If you’ve recently purchased an old home or moved into a rental that doesn’t exactly feel as inviting as it should, you’ve certainly landed on the right page. Turning a house into a home that allows you to let your hair down after a long and stressful day at work is something that everyone deserves, regardless of whether you’re living in a rental or on your property. Today, we look at 10 of our favorite ways to turn an old apartment from drab to fab, so settle down with a coffee and read on to find out more!
One of the easiest and most impactful ways of completely refreshing your space is to slap on a couple of coats of new paint that will instantly change your space. If you need apartments for rent in oakland, be sure to get the go-ahead from your landlord before going too crazy with color, and if you own your own home, then you can skip the formalities and move straight on to picking your favorite shade of wall paint. Painting your walls is cheap, easy, and a fantastic way of adding your style to an apartment, so grab your paint roller and get cracking!
Many rentals come with standard generic blinds that lack personality and style, which is why considering a window treatment update is top on our list of advice. If you don’t want to damage your walls, a fantastic rental-friendly option is to purchase some tension rods that fit snugly into your windowpane and allow you to hang your curtains of choice with ease. If your home already has curtains that look slightly more than outdated, we highly recommend swapping them out for sheer curtains in Melbourne that give you privacy without blocking out light to create a light, airy and warm ambiance in your home.
No cozy home is complete without some indoor plants, so head out to your local nursery and pick a wide variety of low-maintenance greens that will instantly spruce up your space. Some easy-to-maintain varieties include philodendrons that come in a wide variety of styles to suit any taste. On top of indoor greens, fresh flowers in a gorgeous vase are also a great way to add an elegant pop of color to your home, so be sure to visit your local florist to see what they have in stock!
One of the worst offenders for making properties lack homeliness is empty walls which is why we encourage all home dwellers to adorn their walls with some interesting and eye-catching artwork. Some expert tips on adding tasteful artwork to your home include ensuring that your art is the right size for your space and not hanging them too high. Another tip is to mix and match small and big pieces to create a cohesive and balanced look that will inject some personality into your space.
If your couch is looking a little sad, the easiest way to spruce it up is by adding various cushions in different colors, shapes, and textures. Aside from creating a more homely aesthetic, cushions also serve a practical purpose in ensuring that your home looks cozy and feels it. While we’re on the topic of cushions, let’s not forget to include a couple of throws and blankets to the mix to pull your living room together.
If you haven’t invested in some quality pieces of furniture, now is the time to do so. You’ll be amazed at how much better quality wood pieces can make your space look, so forget about plastic or laminate furniture that may be cheap but also tends to look tacky. You don’t have to spend a fortune on quality pieces either — shop around on Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree, where you’ll find thousands of deals for high-quality pieces at half the price.
Never underestimate the power of lighting when it comes to the setting, ambiance, and mood that you’re striving for. The suitable lighting scheme can instantly transform an otherwise dull or drab space into an intimate and cozy one, so it should be one of the first things you tackle when you move in. Consider various floor lamps, table lamps, and pendant lights to add a warm and inviting touch to your space.
We’re sure you’ve heard of that old real estate trick of baking some cookies before a buyer comes in for a viewing, and as ingenious as that may be, there is actual psychological reasoning behind doing this. While people aren’t consciously aware of smell most of the time, our subconscious registers them as a part of the holistic environment. This means that how your home smells directly impacts how you feel, so be sure to utilize aromatherapy, scented candles, diffusers, and oil burners to make your home smell and feel like your personal haven.
Sentimental items are the little knick-knacks and heirlooms that will make a space truly feel like yours. These items can range from photos, books, postcards, or anything else you treasure and always keep close to you. A painting that hung in your parent’s house, the blanket your grandma knitted, and the painting from your study abroad trip are all examples of sentimental items that can turn your house into a home indeed.
Just like smell can dictate how you feel in your home, so can music. Music has the power to transform people and music alone completely; you can control and alter the mood of the space to help you feel more cheery or relaxed. Compile playlists of songs that trigger warm or positive feelings and have them on hand for when your home could do with a mood boost.
Turning your old apartment into one filled with warmth and personality can be an enjoyable and rewarding task. We hope that our top ten tips for turning your house into a home help you settle into your new space as quickly as possible. All the best!