We apologize for the gap between the last post and this one. We had some technical difficulties, which have since been resolved. Thanks for bearing with us. As promised, we’ve returned to bring you some tips on setting up your first apartment, or house, whichever the case may be.
Now, in our estimation, there are two types of “first place”. There’s the kind you get while still in college or just out of it, and there’s the kind that you get after you’re a little more established. We’ll address the former first.
MELDING STYLES
Many people who get their first apartment while in school (post-dorm, perhaps, or post-living at home) and even just out of school have roommates. If not, count your lucky stars. You won’t have to dodge fights over what your apartment’s “style” is going to be. We know from personal experience that the idea of what your own style is may be vastly different from what your roommate thinks their personal style is, and what they think the style should be for the new place you both share.
If you do have one or more roommates, don’t let these challenges scare you too much. We have suggestions on how to make everyone happy. (If you are one of the lucky ones with your own place, great! Go on and skip ahead.)
Generally, in a shared house or apartment, everyone at least has their own bedroom, and the kitchen, living room, and possibly a dining room are the only shared areas. Your bedroom is where you absolutely get your own way. Make up your bedroom exactly how you want it. Unless the contents of your bedroom are somehow visible from the common areas (i.e. you don’t have a door you can shut), your roommates can keep their opinions about what your bedroom should look like to themselves, and vice versa.
In the common areas, we recommend you stay away from deciding you want your common areas to reflect any one style, be it Arts and Crafts, Beach-themed, Modern, or Oktoberfest. In the case of a shared dwelling, we always recommend getting comfortable with an eclectic mix. This means that the common areas contain furniture and objects that represent each of you. No one’s personal style should be left out of the mix, as long as their style isn’t somehow offensive to the other parties who live there. (In that case, sorry, but you’re on your own as to how to deal with the offending party.)
SELECTING NEW PIECES
Our advice for decorating the walls of your space doesn’t change much from our advice in “MY FIRST DORM ROOM” – select wall art and photographs that reflect you personally. However, you will probably find that your furniture needs are way different. You may be able to import some furniture and art from your dorm room or your old bedroom from home, but you will inevitably also need to obtain new pieces you can sleep on, sit on, store your books in, study at, or eat at.
Where do you get new pieces, and how do you pick them? That depends on what you need and what you intend to do with the new piece (Meaning, don’t pick up a table that seats four, if you want to host dinner parties for six or more.) Here are some tips depending on what you need:
Couches and chairs - These items are above and beyond some of the most expensive pieces you will ever buy new. If you’re on a budget, we recommend that you don’t buy new. We also don’t recommend you pick up any couch or chair that someone put out for curbside pick-up, as some college students have been known to do. You don’t know if the previous owner had a bug or mold problem in their home, or if bugs, rodents, or mold have invaded since the piece was placed outside.
Instead, find a secondhand furniture store, or a charity-run store (such as Goodwill) or church-run store. Most will have pieces that are still in decent condition, and some will even deliver what you buy to your home. Beware of musty or moldy smells, however. These will not fade with time, and you can accidentally expose yourself to harmful bacteria or fungus.
What you want to look for is a clean, comfortable piece with good padding and support. Try to find one in a solid color that compliments other pieces in your space. Try a stripe or other print if you’re adventurous, but be aware that a pattern you think is “fun” now may seem grating later.
The amount of seating you should look for is governed not only by the size of your space (always measure your room before you go shopping), but also by how many people you intend to seat. Chairs are excellent solutions to needing flexible seating options. So are nice, big and puffy floor pillows. Remember, these pieces should complement each other, but don’t need to match. Mix colors, fabrics, and styles at will.
Tables, shelf units, and desks - Even though our slogan is “kicking the flat-pack habit”, we acknowledge that when you’re starting out, flat-pack options from IKEA and Target may be the way to go. They are less expensive than pre-built units. Be wary when you select these options, however, and know what to look for when selecting a piece to last longer than six months of daily use.
Avoid pieces that are mostly made of particle board (it looks like a whole bunch of sawdust that’s been glued and pressed into a board-like shape) and cardboard backing, and pieces that have a paper veneer to simulate wood grain. These products do not last and are unreliable (read this as “a waste of your time, money, and effort to put together”). When you see terms like “engineered wood” or “solid wood with veneers” to describe a piece’s construction, these will be your better options.
Another option to consider is an unfinished wood furniture store. Often, these items are well-built, mostly solid wood, and sometimes, only a little more expensive than what you find in IKEA and Target. The downside is that it’s hard to shop at such stores online (most don’t have online galleries and shopping carts), and if you want the furniture finished, you will have to do this yourself, which could be an excellent learning experience in itself, or pay the store extra to send it out for finishing.
Mattresses and beds - Unfortunately, you cannot cut corners when it comes to mattresses. Although you may have seen ads for mattresses on Craigslist and other sources, we don’t recommend you get a secondhand mattress for any reason, and in some areas it is illegal to do anything other than dispose of a used mattress. So, you’re going to have to buy one new.
The good news is that there are inexpensive options out there. Find a Mattress Discounters or similar store. Stores like Macy’s and the like often have very good sales as well, so shop around. You may be able to get a bed frame included with your mattress purchase as well, or you can decide to simply leave the mattress and box springs on the floor.
For headboards and footboards, though, we suggest you look for these at the secondhand and charity-run stores, along with couches and chairs. They may have some options in this area, too.
And, if sitting and sleeping space is at a premium, as is often the case when you live alone in an efficiency, studio, or similarly cramped apartment space, consider a well-made futon or day bed. Although we don’t like to suggest the more expensive options, when it comes to these items, you want to spend a little more. Pottery Barn has a very attractive and well-made option. This is also a great option for guests, when you don’t have extra space for a guest room, but you want a comfortable place for overnight visitors to crash for a while.
Media units - IKEA, Target, and unfinished furniture stores have some good options for media storage as well. What you need to keep in mind is the intended use – if you need to store DVDs and CDs, how many components do you have (DVD/Blu-Ray player, game consoles, stereo), and how large is your TV, if you’re selecting a TV unit. Keep in mind that DVDs, CDs, and games can certainly be stored in a bookcase. If there are certain ones you want to keep close to the TV, along with any accessories like remotes and game controllers, consider a TV unit with drawers. Glass doors are great for decreasing the dust that your components are exposed to and will still allow the signal from your remote to reach the unit. Two things to always look for in a TV unit are a center or offset support under the shelf for the TV, which will keep the unit from sagging in the middle under the weight of the TV, and that the width of the unit is at least as wide or a couple of inches wider than the width of the TV, which will provide the TV with greatest support and minimize the potential for tipping.
Now that we’ve provided you with tips on where to look and what to look for, we’ll leave you with one last tip before moving on to part 2, where we’ll discuss tips for stylizing your first place once your budget loosens up.
Never buy something you don’t like, just because it will fill a space that needs a piece. This is the worst thing you can do with your money and your space, because 9.8 times out of 10, you will grow to hate that piece, no matter how little you paid for it. If you can’t find something you like to fulfill a need in a room, like needing a desk or a TV stand, your better bet is to study at a kitchen table or keep your TV sitting on book stacks, just for a little while, rather than buy a piece you don’t like all that much.
Wait until you find something you do like and then buy that. Trust us; you’ll be glad you did.
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