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The cost of decorating
your first apartment
By Cynthia
E. Brodrick and Kate Sperber • Bankrate.com
Congratulations! You've moved into your first apartment.
But unless you want to make do with milk crates and furniture you
find by the roadside, you're going to have to decorate. The good
news is it doesn't take a lot of cash to add pizzazz to your palace.
As one who loves color and style, Karena Joung couldn't
stand to leave her first apartment bare. The veterinarian of Maryland
picked up fabrics, paints, and odds and ends to add oomph to her
living space.
She took her time, taking about six months to complete
her decorating projects. Not rushing into anything allowed her to
find cheaper ways to do what she wanted to do.
Keep in mind that if your landlord is like most, painting
and wallpapering may not be allowed. Fabric is a great alternative
for adding color and texture to your walls, suggests Matt Fox, co-host
of Room by Room on the cable channel Home & Garden
Television. Dip panels of fabric into starch, then paste the
fabric onto the walls. When it comes time for you to move out, you
can peel the fabric right off. You can find fabric for as little
as $1.60 per yard at joann.com.
Tips for decorating on the cheap:
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Find a theme and build off
of it. If you love Monet's paintings, Fox says, go with soft
colors. If you have a favorite pillow on your couch, pick out
some of the colors and textures to use throughout the room.
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Fix up old stuff. Updating
furniture is a way to re-use items you already have but don't
really like. For example, Joung covered her mother's old couch
with a new slipcover to brighten up the living room. Also, she
refinished an old bedroom set by painting her headboard and
night stand to match her new sheets.
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Finish the furniture yourself.
Fox suggests buying unfinished furniture, which is cheaper than
finished furniture. This allows you to choose your own colors
and save some cash.
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Be bold with color. Accessories
like colored bottles or pottery add a lot of interest to any
room, says Fox. For the bathroom, Joung bought a $3 plastic
shower curtain from IKEA on which she painted a deep-sea theme
with acrylic paints. She carried the theme throughout the bathroom
by painting various sea creatures on her mirror, sink, bathtub
and walls. You can pick up a set of acrylic paints for just
a few bucks.
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Shop smart. When looking for
things to accent your apartment, shop at flea markets, garage
sales and thrift stores. You can find almost anything, from
furniture to knickknacks. Look for mix-matched dinnerware and
place mats to embellish your table.
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Be creative. Pick up some interesting
postcards and frame them. Find textured fabrics to recover pillows
or to throw over the couch. Small rugs can add depth and color
to an apartment.
Admittedly, not many of us are as creative as Joung.
For those who need a little help with ideas, there are plenty of
places to find them. Libraries and bookstores have numerous books
and magazines with ideas for decorating within a budget. For the
couch potatoes, Home and Garden Television is full of shows
with decorating inspiration and advice. You can also find decorating
tips on the Internet at hgtv.com
and marthastewart.com.
Finally, don't forget flowers, especially if you're
expecting guests. Flowers can make even a dull room shine. Fresh
carnations and mums are inexpensive. Use artistic Arizona iced tea
bottles or brilliant blue mineral water bottles as vases.
Now, that wasn't too bad, was it? It's neither difficult
nor expensive to add a splash of style to your space. And with all
the money you've saved, you can throw a huge bash to celebrate your
beautiful and unique apartment.
-- Updated: June 25, 2008
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