When you finally have the opportunity to decorate your own place it can be easy to fall into the trap of going overboard with current trends in decorating. In 2012 it was mint green and chevron everywhere and in the past few years it has been the vine walls, cloud ceilings and geometric painted accent walls. The issue with trends is that they come and go quickly. In five months all of your decorations will be out of trend and you will either have to be stuck with outdated decor or you will have to spend even more money re-decorating your apartment!
What I would suggest that you do instead is spend time on Pinterest looking and different decor styles. Determine what your style is and start with that. You can add in small touches of current trending styles but don’t make a trend the entire personality of your home!
#3 Appropriately Sized Furniture!
When purchasing your furniture, you want to be mindful of the space that you are filling. I highly suggest that you try and tour either your exact unit or a unit that is the same size and layout as your unit. This will allow you to have a better idea of the space that you are working with. You don’t want to end up with a couch that takes up all of your living space or with one that is awkwardly small.
Another thing to keep in mind is that couches and chairs are an investment and ideally they will move with you for several years to come. You want to make sure that whatever furniture you invest in can realistically fit in a variety of spaces. I personally made the mistake of buying a couch that fit in the large living room that I had in one apartment but was way to big to fit in the living room of my house when I moved. I ended up having to spend more money to buy another new couch so learn from my mistake and think ahead!
#4 Invest in Neutral Base Furniture!
Think about buying a couch and chairs that are a more neutral base color like beige, tan, black or gray. Having neutral color furniture will be much easier to decorate around and if your style changes in a few years and you choose to redecorate, your expensive furniture will still fit.
Obviously if you have always dreamed of having a green velvet couch and you know how to style around it, then go for it! But as a good rule of thumb, neutral furniture is the safest way to go when you’re first starting out.
#5 Decorate Big to Small
It’s easy to get excited and start buying all kinds of cute decorations when planning your first apartment, but I highly suggest that you hold off on buying all of it before you move in. You don’t really know what you’ll be working with until you see your actual apartment and your big furniture is moved in. You may find that your living room has an accent wall that is painted in a color that clashes with the accent color you had planned or you may realize that your place isn’t as spacious as you thought and all of your decorations would make it look too cluttered.
Waiting to buy the filler decorations until you actually know what you are working with will save you a lot of time and money!
#6 Try Thrifting for Furniture
Thrifting will, without a doubt, be a huge money saver when it comes to buying furniture! You may get lucky and find something that is perfect as is for a fraction of the price or you may find something that you can refurbish to look exactly how you want!
I know the idea of refurbishing furniture can be a little intimidating but trust me, it’s much easier than it looks! Thrifting can give you more freedom to customize your furniture and you’ll be spending a fraction of the price. Another great benefit is that finding older pieces that you refurbish will add more character to your space than a cabinet from Ikea ever could!
#7 Look for Multi-Purpose Furniture!
Most apartments are quite small and space can be an issue. In order to make maximum use of the space that you do have I would suggest that you look for multi-purpose furniture like a dining table that can fold down to be a side table, a couch that pulls out to be a bed, or a coffee table that can lift to be a desk. Any furniture that can be used in more than one way will be ideal!
#8 Prioritize Storage!
Storage is always going to be a struggle in apartments! Having furniture that provides extra storage will be extremely helpful! You can look for an ottoman with storage space in it to hold holiday decorations. Use a trunk as a coffee table to hold your extra sheets and blankets. Use a cube shelf as a TV stand to hold your extra cords, school supplies, and decorations. Take advantage of any furniture piece that has extra storage options! It will be a game changer for you!
#9 Try Some Renter Friendly Upgrades
Renter friendly upgrades are a great way to update you’re apartment without causing any damage! Obviously you will want to pay attention to your renters agreement to se what you can and cannot do but there are a lot of ways that you can upgrade your space that will fit within whatever your agreement allows. You can create an accent wall with some peel and stick wallpaper, cover your counters in your kitchen or bathroom with peel and stick vinyl, use peel in stick tiles to change up your flooring, or use peel and stick backsplashes to update your kitchen. There is peel and stick everything these days and its rather affordable!
#10 Try Some DIY Decor
DIY decor is a great way to add a personal touch without spending a lot of money! A few ideas that you could try are using acrylic paint with some baking soda mixed into it to paint a thrifted or Dollar Store vase. This will give you a cool textured piece customized to fit your color scheme and it costs less than $5 to make! You could also pick up a few cheep candlesticks and spray paint them the color of your choosing. Another good option would be to try learning a new craft like Macrame by following a youtube tutorial. There are so many cheap and easy DIY crafts that you can do to add more character to your home!
#11 Decorate With Plants!
Plants are a great way to add some life and color into your space. A few plants that I would recommend are Pothos, Prayer Plants and Snake Plants. All three of these plants can do well in low light spaces and are quite resilient so if you are a first time plant parent these will be perfect for you! If you have pets and decide to give this tip a try, please make sure whatever plants you get are either pet safe or in a place where the pets cannot get to them! And if you don’t think you can keep a plant alive, try a fake one! There are some really good fake plants out there and no one will know!
#12 Decorate with Mirrors!
This is a classic decorating tip! Apartments are often quite small and a lot of times they do not have a ton of natural light. Adding a mirror to your space will help the room look bigger and can help reflect the light so that it feels brighter as well.
#13 Add Window Treatment!
In most apartments you will have plane white blinds that are not cute or cozy! I highly suggest that you add in some curtains to make your home feel more warm and put together. Unless you’re on the top floor, a lot of apartments have low ceilings so a good tip is to try hanging your curtains 4-6 inches above your window, if possible, and make sure that they are long enough to hit the floor. Doing this will make the room feel taller and the curtains will add a lot of texture and dimension into your room which will make a huge difference!
#14 Don’t Feel Like you Have to Do it All at Once!
Moving in is a process! There is no pressure to have your place be picture perfect right away and in my personal experience, it can take a few months before your new space feels complete! Moving into your first apartment is an exciting new adventure so try not to stress out too much about having everything 100% perfect right away. Move in, feel it out and then figure out what final touches you need! This will help you to not spend money on things that you don’t end up using and allow you have a better idea of what will really work best in your new home!