4 Ways to Make Your New Apartment Feel Like Home

November 9, 2017

You’ve finally done it: you’ve moved into a new apartment all your own. Whether you’re moving in with a significant other or finally signed the lease on that high-rise apartment you’ve always dreamed about living in by yourself, once you’ve gotten through the whole moving process, that doesn’t mean the move is over yet.

From no longer living with a variety of roommates when moving in your twenties to getting out of a relationship in which you lived with your romantic partner for several years, chances are you haven’t accrued much in terms of decorations or furniture of your own to fill up that new space. But fear not; moving into a new apartment by yourself doesn’t mean you can’t make the space your own without breaking the bank.

How to Make Your New Apartment into Your Own

1. Declutter from the Move

After finally getting that last box unpacked, chances are you’ve made quite the pile of packing materials, especially items like boxes you don’t want to throw away or recycle when you could possibly reuse them. But think about it: You’ve likely just signed a one- or two-year lease and thus will you really be using those dozens of boxes anytime soon?

The first step to making your new apartment your own is to unpack quickly and either get those boxes recycled or give them to a friend who can use them for a move. By removing any superfluous clutter, you can thus have a much better idea of what you’re working with in terms of space now that your belongings are in it.

2. Start with the Bathroom

Now some might disagree with us here and prefer to start with the bedroom, but hear us out. The bathroom is likely the room you will be using the most right off the bat, so why not take the time to set it up in way that feels comfortable to you? From aromatic candles to hanging that shower curtain you always had your eyes on and even hanging a picture or painting if you have the space, you’ll have a special space all your own in no time!

3. Open Up Your Apartment

The one downside with moving into an apartment all your own is that it’s often smaller than the one you shared with others. And while HGTV might preach the gospel of an open plan living room and kitchen, when renting an apartment you can’t make major modifications without going through a lot of paperwork. Since our goal here is to get you set up fast, the key to opening up any space is filling it with light, be it natural daylight or soft incandescent bulbs when the sun isn’t shining. A few floor lamps can make a world of different compared to that brutal fluorescent light fixture that’s already been installed.

4. Let Your Creative Side Run Wild

Once you’ve taken care of removing the clutter, getting your rooms set up, and opening up the apartment, the rest is really up to you! Whether you’re a collector of art prints and finally have a chance to hang the art you brought over from the move or want to try something more adventurous like wall decorations and hanging shelves for your books and pictures or creating a glorious entertainment center for binge watching your favorite shows, when setting up your new apartment, think about what you lacked from your previous living arrangements and use that as a baseline from which to build.

Ultimately, whether you’re looking to replicate a particular look you’ve seen in a magazine or on TV or just trusting your gut, create your own trends and style, just like you would your wardrobe. After all, it’s your apartment, shouldn’t it feel like your own?