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Incorporate Items of Special Interest and Nostalgia
Being able to design a space that is uniquely you includes incorporating items and keepsakes that evoke a sense of nostalgia and comfort. For instance, that “well-loved” – but equally tattered blanked your grandmother knitted for you, those cheesy souvenirs you purchased on a recent trip to Peru or the comic book collection you have poured countless hours curating over many years. While these types of items may not fit within the parameters of traditional décor, they may be the difference between the feeling of home versus staying the night in a trendy hotel. There are several innovative ways to showcase your memories within your space.
Create Warmth With Removable Wallcovering And Carpeting
There may be certain restrictions that come with your new place. For instance, the walls and floors may be what they are – but you don’t have to be limited by them. If your lease agreement does not allow for painting, you can consider peel and stick wallpaper. Most are both removable and repositionable, come in a variety of colours and prints and guaranteed to spice up any living space! Choosing to add a great area rug can add a splash of colour and warmth. The addition of an area rug can both make a space more inviting and warmer on your feet!
Go Vertical
Empty spaces can feel cold and uninviting – the same holds true for empty walls, especially plain light-coloured walls. The selection of wall décor is seemingly limitless and can include anything from creative art pieces – purchased or home made, personalized photo galleries and space-enhancing decorative mirrors. Going vertical and adorn your walls with art, photos and mirrors.
Brighten Your Day
Lighting can drastically alter the vibe of any space. Not many people enjoy the feel of a cold, sterile florescent lighting. There are countless ways to incorporate lighting to create an inviting place to call home. If a major overhaul of fixtures just isn’t in the budget – simply choose bulbs that emit a softer more yellow less white light. Adding a few lamps with dimmers allows you to both inject personality into your apartment while maintaining control over the lighting as you please.
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Becoming a plant parent is a difficult decision. Depending on how much you know (or in some cases, how little), getting a plant can be either a hard choice, or a blind one. Many people don’t know what species of plants require the most care, and may opt for flowers that last for a week instead of something green, big, and with a strange name.
However, there may be more plants that you can add to your apartment than you realize—and maybe after some research and this post, you might find one suitable for your lifestyle!
The garden inside your apartment
Just because you live in an apartment doesn’t mean you can’t live your dreams of owning plants. There are plants for almost any lifestyle; Succulents, ZZ plants, and Air Plants require only small amounts of water (care depending on plant). Baby’s Tears and Cyperus are more tolerant to being overwatered. Some plants are easy to take care of; others are more challenging. Depending on your skill level and wiliness to take care of your new plant babies, the sky’s the limit with what you can grow. There are even ways to grow vegetables indoors!
Placement
It’s important to remember that light is the fuel that keeps plants going—it’s their food source. Even low light plants need some, so choosing a spot to keep your plants is essential. East or south facing apartment windows tend to be the best place to put plants who need more sunlight, but any window is preferred.
Care
Each plant has a different level of care—some like ferns require a lot of humidity, while others like succulents require a lot of sun with only a little bit of watering. It’s important to consider these factors: water, humidity, temperature and light when deciding what plant to purchase for your apartment.
Terrariums
If you want to have plants, but are unable to give them proper lighting, terrariums are a great solution for plant lovers that require minimum maintenance. Terrariums only need indirect sunlight (unless you are making a desert terrarium, which will require more sun), and can grow many different types of plants. Here’s a step by step guide on making one yourself!
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]]>1. Beauty by Bloom
Nothing captures the essence of spring quite like a vase of tulips or hydrangeas to instantly rejuvenate any space. Perfect as a centre piece to grace any table, mantle, counter or shelf. You can go subtle with a delicate sprig of your favourite fresh cut flower or elaborate with a multi-bloom bouquet – the results are equally simple and stunning. In fact, any seasonal greenery will do wonders in up-lifting your décor and mood.
2. Colour Therapy
Another easy way to chase away the winter blahs is to incorporate some colour into your décor. Toss out the basic beige throw pillows and replace them with seasonally inspired hues like lilac, primrose pink, celery green, peachy orange, and citrine yellow. These soft dreamy shades blend beautifully against any standard neutral backdrop. In fact the interior design blog, Italian Bark, proclaims that “pastels are the new neutrals of 2019”. So dare to be inspired and boldly bring a splash of spring to your accent pieces like throws, pillows, vases and candles. The beauty is these items are interchangeable and can be easily stored away when you find yourself back in the spiced pumpkin frenzy of fall. For inspiration see Pier One’s Chenille pillows in an array of shades like Lilac and Blush.
