Decorating Tips For An Adult Apartment

By Ashley Paskill on October 1, 2019

This article is brought to you by CORT Furniture Rental. We take the hassle out of furnishing your new place so you can do more important things like read this article. Learn more about why furniture rental is the best way to get a great looking apartment.

Whether your living in an apartment at school or are moving out of your parents’ house, living in your first apartment in college is a huge step in becoming more independent. With this new responsibility comes the struggle to make it look livable and not like you have no clue what you are doing. This is especially important if you know guests will occasionally come over. Need some help? Here are a few tips for making your apartment look like an adult lives there.

Do not make modifications without permission

When you first move into your new apartment, it may be tempting to go all-out and decorate like crazy. While there is more freedom with an apartment than an apartment, there are still some rules since you do not actually own the apartment. Do not paint the walls or hang paintings or pictures without checking with your landlord first. Even if your contract says you can, if you are unsure, check with your landlord. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Choose Adult Color Schemes

While your childhood bedroom was likely full of super vibrant colors, if you want a more mature look, you will have to include your color scheme into this. Even if you cannot change the wall colors, you can still implement it into a more mature color scheme. Use your furniture and accessories to add touches of color if your walls are plain. Do not go overboard with color, though. Just add a few splashes here and there. It may be tempting to use colors that are flashy but avoid this. Keep these colors more limited and tone them down with more subdued colors.

Work with your roommate(s)

If you have a roommate or two, you will have to work together to decorate the apartment. While you may decorate your individual bedrooms however each of you wishes, work together to make the common areas cohesive. Nothing looks more amateur than a living room that has multiple design ideas being implemented all at once. Find something you all have in common and decorate accordingly. Make sure your toiletries and cosmetics are organized properly in the bathroom to avoid conflict with your roommate(s). As adults, you should be able to solve any problems that arise, including disagreements about decorating the apartment. Your apartment will reflect this maturity.

Image: christopher lemercier via https://unsplash.com/photos/tWPDKhDaE4k

Invest in real furniture

When you lived in a dorm, you likely had furniture already. You likely only had to buy chairs, but you likely opted for beanbag chairs or some equivalent. Now that you are living in an apartment, you need to buy actual furniture. There are even options to rent furniture if you do not want to worry about buying the furniture. When buying furniture, make sure you measure your room so that you do not overbuy furniture. Use online resources from furniture stores to see how certain pieces will look in the room you want to put them in. Buy furniture that makes it look like you are committed to your room as opposed to makeshift furniture that you may have gotten away with in a dorm.

Keep it clean

As a college student or a young professional, it is likely that you have a busy life. However, cleaning is part of being an adult. It is likely that you will not be able to hire a cleaning service, so you will have to do the work yourself. One of the most basic things is vacuuming, which should be done at least weekly. You will only have to do a deep clean of your apartment monthly, but you should tidy up regularly. You will likely have a desk and other areas that are yours, so make sure to keep these areas organized and decluttered so that you know where important things are.

Accessorize properly

As mentioned before, you will need to decorate your common areas with things both you and your roommates like. Have a discussion about this before buying accessories. Include accessories like throw pillows that match your room, plants, and art. Just make sure to hang the art in a way that will not damage the walls. These aspects can be ways to add color to your apartment in a mature way.

While you have the freedom to decorate your room as you like it, if you want a more adult look, avoid displaying toys or other childish things. Use lamps, desk organizers, and grown-up bedding. Make sure to get a mattress pad to make your bed even more comfortable and a bed frame to make it look better. Speaking of your bed, make your bed every morning to make your room look neat and put-together.

Living in your first apartment can come with challenges, including how to make it look like adults live there. It can be tough to hold onto your childhood décor, but an adult apartment is a major accomplishment in adulthood and the look should reflect that.

Looking for an easy way to furnish your off-campus apartment? Renting furniture from CORT saves you time and money. See how easy it is to get great looking furniture without breaking the bank.

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