Nothing says arrested development like a stagnated apartment. Stop giving the appearance of living in your childhood bedroom years after your prime and take this opportunity to “adult-ify” your studio apartment.
Find fabulous curtains and cover those blinds.
My apartment has had the same tired (and, well, dusty) black blinds for five years. Curtains can be an instant way to make a space more refined and can be surprisingly cheap.
Ditch the girlie pink theme.
Nothing says “I’m terminally single!” than an unabashedly pink apartment. HEAR YE, NO MEN ENTER HERE. Colors are great, but make sure to balance in neutral tones and different shades of color. Painting is an affordable DIY project that can really transform a space. Jewel tones are especially great options and help achieve a mature interior look. Consider the message you want to put out to visitors: If your colors are a lot more high school than high end, there is nothing like a fresh coat of paint to make your apartment look good. If you want the all-white look, it will make your apartment look fresh, clean and stylish. If you are feeling more daring, paint one or two of the walls a bright color, and even try a chalkboard paint. Paint can be very inexpensive, and it is a quick fix on your way to making your apartment more adult.
Buy inexpensive, neutral furniture (like dressers, headboards and coffee tables) and customize the pieces with knobs, wallpaper or paint, or get an exotic area rug like this fabulous piece from Medallion Rugs in order to make a statement — and start a conversation!
Get a new bed.
Ditch that futon or floor mattress you had in college and get a bed to sleep in. Not only is it more hygienic, it really makes a space seem more mature. We don’t have to illustrate all the reasons that it’s better to have a more inviting bed, do we?
Add some flavor to your walls.
Maybe in college, Luke Perry posters qualified as wall decor. In the modern day, you have to up the notch to something a tad more adult. You can buy inexpensive frames anywhere, paint them, mix and match, whatever best represents your vibe. Add frame posters, family photos, anything that interests you, and put them up. If you are renting and don’t want to make any holes in the wall, use plastic hooks that attach to the wall and come off without any damage. Ah, technology! We also love this fun temporary wallpaper idea from Dormify — no one says being an adult means we have to commit to one style!
Accessorize creatively!
Inexpensive accessories, like fab throw pillows from Ikea or West Elm, will take your couch from boring to chic for a very small investment. It’s always fun to mix patterns and colors and fabrics, and make it look like you just came back from some exotic country with a bunch of very beautiful pieces. Even better if they’re places you’ve actually visited. If pillows are not your thing, there are lots of other fun pieces you can bring in like a patterned carpet, a colorful vase, a cute clock. Scented candles with pleasant fall scents can look great and help to make up for not having an actual outdoors.
