What to remember when decorating your apartment

Decorating your apartment doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to bring together the pieces you’ve had forever in the new space you’ve just moved into. Figuring out what you need to make your apartment feel like home happens gradually. You have to live in your space and learn how it functions. You might not realize in the first week that you need to wallpaper the entryway or try a peel-and-stick backsplash in the kitchen. Those temporary paper blinds might stay up longer than you’d hoped. Your unpacked box of books could spend a month sitting in the living room before you find just the right bookcase.

And that’s totally okay!

Here’s the thing about moving into an apartment and setting out to decorate it in a way that feels uniquely you: It happens over weeks and months, and, in the meantime, you have to start living in the space.

That’s why if there’s one rule to take to heart next time you move, it’s don’t wait until your space is “finished” to enjoy it. It’s the most important thing to remember when decorating your apartment. Of course, that’s easier said than done, especially when you’re staring at a mattress on the floor, or an unfinished gallery wall. But here are four ways to make the most of this interim time. 

Don’t wait to entertain.

Invite your friends over now, not after decorating your apartment. Order pizza around a cardboard box table and ask for their opinions on where you should hang the art. Trust us, no one is looking at whether your accent pillows are perfectly chosen or the chairs around your kitchen table match. They’re just grateful for a place to gather, regardless of whether every space is finished.

Take a weekend off.

It’s tempting to spend every free minute working on your space as soon as you move in. You want to get every picture on the wall and every box put away. But spending each waking moment knee deep in decor ideas is a quick way to burn out on making your apartment your own. Try working on it every other night or even taking a weekend off. Go out to meet friends and forget about the projects that are waiting at home.

Create a finished corner.

While you wait to pull your space together, start decorating your apartment by creating just one finished corner. Hang a favorite print, install a renter-friendly Poplight wall sconce, and make this the space where everything feels just right. This is your place to take a deep breath and embrace the process. You can sit here with a cup of coffee in the morning and enjoy what’s done without feeling like you’re completely surrounded by chaos. 

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Let the pressure go.

The wonderful thing about enjoying your apartment in the moment rather than waiting for it to be just right is that you can forget the pressure of perfection. Instead, you can make decorating decisions, change your mind, then reverse course again. There’s no need to worry about getting it exactly perfect right out of the gate because you’re living in it now, and living is what truly makes your new place feel like home.