Design: Home for Sale

Apartment dwellers often spend the majority of their time away from home, simply because their lifestyle demands it. But, on those days when you just want to curl up and live the moment, enjoy your own company and hide away from the world, here are a few tips for decorating your home for a better experience.

Color Balance

Even if you’re stuck in a womb of white walls, white carpet and white window coverings, you can add color to your space. A vibrant throw rug in the middle of the room will add color and save your rental deposit from those nasty stains of white carpeting doom. Select the darkest color and buy a sofa in that color – or cover your current sofa with a dark throw. Toss on a selection of brightly colored sofa pillows and a light throw for a cozy evening cover-up. Add in a couple of colorful chairs and you’ve got a magnificent conversation pit, don’t forget to invite friends over.

Lighting Your World

Ceiling light fixtures are mostly a thing of the past, and present. Apartment dwellers have found for years, that many apartment complexes offer little if any fixed lighting. Solve the problem with a variety of lamps.

Floor lamps and table lamps come in a wide variety of styles and colors. Go complimentary to your furniture selection and don’t skimp. You really will find a place for the extra lamp, and it will come in handy. If you prefer soft lighting, use smaller wattage bulbs. For bright light, raise the wattage.

For brighter task lighting, inexpensive utilitarian lights can be clamped to most any surface and work well to focus light on a specific project. These clamp on lights come in handy for most any purpose. In fact, one gentleman used them in place of lamps for the longest time in his apartment. They made a decorative statement with lower watt bulbs.

Personality Picks

Minimalist societies often skimp on the personality picks, but you can be assured, personality will spice up your home and make it more livable. Just add a bit of you and see how much more cozy your space feels.

Bookcases hold your favorite tombs, accessories, and a few requirements. For those who are studying for a better education, a bookcase protects your school books and improves your organization skills. Videos and photo albums always look more attractive when shelved for easy access.

An entertainment center can display or hide your attraction to mass media. Select one that allows easy viewing and plenty of storage for your equipment.

Arrangement

Be certain your arrangement allows for easy movement around the apartment, even when you have a crowd. Traffic flow is important because nobody wants to feel claustrophobic. Give yourself some elbow room. Most importantly, use the space to your advantage.

A bicycle could be wall art, if you hang it properly, easily accessible for use later. Consider those baskets you need to carry laundry and other equipment as decorating elements to be used for other purposes when they don’t provide carry-all duty. A breakfast tray or T.V. Tray can be an end table you can either set up or take down as needed. An unsightly pair of file cabinets in your dining room office may do double duty as a buffet for a party with a covering of something pretty.

Use your imagination to create a home you will love, even if your home is an apartment.

Tags: apartment living, color balance, spacious living, staged decorating, white walls