If you remember your first apartment, you may how dreary and lifeless they make you feel. They usually have cream-colored walls and a neutral-colored flooring. The rooms are very drab and cold feeling. There is just no life in them. But fear not, there are several easy ways that you can help your child decorate their first apartment without spending a lot of money. With some easy steps, your child can bring some personality to those drab rooms and bring it to life. These decorating tips can turn a boring apartment into a place your child will want to spend time in and will remember for years to come.

Decorate a First Apartment with Color

The first thing you can do to help your child bring life to their first apartment is to bring color into the space. When your child moves in, the apartment will be a very neutral clean slate. Find ways to bring color in to brighten the space and show your child’s personality. Here are four ways color can be used to decorate their new place.

Furniture

Furniture is always the largest statement in any apartment due to the size it takes up in the room. If the apartment is unfurnished, your child will have options on what color and style of furniture to buy for their first apartment. The style of furniture will set the stage for the personality of the room. Choosing upholstered furniture in a solid colored fabric is best to allow your child’s personality to come through in the accessories. If your child tires of their decor in the future it is much less expensive to switch out the accessories than to buy a new sofa. To save money try looking for furniture at second hand stores, estate sales, yard sales, or an online marketplace. You’ll be amazed at the deals you can find on some nice furniture.

However, may times first apartments come furnished. In that case, your child will need to work around the style and color of furniture that comes with the apartment. If the sofa or chairs are covered with a hideous color or patterned upholstery, you can find slip covers to change the look of the upholstered pieces. If the upholstered furniture is decent, accent pillows and throws work wonders to bring a room together.

Window Coverings or Curtains

The next largest color impact comes from the window coverings. Selecting the window coverings depends on the furniture. If the upholstered furniture is a solid color fabric, it would be ideal to choose a curtain that has a pattern to give the room more interest. If the upholstered furniture has a pattern but the colors of the comforter are monochromatic, the curtains should be a solid color. The curtain color can either be a color found in the upholstered furniture or a coordinating color that your child would like to use as one of their accent colors.

If the upholstered furniture has a pattern that has several colors and your child likes lots of patterns, the curtains can be a complementary pattern using the same colors found in the comforter. However, using more than one pattern in a room can be challenging for those who don’t have an eye for design. A tip to remember when using more than one pattern in a room is to mix the size or scale of the patterns. For example, using a large floral print with a large geometric print will overwhelm the eye. The two large prints will compete with one another and cause discomfort in the room. However, using a large floral print with a small check or plaid print will compliment each other. This combination is pleasing to the eye and creates a comforting effect.

Wall Art

Wall space provides a blank slate to bring in some personality along with color. There are many ways to do this. One way is to use a fabric wall tapestry. There are many wall tapestries online with designs and colors to match anyone’s personality and decor. If using a wall tapestry, make sure the colors and graphic pattern of the tapestry complement the selected comforter and curtains. Another way is to use posters or framed quotes. Inspiration quotes are quite trendy right now. These ideas are definitely great ways to use the wall space to provide some color & personality to a first apartment.

Accessories

One more way to bring color into your child’s first apartment is to select accessories that are colors that complement the main color palate. Some common types of accessories that will bring in some additional color and interest to the room are throw pillows, lamps, picture frames, and organizational or storage containers. There are plenty of other types of accessories your child can add to their room to bring in color. Let them be a little creative here. The accessories they choose will really solidify the room’s personality.

As you can see, there are many ways to bring color to a first apartment. This will your child a great start to bring their new home to life. The next way to decorate their first apartment is to add in texture.

Decorate a First Apartment with Texture

Texture is a great way to give a room warmth, interest, and the feeling of home. If everything in a room is a smooth texture, such as smooth finished walls, tile floor, metal door frames, mirrors and countertops, it will give the room a cold feeling. That is not a place anyone would want to spend very much time. The solution to this is to bring in decorative items that have some texture. Here are three items that can quickly amp up the texture in an apartment.

Throw Blanket

Throw blankets not only provide that texture needed in a room to give it the warmth, interest, and the feeling of home, but they are also useful. There are many varieties and textures to choose from. There are big chunky knitted throws, cute sweater knitted throws, masculine plaid flannel throws, and warm and cozy fleece throws. A throw blanket is a perfect accessory as you can use it to take the chill off on a cold winter day or even a summer day where the AC is just cranked up a little too high.

Throw Pillows

Another way to bring in texture is through the use of decorative throw pillows. There are all kinds of textures and patterns of throw pillows. A few throw pillows on a bed, sofa, or chair are a great addition to create some more personality and color into the room. Be careful to make sure that the colors and patterns accent, complement, or coordinate with the upholstered furniture and window coverings. Just make sure too many patterns aren’t used as that can make the room uncomfortable. If you’re unsure, a good solid colored pillow with lots of texture is always a good choice.

Area Rug

Area rugs can really give a room a good sense of texture. If your child’s apartment has a tiled floor, the area rug will really warm up the place-literally! Those tile floors are really cold! But back to texture, area rugs can have a short pile or a thick, shaggy pile. Whatever your child chooses, an area rug is a great way to add texture, color, personality, and warmth to any room!

However your child chooses to bring texture into their first apartment, they will be pleased with the result. The next way to decorate a first apartment to bring more life to the space is to set the mood.

Decorate a First Apartment by Setting the Mood

Setting the mood in an apartment is all about the feeling you want to have while in the space. Does your child want to feel calm, at peace, and like they are at home? Or does your child want an apartment that feels energizing, fun, and like a party? However, they want their first apartment to feel, there are ways to decorate to bring about those feelings. Setting the mood is all about the senses – sight, sounds & smells. Here are three ways to set the mood in a space.

Lighting

As we discussed earlier, lighting in most apartments do not produce anything but the necessary ambient lighting. There is definitely not any good mood that comes from the lighting provided in apartments. If your child would like to have a calm and peaceful feeling in their apartment, they should use lamps or string lights. Soft white lighting in a lower wattage produces a glow that will create a relaxing feeling. However if your child would like a more energizing and fun feel, they should consider brighter lighting or lighting with colored bulbs. This can be done with lamps and string lights also but instead of a soft white bulb, use higher watt bulbs to produce more light or colored bulbs to bring in some fun and whimsy.

Music

Music is a great way to set the mood. For your child to be able to use music to set the mood, they will need a Bluetooth portable speaker. This will allow them to listen to music where ever they are in their apartment. If they have a roommate they might also consider Bluetooth earbuds. This way if their roommate is studying or doesn’t want to listen to the same music, they don’t have to.

Scents

Scents produce different emotions, some even trigger memories. With that said, you can see how the use of scents can help set the mood in your child’s first apartment. There are many scented candles that will provide a great smell in an apartment, but they are not the safest option. Here are several other safer options. An air freshener that plugs into an outlet is a great alternative to a candle. Another popular option is a wax melt warmer. Everyone is different in the type of scents they like. Let your children choose these scents themselves to ensure the scent produces the mood or the emotions they are going for.

With all these options of how to decorate a first apartment and bring it to life, I’m sure you will find some that will work for your child. Have your child select a few of these ideas and give them a try. They will be glad they did. You both can have peace of mind that they have a comfortable space they can call home. Have fun and happy decorating!