There are all sorts of new challenges to deal with when you move house and settle into a new place – especially when it’s your first time living on your own. Furnishing a new apartment can be so much fun, but it can also be a bewildering experience. The following 4 tips can help you beat the bewilderment and confidently furnish your first apartment:
- Carefully Prioritise the Furnishings You Need
One of the hardest things about decorating is figuring out how to afford all the furniture, appliances, gadgets and home accessories you’ll need for transforming your apartment into a space you’ll feel comfortable living in every day. If you’re like most people, you’ll find that you run out of money long before you run out of furnishings you want to buy.
For this reason, it’s crucial to carefully prioritise the items that you need most. You don’t want to spend your entire paycheck buying fabulous framed art for your walls, only to realise that you’ll be sleeping on the floor because you didn’t save enough to buy a bed base, mattress and bedding.
For most people, a high-quality mattress will be their top-priority purchase. This is because we humans spend about a third of our lives sleeping. The mattress we choose has a direct effect on the quality of the sleep we get. That, in turn, directly affects every other aspect of our lives.
When you think about how vitally important your mattress is, you’re likely to come to the conclusion that it’s worth spending whatever amount you need to spend to get a comfortable, durable and supportive mattress that will promote healthy sleep. It’s also worth checking mattress reviews to ensure you’ll get the best possible value for the money you’ll spend on your new mattress.
Of course, buying a bed base to support the mattress is also a top priority, as is buying sheets, blankets and other bedding to ensure a comfortable night’s sleep.
A functional kitchen sink is also a top priority. Hopefully your new apartment already has one of those in good working order installed. If it doesn’t, a new sink will be another critically important purchase.
If you’re short on funds, you can delay the purchase of things like a washing machine and dryer; it’s possible to use a laundromat or wash your clothes in a sink or a bucket in the bathtub. You can purchase a washer and dryer later after your highest priority purchases have all been made.
Making a priority list for your purchases will help you to ensure that you maximise your decorating budget to the greatest extent possible.
- Consider Choosing Multi-Functional Furnishings
In many cases, it is possible to buy one item that will serve multiple purposes. For example, you can buy ottomans or end tables that also include storage space inside. You can buy a loft bed that has a bookshelf, desk or dresser nestled underneath. If you’re short on either space or cash when you furnish your new apartment, these multi-functional pieces can help you to overcome those challenges.
- Buy the Finest Quality Items You Can Afford
High quality items tend to be much more beautiful and durable than their cheaper counterparts. Beyond that, furniture can be an investment. There are furniture pieces that tend to hold their value and possibly even increase in value.
If you buy high-quality pieces that do not need to be replaced frequently, in the long term, you are likely to save money. In contrast, if you spend your money on low-quality mass-produced MDF furniture, expect that you’ll soon need to spend even more money replacing it when it breaks or starts looking shabby.
- Choose a Pleasing Colour Palette
The colours you surround yourself with can influence your moods, your emotions and your state of mind. This is why it’s really important to choose a colour palette that includes colours you love.
However, you also have to be sure that your colour palette includes some neutrals like grey, beige or white that provide balance for any bright accents you might use in your decorating scheme. I invite you to check out my tips on decorating with colour for more insights on this topic.
I hope this information is helpful to you as you make the transition to living in your new apartment. Happy decorating!
