Decorators' Guide to Apartment Living - Kansas City Apartment and Rental decorating Advice

You may not own it, but it’s your home. Treat it that way and an apartment can easily be transformed from a place to crash to a comfortable haven at the end of a long day. Whether you’re just making a temporary stop as an apartment dweller during college or you’re in it for the long haul, renting has many advantages over buying. But, to truly make your apartment your home, it needs to reflect your personality, be functional and offer you a sense of inner peace when you enter its confines.

Turning a stock apartment floor plan into your personal refuge doesn’t necessarily require a lot of money or the advice of a pricey designer. Simple touches go a long way. To get started turning bare rooms and white walls into a home for living, take some time to ponder how you’d like things to look and consider other family members as well. Decide upon colors, themes and accents to suit your needs in rooms you’ve staked out as your own and remember to include other family members in on the decision making process if they’ll be effected by the changes. Take stock in the space you have and balance your decorating decisions with the underlying need for some rooms to retain functionality as well.

Since the space in an apartment is sometimes limited and the ability to knock down a wall and make way for expansion isn’t at a renter’s fingertips, it’s important to use space wisely. Creative organization can go a long way to achieving this.

Whatever theme you decide upon for your apartment, remember there are ways to turn even the most basic design into a space for living that not only makes you comfortable, but makes you proud to show off to friends and family.

In this series of articles, we will discuss simple tricks and tips for transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary – even within the confines of a tight budget. With a little imagination, careful planning and some creative design work, you can make your apartment house a home you and your family will enjoy.

Here are the articles in the series. They’ll help guide you along the way to turning any apartment into a warm and comfortable place to live.

• "How to make your bedroom a private sanctuary" discusses ways to make your bedroom environment soothing and relaxing. Whether your tastes are simple or elaborate, bedroom design is vital in transforming an apartment into a home. This room above all others should be warm, inviting and provide a sense of relaxation.
• Lighting can make a real difference in any room in an apartment. In "Creating Mood With Lighting" we’ll discuss ways to set different moods and highlight features in your apartment you want to stand out. Lighting can be a wonderful decorator feature and it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.
• "Great Decorating Tips That Won’t Break The Bank" touches on ways to find the perfect pieces to create the apartment home you want. There are lots of places to look for the right accents and we’ll help you find out where to go and what to look for in bargain decorating items.
• Let’s face it, not everyone can afford a sprawling apartment home. So, in the next few articles, we’ll offer ways to help you organize what you have to make space work for you. "Making Small Spaces Functional" will directly address organization and "Feng Shui For Your Place" will touch on the ancient art of arranging to create a peaceful sense of flow in your apartment home.
• "Apartment Gardening" will speak to those green thumbs out there who love their apartments, but hate the lack of outdoor space. Just because you’ve decided to rent doesn’t mean your gardening skills can’t enjoy a good workout!
• If bare walls are getting you down and stark white makes your eyes hurt, you can glean some ideas for your own space by checking out "Choosing Great Paint Colors" and "Painting Your Own Art." You don’t have to be the next Picasso to create your own works of art, we’ll show you how.

Just because you’ve made the decision to rent in Kansas City rather than own doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice making your home a showplace and a haven for you and your family. There are easy ways to personalize your space and truly transform your rental from a place to hang your hat to a venue for living and creating memories.

by Tiffany Lewis, Kansas City Premier Apartments, Inc.