The little things to make an apt. more comfortable

In My Humble Opinion
21

I’m finding that having options in lighting goes a long way towards making a place comfortable. It’s nice to have bright lighting for reading, but dimmer lighting for hanging out watching movies. I agree the bit about rugs, too, but they can be budget stretchers. Watch Craigslist - I see them all the time.

You don’t have to lay out 200 to get a set of chairs. If you want something that isn't office chairs but isn't too expensive, Target has some nice sets for very little .

What about decorating with things that you already have that make you happy? Instead of canned art for the bedroom, blow up a favorite snap shot. Fill an empty spot in a book case with something of personal significance.

Also consider paint - most apartments are the ubiquitous beige/white. You don’t have to go nuts, maybe just paint one wall a different color. It makes a huge difference for very little $.

22

Oh yes. I have a lovely “falsely aged” map of Ankh-Morpork, and one of the Discworld. On the other wall I have one of Albany.

I tend to have a fairly eclectic mix anyway. On the far wall is a peacock mask that really appealed to me.

23

As for art, skip All Posters and stuff like that- there’s tons and tons of very good, very cheap photography available at places like Flickr, Deviant Art, CafePress, etc. 8x10s are $2 at Flickr, so just order a handful of prints, and some $3 mats to put them on, and your walls look good a pretty minimal cost. Bigger prints are available, too… this is hanging in our living room right now, and it looks great.

24

On the plant topic:

After i killed a couple and they were all brown and ugly, and the cat kept trying to eat them, I decided to go plastic.

I have a couple just plain old green ones around the place.
I have a couple flowered ones in the kitchen/eating area. They really seem to brighten up the area.
And I have a couple of fake 5 foot high trees in the hallway corner. They make the hallway more colorful and less dull.

As to posters:

I swapped out my movie and Simpsons posters for a couple scenic Van Gogh’s, a couple scenic Monet’s and a nice lakeside scene I found at the swapmeet for $.25.

I still have my 5’x3’ Jolly Roger hanging over my bed but that’s because the spirit of Roger protects me from evil ghosts while I sleep. :slight_smile: And it looks damn cool.

25

Get yourself a couple of bookcases and shelves. Place them where they can be seen as soon as you walk in the front door. It’s impressive.
Word of caution: fill the bookcases and shelves with books with stuff you know and care about, don’t be a phoney. Used books are ubiquitous - even some public libraries burn them because nobody will take them.

26

Oh yeah this is a good idea.

I had one big huge bookshelf in my bedroom that was falling apart so I went and bought 4 small ones from Wal-Mart for $20 each. Then I filled them with the books and spread them around the apartment. One in the living room, one in the dining area, one in the hallway and one in my bedroom.

I look way smarter now. :wink:

27

For me, one of the best investments I made when I moved into my new place was a scented oil burner that I got from The Body Shop. They’re attractive and (depending on the oil you choose) make your place smell very homey. I strongly prefer the pumpkin nectarine concoction. It also creates some nice ambiance with the candle burning.

Eric

28

My best advise is “unity.” Pick a theme and stick with it. Don’t go with a art deco desk and a post modern table/chair set. When you see anything you like, ask yourself “,will this match what I own?” If the answer is no, then keep looking until you find something that you like AND matches.

Peace - DESK

29

Decorating
I love Etsy for artwork. I’m generally not a fan of famous art prints unless you really love them and then by all means don’t let me dissuade you. Even stuff like grindhouse movie posters or band posters can look funky in a frame. This is a crappy Led Zeppelin poster that my fiance picked up at a flea market for $10 - I let him be corny and put it at the top of the stairs and he let me be vulgar and put this above the toilet.

Frames don’t necessarily have to be expensive - Ikea frames (I like the Ribba collection) are simple, cheap, and they fit most common print sizes. Also don’t hang them too high or too low - the general rule I’ve heard is that the middle of the print should be 57" from the ground.

If you can afford rugs I think it would be good to pick up a couple for visual interest and to stop you from scratching up the floors.

I also agree with the painting idea. Some friends got their landlord to pay for the paint and they did all the work (the landlord did have to approve the colour but like yours he’s pretty easygoing).

Bathroom
Matching towels, a bath mat, and a bin in the bathroom. As a guest it’s gross having to wipe my hands on someone’s still-damp bath towel so a hand towel is very much appreciated. Maybe a toothbrush and toothpaste on the counter but everything else in the cupboards.

General
If your plants keep dying just get rid of them together or replace them with succulents that barely need water. Dead plants are worse than no plants.

As long as your place is clean, smell-free and there’s enough seating, I’m sure your guests will be comfortable.

Also you might find this MetaFilter thread interesting: "You find yourself in a guys apartment. What do you look for, notice, or pay special attention to? Is there anything you look for that can cause an automatic, “I want nothing to do with this guy ever again!”

