cheap apartment decorating ideas

Most apartments are likely to have the dress and feel of a well-inhabited house. Living in an apartment is a great way to save money and gives you the freedom to move around however you want. Entertaining a well-designed apartment will make you feel good and will probably make you enjoy living there. Inexpensive apartment decorating ideas will help you avoid bankruptcy; while luxuriously styling your apartment for the next big gathering or just for yourself, so you can feel good about apartment living.

Frame: Many apartment complexes have rules about not painting the interior of your home. If they do, it’s probably a dull white/off white color. To avoid bare walls, you can paint your furniture. Get creative and paint an old table, wooden chairs, or end table a bright color. Painting is a cheap, easy and profitable strategy to bring color into your home. Another idea, go to a garage sale, swap meet, or discount store and find cheap, colorful artwork to hang on your boring white walls to bring out the excitement.

You could use curtains as a way to decorate your plain walls without painting or wallpapering. It gives the look of luxury and gives the illusion that you have windows behind the curtains. Use long curtains that hang from the ceiling to the floor to add height to the room instead of a small window or just a blank wall.

Flat: Apartments don’t typically come with the polished hardwood floors that many of us dream of; they usually have rugs with three generations of life already built into them. Most will have some staining and you will usually have to live with that. However, there is a solution to the problem and it’s called area rugs. Area rugs are great for covering up stains and dull colored rugs. The best places to find cheap rugs are online at Craigslist, Pier 1, and Cost Plus. Area rugs will be your best friend when living in an apartment.

small spaces: Apartments are normally small and cramped spaces. Using mirrors is a great way to make your apartment feel larger and give it a homey feel. You can find all the different sizes of mirrors at a flea market or thrift store. If you want, you can find large mirrors to cover an entire wall, but I prefer lots of different sized framed mirrors. Framed mirrors add an extra touch of pizzazz and a more whimsical look than simple borderless mirrors. If you like conformity, you can paint the frames the same color or use different colors and/or stain them to your liking.

Dinning room: In today’s high-tech world, many people telecommute for work. If you live in an apartment, you may not have space for a home office. If you need a work space, one idea is to get rid of the dining room table and replace it with an old country or console table that suits the area. This will give it an industrial look and provide a suitable work space. Instead of dining chairs, look for some folding chairs that can be folded up and stored under the bed. I would use a good ergonomic desk chair on wheels while working. This will give you the opportunity to use the table as a desk or as a dining table when you have guests over.

Furniture Placement: If your room is large enough, you can “float” the sofa in the middle and add a console or low dresser behind it. This can provide a good barrier between the dining room and the living room, since they are usually shared spaces. You may have to move it around a bit to get it the way you want it. You can even place a nice room divider behind the sofa to divide it up even more.

Shelving: Shelving can be used in any room in your home and provides a good location for your knots or general storage needs. You can use baskets, mason jars, and/or any pretty container to put them on the shelves. You can get cheap shelving at Ikea, Swamp Meet, or a discount store. Floating shelves are really nice and can add an extra touch to any room.

Greenery: Plants are a great way to spice up your apartment. They look great and actually have health benefits. Plants help clean the air, control humidity and help reduce noise levels. Plants also enhance the “energy” in your living space. Feng Shui actually mentions that plants improve the chi of your home. Place plants in the areas you want to emphasize.

Turning on: Most apartments are dark and dreary, proper lighting enhances any room’s decorating scheme. There are many light sources available ranging from lamps, natural light to salt crystals. Natural light is the best source when possible. It is the most profitable solution on the planet. Due to the nature and style of the apartments, natural light may not be available or provide enough light for your needs. Lighting a room is often the hardest thing to do. Excessive lighting can cause people to shield their eyes when they enter a room, and a dim room will cause people to squint to see.

Decorating an apartment can be a challenging task. There are limits to what you can do and rental rules you must follow. Cheap apartment decorating ideas can help you design the perfect apartment you’ll love. Visit my blog for more design ideas and inspiration.