How to Decorate Your Apartment (Cheaply)

Evaluate the Space

• Take a look around your new surroundings, and make a list of its aesthetic pros and cons. Does it have big windows but low ceilings? Great wood floors but a boxy, square feel? While emphasizing positive qualities takes little or no effort, counteracting undesirable elements is a bit harder.

  With single-room living spaces, you have two options. You can either keep the room as spacious and open as possible, or you can divide it into areas of activity by using screens and/or large pieces of furniture that appear to "section off" one area from the next. Depending on the size of your place, the décor you choose and your lifestyle (whether or not you'll be doing a lot of work there, entertaining often, and so forth), you can decide which option is better for you. Either way, be sure to keep it simple. Limit your color palette, and avoid clutter and excess furniture. Consider getting a two-in-one piece like a sofa bed or a futon to save space.

  Brighten up dark rooms with light-colored walls, sheer curtains and plenty of plants. Mirrors also help by reflecting light and limiting the appearance of shadows. Opt for blinds instead of shades on your windows, and choose minimal lampshades with a translucent effect.

  If the place is small, go with pale, cool colors, and fill the space with as little furniture as possible. Instead of a free-standing bookcase, for instance, try a shelf that's mounted to the wall with brackets. Also, if your room is really small, avoid busy patterns on items like curtains, tablecloths and bedspreads.

  If you have a boxy space, the key is to create a focal point in the room. Paint one wall a different color than the rest, or hang up a funky mural or tapestry. Other focal point ideas include an attention-grabbing piece of furniture, or a ceiling covered with gauzy fabric and stick-on stars.

  If your place has low ceilings, use up-tilting lamps to cast as much light on it as possible. Paint the ceiling a shimmery, satiny, pale color, and do the walls a shade or so darker. Draw attention to the bottom half of the room with floor cushions, interesting rugs and low-to-the-ground seating.

Decide on a Style

• Use a cohesive theme that says something about your tastes and makes the most of what you have to work with. By combining hand-me-downs from friends and relatives with the right supplementary pieces, you can create a convincing version of one of the following styles:

  Eclectic - Also known as the "thrift shop" look, eclectic is a popular choice for many first-time apartment dwellers. It mixes the vintage with the new, the ugly with the stylish, the practical with the weird. Your end tables don't match? No problem. Your sofa is paisley and your pillows are striped? That's fine. Eclectic can look kind of hip and bohemian if it's done right, and awful if it's done wrong. Either you're born with the talent for it, or you're not. If you don't want to take the risk, move on.

  Traditional - The traditional style is just what you think it would be - matching wood furniture, a comfy plaid couch, and colorful, coordinating accessories. Smart, functional and straightforward, apartments done in this style tend to look friendly and pulled-together.

  Ethnic - Why not add a little international flavor to your crib? Go for an Asian look, with paper lanterns, hand-painted tables and curtains made from kimono fabric. If India is more your speed, try Batik-print pillows, velvet drapes and plenty of candles.

  Minimalist - If you're a sucker for all things sleek, consider the minimalist look. The minimalist look is chic and clean, but can also appear kind of cold and unhomey. A black leather couch, a postmodern painting on the wall, and a glass coffee table holding nothing but an empty vase.

  Kitsch - This style is definitely for people with a sense of humor. Kitsch is over-the-top, cartoonish, playful, and cheesy. Total Vegas. It's achieved almost exclusively through accessories, so keep your furniture basic so it can serve as a backdrop. If you collect things, then this is definitely for you. We're talking hula girl statues, Elvis lamps and taxi cab telephones.

  Interest-specific - Have a passion you'd like to flaunt? Football fanatic? Paint goal posts on the wall and hang up some helmets. Film buff? Do an entire room in movie posters.

Choose a Color Scheme

• Color makes an immediate and lasting visual impact, and gives off an array of mood-changing associations. As soon as you've evaluated your apartment and settled on a style, you should choose a color scheme that both complements the space and suits your personal preferences. By understanding the qualities of primary and secondary colors, you'll get a better idea of what shades will work best.

  Primary colors: Red, Yellow, and Blue.

  Secondary colors: Orange, Green, and Violet.

  To balance out the splashy colors above, add neutral earth tones and strong, sleek shades of black and gray. Another universal color is white, which, in its various incarnations (off-white, beige, and eggshell), provides a can't-go-wrong foundation for any room.

  If you're lucky enough to have more than one room, try doing a different color scheme for each (for example, a forest green and burgundy living room, a baby blue and white bathroom, a violet and gray bedroom, and so forth).

  A few last color guidelines:

  Deep "warm" colors give a room an intimate, cozy feel. They are: red-violet, red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, and yellow.

  Light "cool" colors make a room seem more spacious and elegant. They are: green, blue-green, blue, and blue-violet. White also has this effect.

  Even if you have all-white walls (many landlords and dorm managers won't allow residents to paint), you can easily convey color schemes through curtains, pillows, lamps, candles, blankets, area rugs, and so forth.

Become a Bargain Hunter

• There are several ways you can find a great deal on room decor or furniture. Ask friends or family for any pieces and accessories they no longer need or use. Take a trip to the thrift store, or start going to garage sales in your neighborhood. Buy furniture that you can build yourself. Go to the local discount store or dollar store for basic items.