Make Your Apartment Feel Like Home

(Image courtesy of Wonderlane)

There's something about visiting the place where we grew up that just feels like home. Maybe it's the smell of the place, or the familiarity - whatever particular aspect stands out to you, the fact remains that nothing feels quite as good as feeling like you're at home. 

The design of your apartment can speak volumes about how comfortable you feel there. If the furniture you have isn't comfortable, or randomly thrown together, it can make your apartment feel less inviting. Follow these simple tips, courtesy of renters.apartments.com, to start feeling at home in your new home!

Design for Use

The difference between a home and just another room is how much you really dwell in it. If you're ready to think of your apartment as a living space and not just where you crash at night, start designing your environments around their utility. Approach kitchen improvement projects around making it easier and more fun to cook and host company, tackle your bedroom as a pursuit of true coziness and relaxation, and think of your living room as a great leisure space just waiting to emerge from the blank canvas of the floor plan.

Color and Light

The cheapest, most functional way to establish a real decorative aesthetic is with careful color and lighting concepts. Look into whether your lease allows you to paint the walls. A fresh coat of the right color can really personalize a room. Even if you're not allowed to paint, you can start thinking of other kinds of decor along a color scheme that makes your home feel more intentional and personal. It's also a good idea to have plenty of lighting to open up each room and make the space feel more inviting.

Think Beyond the Now
Even if a given apartment is just a temporary arrangement, that doesn't mean everything in it has to be temporary as well. When you furnish and decorate your space, invest in items you'll want to see in your next home as well. By putting the effort and money into your belongings now, you'll feel literally and emotionally more invested in the space, plus you'll be less likely to have to start from the beginning the next time you move. Every chair, poster and candlestick can be the start of a continuous story, rather than just a lost chapter.

Add Some Life
Tending to your space or something within it is a great way to make your rental feel like home. When you're ready, bring a pet or some plants into the apartment so you'll have something you can help thrive in your environment. If you opt for something practical like a small garden of fresh herbs like mint and basil, you'll also have another reason to step into the kitchen and make your home a source of physical and spiritual nourishment. Apartment gardens are often as easy as a few potted plants on a windowsill, or even a small DIY project to install a floating shelf near a source of light.

Match the Mismatched

Especially when you're just starting out, it's pretty common to have a mishmash of furniture acquired more out of convenience than an eye for catalog perfection. Making a matching set just takes a little extra work, though. If you have wood, plastic or metal furniture, a fresh coat of paint can make them into companion pieces. Leather and fabric seating are good options for slip covers an upholstery, which will also increase the longevity of furniture that's either at risk of wear or is worn already. Taking on these small-scale DIY projects is not only a fulfilling and productive use of leisure time, it's also a great way to develop new skills that will serve you well when you're ready to take on larger home improvement projects in the future.

No matter how small your apartment or how short your stay, there are plenty of things you can do to improve and customize your space. A little effort and TLC will definitely make your rental feel like a home you're happy to call your own.

Read more »

Solutions for a Better Night's Sleep

Is your bedroom keeping you awake at night?  There are five reasons that may be the cause of your lack of sleep in your own home.  This blog has a list of those reasons. It also includes a list of possible solutions that could help you in your quest for a better night's sleep.  You can learn more at apartment therapy.

PROBLEM #1: ALLERGIES

Is your stuffy nose keeping you from getting shut eye? Seasonal allergies are one thing, but dust mites are with us all year round. Your bed is Disneyland for those little critters, who thrive on all the dead skin cells your body provides.

Fixes: Vacuum your room with a HEPA filter and clean your bedding as often as you can— including your pillows, which you can throw in the dryer for 15 minutes to kill off any existing bugs. Instead of scented detergent, use a few drops of eucalyptus oil in your laundry. Put hypoallergenic protective covers on your mattress and pillows. And lastly, strip your mattress before you go out of town to give it time to air out. (I won’t rile up pet owners by suggesting you ban furry loved ones from the bedroom, but it’s worth thinking about.) Read more onbedroom allergies here.

PROBLEM #2: LIGHT

Your room is too bright at night. Whether it’s coming from the outside, a nightlight, the television screen, or your blinking alarm clock, any light keeps your body fooled into thinking it’s not sleeping time.

Fixes: Buy really dark curtains, or add liner, to block out street lamps. Also turn off electronic devices and remove anything else that emits brightness. (If you’re worried about getting up in time, try covering your alarm clock instead.) Lastly, swap out higher watt lightbulbs in your bedside lamp for dimmer ones; these will aid the transition as you’re winding down from the day by reading in bed at night.

PROBLEM #3: TEMPERATURE

Some nights you're too hot, and other times, it's too cold. Sleep is induced when you are at rest and your core body temperature lowers. If your heat is on too high (or too cold for that matter), your internal thermostat fluctuates which leads to restless sleep.

Fixes: Everyone is comfortable at different temps, so experiment to find the right one for you. There's no right answer but cooler is generally better - start in the 65 degree range. There are always fans and blankets to help you regulate, but know that bedding material makes a difference too; memory foam pillows and mattresses, for example, are hotter than more traditional ones. If you are still having trouble staying asleep, look into bedding and pads that keep you cooler at night.

PROBLEM #4: NOISE

There’s the 5 am garbage truck variety that’s impossible to ignore. But when it'stoo quiet, the slightest disruption can reach epic proportions and you find yourself focused on that weird hum or dripping faucet. Either way, you need a way to soundproof your sleep.

Fixes: If it’s too loud, wear earplugs as a first resort. Or, try a white noise machine or app —or even a basic fan— to drown out any noises that violate your REM cycle. If it’s really bad, get as far away from the offending noise as possible. Either move your bed to another wall to dampen neighbor noises, or, if you have the option, try swapping your current bedroom with another room entirely. Read more on bedroom noise here.

PROBLEM #5: MATTRESS

Having a healthy, comfortable, supportive mattress is critical to a good night's sleep.

Fixes: Flip your mattress with the seasons, alternating between end-over-end and side-over-side rotation. If it's time for a new one, check out Danny Seo’sgreat tips on mattress shopping. A couple of years ago, Maxwell also experimented with different mattress brands for twelve months and wrote about it in his Year in Bed series.

Read more »

Happy Mother's Day

Here's wishing a fantastic and joyous Mother's Day to all of the wonderful Moms out there. Thanks for being such great Moms!

Read more »