Do you ever watch HGTV and get a little jealous? Have you ever looked at your apartment walls and suddenly found yourself sad? Maybe you have become pretty anxious about making your 50-year-old housing rental into something you’ll actually want to come home to?
If you answered any of the above questions, it’s time for a makeover.
Renting a new apartment, townhouse or home — whether it be with or without friends — can be stressful all on its own. Who knows where you might want to live in a year let alone three months? Beside the stressors of signing onto a lease and seeing your bank account drop at the first every month, making a rental feel like home can be stressful as well.
But when credit card and comfort compete, money usually wins. However, it doesn’t have to be that way.
The best way to ease the stress of a new apartment is to make that apartment a place you’ll want to actually spend time in. Why pay for something you want to avoid or simply just sleep in?
Hailey Stewart | Argonaut
The best ways to decorate your space is to decorate for your lifestyle. Keep four things in mind while making your house a home — texture, personality, comfort and longevity.
Texture
It’s not uncommon to walk into the average college student’s apartment automatically feel bored. When there’s nothing on the wall but a tacked poster and a few pieces of furniture in the room, there is nothing to feel at home in or with.
Adding some texture to your apartment is a must. But you might be thinking — texture means different things and things mean money. Well, yes. But they don’t have to cost too much money.
If you have a boring couch, add a few cheap throw pillows and a cozy blanket on top to finish the look. The houseware sections of Amazon, Target and Walmart will all offer blankets and pillows for under $15.
Don’t just throw your favorite poster on the wall and call it good. Hang the poster in a cheap frame or make your own frame with colorful washi tape. Both can be found for cheap at most stores.
If your apartment feels flat add decoration in small doses. The not too much, not too little mentality can go a long way.
Personality
The only thing wrong with a good band poster or movie poster is that everyone has one. The right way to show off your style, personality and long-loved movie or band is to put some care into how your present it.
Like adding texture to your apartment, make your wall decorations pop by arranging them on the wall in a fun way or giving them a frame.
Knick knacks might sound like something your grandparents keep in their home, but they can add a great deal of personality to yours. Don’t be afraid to hang up that heinous painting you made freshman year or the less-than-photogenic photos of you and friends.
When your personality becomes part of your space, you’ll love your space a whole lot more. Even better is that it’s cheap.
Comfort
Comfort in any home is key. Comfort should mean low cost and low maintenance. That’s why making furniture the key components of your home is a must.
The cheapest furniture options are usually online, at a thrift store or maybe even on sale. A comfortable couch and a few comfy chairs can go a long way.
Don’t forget the importance of a good coffee table to study, snack and rest your legs on at the end of the day.
Look to stores like IKEA, Target and Walmart for the cheapest options. And don’t hesitate to repaint or reupholster used furniture.
Longevity
Eventually, your lease will end or you’ll throw your cap in the air and leave Moscow. But you don’t have to leave all your homeware behind.
Invest in the housing items you can take with you beyond your college tenure.
You can always spend a little more to get a little more. Your TV, bed, kitchen table and kitchen appliances are all items you’ll want to bring along when you eventually move out of your college space.
But just because an item might be inexpensive, doesn’t mean it has to be cheaply made. Think of the items you buy as in your life for the long haul. That IKEA table, if taken care of, can last more than a few years. And the couch will always look alright with a few pillows and a throw.
Make the most of your current space for your future space.
Hailey can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @HaileyAStew