Creating Your Apartment 101

Some people think that being on your own is so easy, it is freeing since you do not have anyone to tell you what to do, and you can do whatever you want whenever you want. But it is also difficult, especially when moving to a new city. There are so many changes to go through, not even just with your own apartment but with finding social things to do, meeting new people, having a routine. Here is a list of things that will help you out when you are first living on your own and need to style your apartment. It may seem easy, but it can be very overwhelming.

This first step is the most important step really because no matter what your life is like, this is your space and you have to make it best fit you. Whether you need something cozy or modern, it is important that this place feel like home for you. The best thing to do is get the basics first. Just the simple furniture and then map out an idea on how to make it unique to you. This at least allows for you to establish your roots in your new home and make the layout fit your personality as best as it can. What I find best is to make a detailed sketch of your new apartment and add all your furniture in various styles to see which one you like best. This way when you move in, you can figure out how things can go rather than making a bunch of guesses and spending hours just getting your furniture placed and then spending even longer unpacking everything.

Next is the IKEA run. Some people hate on IKEA, which is stupid; it is affordable, decent quality stuff that can allow for you to buy everything you need and not blow your budget really. Plus with their viewing room, they allow for you to see things in action and get a ton of ideas on how things would look and how to style your own apartment. With everything on display, it is really easy to be able to piece everything together mentally to make your dream apartment come true.

Decorating is the final step of making your apartment yours. Whether it's with paintings, pictures, lights or even wall tapestries, having a combination of these things will make your place feel bigger, and also, if you have studio apartment, it will separate out the different areas. This way it will look as though each area is clearly marked. For any apartment, but especially smaller ones, it is really important to have large pieces to decorate rather than small ones. Why? Because smaller pieces will make your apartment seem more cluttered than it really is, whereas larger pieces make it look bigger actually. Though if you want smaller items, it is easy to have them on a bookshelf, as this is a large item, so it makes everything more spacious and you can hold a lot of items on it without taking up too much space in your apartment. As hard as it is with decorating, less sometimes is more.

A small thing to add really once you have everything in place and your apartment is exactly as you could imagine is some plants. The reason is that, 1) you get better oxygen, 2) some plants act as agents to help with anxiety and depression, 3) it just makes your apartment look more lively and feel more natural, and 4) it is a nice pop of colour that adds a vibrant feel to everything. Just remember to pick something low maintenance if you tend to forget that plants do need water. Succulents are great picks for anyone as they are small and easy to care for.

Another great little addition is scented candles. These make a huge difference actually in your apartment because the scent can be so soothing and fill your entire apartment with a great smell. Also, it makes evenings more cozy, as many apartments do not have a fireplace. This adds a little flicker of light which can help change the mood. Continuing on the subject of little flickers of light, a salt lamp is another great idea. Not only does it also provide a warm glow to the apartment, but there is some actual scientific aid that it brings to your mental state by helping neutralize the negative ions in the air.

These are just little simple things but they can make the world of a difference in making your apartment your home. Having what is on trend is nice, sure, but having something that fits you and makes you feel at ease is way more important. Having a home that helps your mental health and is just somewhere that you can relax is all you really need.