3. The Glass Menagerie
Since the season is all about ushering in the long awaited light, the reflective property of glass accent pieces can’t be underestimated. Candle holders, vases, jars, bowls and picture frames will capture the luminous glow of early sunshine and brighten up any room. Anthropologie’s Gilded Lantern candle holders or Bauble Vases are both inexpensive and interchangeable ways to achieve this look.
4. Woven & White
Natural fibres like wicker and woven textiles speak to spring with a textured, light earthy feel. Wicker baskets, place mats and small throw rugs are both functional and neutral, making them easy to incorporate into any apartment. White accent pieces like Wayfair’s Burrville Hand Woven White Area Rug re-create that ethereal, woodsy feeling of early spring and blend well with most décor.
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]]>Front Entrance
Store all your essentials to get you out the door quickly and easily by creating an entry way. Find a small, empty wall near your front door and install a floating shelf, some hooks and a mirror. This easy set up organizes your keys, coat, shoes and accessories all in one neat and functional area.
Bedroom
August is a great time to take advantage of summer sales. While this may be great news for your wallet it can mean bad news for your closet. Adding an extender rod is a simple way to double your closet's hanging capacity without using a single tool. Simply hang it onto your existing closet rod and adjust the additional bar to the proper height. If you really want to maximize your closet space, add an over-the-door hook rack (hanging door organizers) to hang your outer wear and even shoes.
If you still need additional closet or drawer space to house seasonal items, an under the bed storage bin is great use of a tiny space. It fits perfectly underneath your bed and keeps your clothes protected until the next seasonal change.
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]]>Colourful throw pillows: Nothing says summer like bright colours and prints. Try accenting your couch or favourite lounge chair with shades of blue, yellow or green. If bright colours aren’t your thing, try fun prints such as the ever so popular pineapple or banana leaf prints.
Flowers and Fruits: Summer produces a lush variety of fragrant flowers and fresh fruits. Bring nature inside your home by displaying seasonal flowers such as hydrangeas, peonies, or dried lavender. To help keep costs low, try placing faux flowers in a simple decorative vase. Green plants are also a nice alternative and tend to last longer. Displaying your favourite summer fresh fruits, such as peaches or mangos, is an easy and healthy way to add a pop of colour to your kitchen table.
Fresh linens: Start and end your day off right with fresh bed linens. Make your bedroom or guest room an inviting space to relax by covering your bed with clean white sheets. Accent your bed by adding a splash of colour with printed throw pillows and blankets.
Stock your bar: If you’re of legal drinking age, keep your bar fully stocked and ready to mix up some fun summer cocktails dressed with paper umbrellas and maraschino cherries. It’ll come in handy for all the impromptu gatherings on the balcony – after all, that’s what summer is all about!
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]]>- By all means seek out all the art magazines and blogs you like for inspiration and tips, but also remember art is very personal, so when it comes to picking the right piece there are no real wrong choices as long as it makes you happy and you feel it reflects your personality.
- Decide on the most important and visible walls in your home, the places that would allow people to best appreciate your chosen pieces. It's best to know in advance what size artwork would be best suited to each wall.
- Mirror the shape of the wall, if long and narrow, choose a long narrow piece. Accentuating the shape and size the wall makes the room feel larger and more open.
- Don’t be afraid to take inspiration from anywhere. A TV show, a magazine, even a dentists waiting room could give inspiration to a type of image or style you’d like in your home.
- The right frame is important. Not only can the correct frame enhance your artwork but if chosen with the style of the furniture in the room in mind can have the effect of bridging the painting with the over-all décor.
- While colour shouldn’t be your guiding factor in picking your artwork, it is important to keep in mind the colour scheme of the room the piece is going into. Aim to create a balance of colour and tone in the room.
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]]>- Lighting is an easy way to update your home. Replace standard lights and choose the wattage of your bulbs that suits your needs. Use a mixture of table lamps and floor lamps to illuminate and personalize your space. A bonus is that if you are to move again you can take your lighting with you.
- Use curtains to spruce up your space. Choose from a variety of textures and patterns for a pair that suits your style.
- Unpack all your items. It can be easy to let your stuff stay in boxes for a while but unpacking all of your items upon arrival will help you settle into your home faster.
- Add fresh flowers and plants. Cacti and succulents are budget friendly options that are also low-maintenance. Grab a bouquet of your favourite flowers from the local grocery store to instantly brighten up your home. Tip: to keep your flowers fresh, store them in the refrigerator overnight
- Throw on a stylish rug that will add low-commitment pattern and texture to your space while adding some personality. Rugs also help to break up the room into different sections.
Inject some liveliness into all-white/neutral bathrooms by adding decorative items with some personality. Pick up a bold shower curtain and bath mat to keep things fun.
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