How to Make Your Apartment a Home

A large picture can liven up a plain wall.

Living in an apartment can make you feel like you're in a borrowed space rather than a true home, especially if it is an older apartment decorated in a style you do not like. Even if you are limited in the type and amount of changes you can make to the apartment, though, you can still add personal touches, such as throws and pillows, picture frames, and colorful curtains and rugs, to hide the apartment's flaws and make it feel more like home.

Things You'll Need

• Framed pictures
• Throws
• Pillows
• Curtains or rugs
• Paint
• Stand-alone lighting
• Fabric
• Liquid starch or small nails
• Curtains
• Fresh flowers

Instructions

1. Analyze your apartment room by room. Make a list of good features you want to accentuate and flaws you want to disguise. Consider the purpose of the each room, lighting, window placement and existing furniture.

2. Plan a budget for redecorating. Having a detailed list of the purchases you need to make and how much money you can spend will help keep you from overspending. If you can't spare much money, focus on adding color and character to the apartment through less expensive items such as rugs, curtains or throws, rather than replacing or adding large pieces of furniture.

3. Decorate the walls of your apartment. Repainting the walls or adding wallpaper is an easy way, but some management companies won't let renters do so. In this case, attach fabric to the walls using liquid starch or small nails. A silhouette of colorful patterned fabric will liven up a plain wall and add a point of interest to the room, while covering an entire wall with a solid-color fabric may help disguise an unfortunate-colored wall that you can't repaint. Vinyl wall stickers are another option.

   Pictures are another way of adding decoration to plain walls. Hang favorite family photos, art posters or even framed objects such as colorful shopping bags, tea towels, doilies or autumn leaves.

4. Rearrange the furniture to your liking and to match the intended use for each room. Add free-standing lamps or desk lamps in places where the apartment is too dark, if necessary. Use throws, rugs and strategically-placed pillows to disguise any flaws in the furniture or floors. Replace any too-old or ugly curtains with new ones.

5. Display personal items and memorabilia where possible. Spread them evenly through the apartment, rather than overloading any one area with them. Place fresh flowers in a favorite vase, and replace them as soon as they begin wilting.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are renting, check your contract for what kind of changes you are allowed to make to the apartment. Contact the landlord directly if you are unsure whether he will allow a certain change or not.

References

• Apartment Therapy: How To: Make Fabric Wall Silhouettes
• Re-Nest: DIY Artwork: Frame an Everyday Object