30

Please oh please tell me where you found these, my current artwork is already a pair of old maps, one of Cook’s voyages and another of the Caribbean…a Discworld map in the same style would be ridiculously awesome.

31

You need some sort of unifying theme for each room in the place (or part of room, if you’re got a living room/dining room combo). And if you’re going to split up a big living room into living area/dining area/office area or what have you, an inexpensive screen or room divider will help delineate the space.

But about the theme- colors work, periods work, or other themes like sports or beer or Irish/Asian/whatever culture you like. I’ve got a pale yellow and blue French kitchen. I’ve got candles, utensils, towels, and art in pale shades of yellow and blue, with some French pictures on the wall. And everything is retro- a beehive blender, lots of chrome.

Choose one or two main colors and one or two accent colors, then keep an eye out at thrift stores, garage sales, and Target for objects like candles, pillows, rugs, or art that fit those colors.

Choose a basic style of furnishing- if you’re a traditional type, dark wood and elaborate ornaments (like feet on tables and couches) are good choices. Or you might choose natural wood. Or brightly painted wood. Whatever you like, stick with it. If you need to replace a couch or table, buy one that goes well with your existing furniture, even if that means waiting a month or shopping at every thrift store in town before you find the right piece.

Small details are easily overlooked but really pull the place together. Things like framed snapshots of your family and friends on the end table or bookshelf, candles, pillows, knick knacks, clocks, mirrors, and the other suggestions here will make your place cozier. I like old boxes, so I have some cigar boxes and others (a wooden Philadelphia cream cheese box, for example) that I keep in the living room to collect random junk. Keeps the place from getting cluttered with junk, and is decorative too. I have an old chalk box that’s just the right size for mail, so I throw all my mail in it until I can sort through it.

That’s another thing- storage is great in an apartment. Buy an ottoman that doubles as storage for magazines, the phone book, your movies or games. You get the idea. Target and other stores have lots of storage furniture available, and baskets or bins that can be used in places like the kitchen or bathroom where storage space might be hard to come by.

32

Thanks all for the advice… I’m still trying to sort it all out, but all of its helpful.

33

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/102-0118855-0253753?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=discworld+mapp

I can attest that the first one, “The Discworld Mapp” is worth having. The others I do not own and cannot comment.

34

A book is cool, but I’m more looking for something I can frame and stick on my wall. :smiley:

35

Captain C already commented on this one. The Ankh-Morpork one is by Stephen Briggs and Terry Pratchett. Amazon doesn’t have it but here’s the link:

I had to get it from a private bookstore locally.

36

As for the “book”, Dunawake, there is a huge folded map inside the book to post.

37

Beanbags, hookah, lava lamp, acoustic guitar, incense.

38

Rugs - thriftstore or on line (I just got a nice one for $79 on line.
Pillows - again, thriftstore or Target…any of the discount joints
Throws
Have just a few items on your countertops. You don’t want them cluttered, but you don’t want them bare, either.

Bedroom…I can’t help you. My bedroom is more of a dark walk-in closet. No one goes in there but us so I don’t care what it looks like.

Kitchen Chairs from a thrift shop or even Target. I should take my own advice on that, because my chairs are suckin’ hard. You can also spruce up the ones you have with Walmart chair cushions until you can afford the ones you want.

39

Pick a color or two that goes with your decor and get a few accent pieces that share that color, pillows, vases, flowerpots, baskets, whatever, and scatter them appropriately. Ideally they should match your curtains and/or rug, and nor clash dramatically with any upholstered furniture (though if you have a good eye even that can work). I also strongly encourage you to get rugs- nothing makes a room look pulled together like a decent rug. Maybe check Overstock.com. I’ve seen some there that I’m lusting over.

Get a couple of garage sale or thrift shop wooden dining chairs and paint them in your accent color.

Mirrors! Mirrors with funky frames or even painted mirrors from a thrift store stripped (distressed-looking) or repainted add extra light and can be inexpensive if you look hard enough and are willing to be creative.

Dried plants in vases looks great, especially eucalyptus, if you can’t do plants. Or if you can find a tall cinnamon broom and put it in a vase that is big enough not to look silly on the floor, that adds texture and a great scent. I’m also fond of realistic-looking fake plants- who cares? The green is a nice way of adding color and life without worrying about matching. A big basket with folded afghans in your accent color add a nice texture, too, and is pretty practical- you have to store those movie-watching blankets somewhere.

Decorating is a bit of a hobby for me, and I lean towards a sort of boho look, so my advice may not match your aesthetic. Do with it what you will!

40

Oh, and be a cheapskate! I helped my sister decorate her living room for about $200. We got a rug at Target, an ottoman and curtains and throw pillows at BigLots, a mirror at Hobby Lobby, and a basket, a vase, some cool dried sticks to put in the vase, and long pieces of bamboo and hardware to make curtain rods at Wal-Mart. Provided you don’t have qualms about Wal-Mart, you can find great accents there. The room looked amazing.