7 quick ways to make your apartment feel more adult for less than $50
Settling in to you own place is very exciting. It’s slightly less exciting when you’re too broke to make it the fab haven you’d ideally like to be living in. When you’re low on disposable income, it can be hard to settle into a new apartment and make it feel homey. Having great taste and no cash to spare is tough, especially because in could result in your apartment eternally feeling like a dorm room. How are you supposed to embrace your grown-ass self while existing in an environment that screams immaturity? But if you get creative, there are quick ways to decorate your apartment for less than $50, and have it feel way more grown up.
Home decorating can get expensive, so it’s best to know what you want before you start.
If you don’t plan ahead, you’ll end up with five cans of paint, some new lamps, and a negative checking account balance. Here are some good ideas to start, all for under $50, which means you can spend more money on something else!
1A fresh coat of paint.
Painting a whole house can get pricey, so start small. To keep it super cheap, choose a wall in your living room to paint an accent color. It’s cheap, you can always change your mind, and even just one wall will pull the place together in a very adult manner.
2Redo your stairs.
Cool use of #washi tape on stairs — See how: https://t.co/yMONpitTRi #homedecor @IPGbooknews pic.twitter.com/bNsdOszkUj
— CraftFoxes (@craftfoxes) March 22, 2016
If you’re lucky enough to have a few floors in your apartment or a step or two into another room, you can dress them up with Washi or duct tape stripes. Go wild with designs or just do a handful of simple vertical stripes.
3Work on the kitchen.
Getting new cabinets is whole ordeal, but some fresh paint can work wonders in your kitchen. Then head to the nearest flea market and hunt down cool hardware for them on the cheap. You can also take the doors of completely — provided you have grown-up glassware to show off.
4Get a lamp!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRwRqqJFuDA
Nothing is more grown up than a proper lamp. Toss out the cheap desk lamp you’ve been using since college and invest in a cool lamp or new lampshade that you actually like and that does something for your decor.
5Work the windows.
Light will change everything. If you want to make a room look complete, invest in actual curtains or window dressings that go with your stuff. They’ll make your house look fancier than it ever will be.
6Make some art.
For under $100, it can be hard to find wall art. But if you make it a habit to troll flea markets, you can find some cool decorations to hang. Even better? Get some blank canvases from a craft store and paint your own pictures.
7Make a statement piece.
Instead of buying new, rework that old IKEA end table so that it looks brand new. Whether it’s paint, tape on the legs, or changing out the hardware on a drawer, you can make anything look like it comes from a designer furniture store.
