6 Apartment-Related Items to Put on Your New Year's Wish List

By Danni White on January 10, 2018

This article is brought to you by CORT Furniture Rental. We take the hassle out of furnishing your new place so you can do more important things like read this article. Learn more about why furniture rental is the best way to get a great looking apartment.

So you are on winter break, enjoying time with family and friends, and probably ready to really kick off the new year. Amid all the parties and celebrations, you want to do a few things that are productive such as cleaning up your living space or perhaps making a few new purchases that will make your apartment feel a little bit new. The new year is super exciting and always brings with it an air of freshness and change even if, in reality, not that many things change in your life.

To help yourself get a decent handle on the new year, you may want to consider taking a look at your living arrangements and finding the things you can add or take away to make your place more comfortable and less cluttered. At the beginning of the year, I don’t plan to change much about my bedroom or bathroom [I love it just the way it is]. However, I do plan to make the collective living room space and the kitchen a little more friendly than it currently is.

via Pixabay

Just to give you an idea of just what kind of changes I need to implement: If you came to my apartment right now, it is likely you wouldn’t be able to sit anywhere in the living room. It’s open space with limited seating. Likewise, the kitchen is standing room only around its island divider. So, for the new year, I will be putting in some effort to change this.

With so much to do in so little time, even the smallest of changes can seem overwhelming. But here are some ideas to help you shop for the necessary items and make improving your living space a breeze:

1. A RUG

This is a real rug that you can actually walk on and not feel like you have to quickly get off of it. It also isn’t a rug that you constantly pull from your bathroom. If you have hardwood or tile flooring in your apartment, adding a rug can be a great way to cover the floors and provided a nice and comfortable feel to your living space. If you’re renting or leasing you might not be able to change the floors without hassle from the property manager, but changing the rugs to a color that matches the walls and your style can add a new dimension to your mentality about your home.

2. REAL SEATING OPTIONS

So, the beanbag chairs and sitting on your bedroom floor may have worked for a while, but now that you’ve gotten your first professional job, you need to have much better seating options in your living room and/or kitchen. Granted, not every single person who you invite to your home may care for a sofa or a love seat or even a stool seat at the kitchen bar, but adding a few comfy chairs, a couch, and stools in your kitchen can create a welcoming atmosphere.

3. BOOKSHELVES

Bookshelves are for books, of course, but they also add a vibe of decor to your living space. If all your textbooks from the past couple years of school are stacked in a corner on your bedroom floor, then it might be time to move them to a stable place that looks more appropriate for your stage of life. If bookshelves, you can add accents such as flowers, pictures, small light displays, or other decorative gadgets that you find.

4. BED

A real one. If you still have a twin size bed that feels a little uncomfortable sometimes, it might be time to switch to a queen or king bed if your bedroom space is big enough to hold it alongside other things. A smaller budget can often mean telling ourselves not to buy something, but it could be a huge change when switching to a more comfortable bed (or should I say mattress) that is bigger than you and higher off the floor.

5. LIGHTING

Lights. Lights. Lights. Most apartments come with ceiling lights that can make any room in an apartment feel like an office building. Overhead lighting is quite unfriendly. Depending on the side of your room, having a nice size lamp on your night table is beneficial and can even make you feel cozy. Once you set your dresser and bed/mattress, and maybe a bookshelf in your room, you will not want to accentuate it with overhead lighting. There are many nice lamp options at thrift stores and other stores that do not cost a whole lot of money.

6. ART

Art is not a must-have but it is an option that can really bring out your personality into your living space. If you really like something and/or are especially passionate about something, you can build an entire identity around it. However, while art can be costly, there are some really nice art pieces that you can get from thrift stores, second-hand stores, or even off-brand stores that do not cost a whole lot of money and are not difficult to put up on your walls.

Knowing your space and what you like most can help you make decisions about the things you should buy, change, or add to your apartment to make it comfortable and inviting for the new year.

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