People tend to think because they rent an apartment they aren’t able to make upgrades, but the truth is there are plenty of simple upgrades you can do. When you’re first finding a spot for everything, you notice little things you’re not terribly fond of that you missed while you were touring the unit. You might not be able to add a dimmer dial for your lights, but you can easily find a light fixture that allows you to adjust the lights from your phone. Many apartment upgrades can be done with a small budget money or and inexpensive tools you most likely already have. Whatever you upgrade in your apartment, be sure to hang onto the original pieces, that way you won’t have to pay a penalty when you move out and you can take your upgrades with you!
Lightbulbs and Light Fixtures
Don’t let the lights in an apartment keep you from leasing it. You can quite easily change out the light bulbs to create the environment you desire. Lightbulbs come in different color temperatures, varying between mellow yellow lights and bright blue. Blue light is great if you want an area to be energetic and feel clean. Yellow light should be used for a calm, restful atmosphere. Blue light is great for the kitchen and bathroom, as you want energy to carry you through the completion of a meal prep or to let guests know you have a nice, clean bathroom for them. Yellow light is great for your bedroom, as it won’t keep your brain stimulated, so you will be able to fall asleep easier. To keep your theme consistent, figure out what color temperature you want to use throughout your entire apartment. New light fixtures allow you to control the color temperature and how bright the light glows, making it possible to create any mood from your phone.
Personal Photos
People think they need works of art as decoration, but photos that give your visitors insight to your life are almost better. Your visitors learn so much about you when they see photos of your family, friends, and pets. Even photos of places you went can serve as excellent conversation pieces. Photos tell people where you’ve been and what you like to do. As the saying goes, “one image is worth a thousand words,” so when words fail, let your photos speak!
Pillows that Pop
You don’t have to buy new furniture to make your living room stand out. That’s a poor use of money that gets expensive quick. Instead, use fun pillows to serve as a focal point or accent other aspects of your apartment. There are millions of pillows out there, so find some that work with the theme you chose. You can even use a website to create your own custom pillowcases so you can put some of those personal photos on your pillows!
Plants
Plants will literally breathe life into your apartment as they exhale oxygen. If your apartment building is a little bit older, the filters in the air vents might not work as well as they used to. An easy way to upgrade the air quality is to use decorations that live and breathe! There are many great plant species that will live perfectly fine in your apartment. Figure out how much natural light you have at your disposal, and then find plants that can photosynthesize with the amount of light you have. If you lack experience as a green thumb, start with simple plants that are tolerant and don’t need to much love to survive. As you get better taking care of plants, you can add more or even push yourself with plants that are a little trickier to take care of. If you need some names of great beginner plants, consider adopting the pothos, philodendron, peace lily, and succulents.
Use Your Floor as a Focal Point
Hardwood floors are awesome as they are extremely easy to clean and if you like to wear your shoes, you don’t have to feel guilty wearing them inside your apartment. The only negative is hardwood floors can get cold and can make it difficult to feel cozy. A carpet or rug can be placed to have a soft spot for your feet. If you don’t have any ideas for an accent piece, find a rug or carpet that clashes with your theme to make the room pop. If you wanted more support from the carpet or rug, you can always buy a rug pad. A rug pad will additionally serve as soundproofing too.
Convert the Light Switch and Outlet Covers
The last thing you should let determine whether or not you’ll lease an apartment is the covers of the outlets and light switches. These are probably the easiest upgrade in your entire apartment! Light switch and outlet covers are extremely cheap, so head to the closest home improvement store to find some that suit your fancy. Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish, you can use covers as an accent piece or to blend into the wall. You can even find covers with your favorite cartoon characters from childhood! Since most covers only have a couple of screws, all you’ll need is a few minutes and a screwdriver. If you don’t have you’re your neighbor in the unit next door most likely does, so you don’t even have to buy one.
Kitchen and Bathroom Hardware
If you don’t like the hardware in your kitchen or bathroom, swap it out. Grab that screwdriver and start getting to work. Like outlet and light switch covers, there has to be a million types of hardware for cabinets and drawers, so find something universal that you like and can take with you to each apartment you move into. Again, don’t lose the hardware that came with the apartment, you don’t want to have to leave behind the cool hardware you bought as an upgrade or even pay a penalty fee because you misplaced what belongs to the apartment community.
You Can’t Change the Shower, But You Can Change the Shower Head
Arguably more important than the shower itself, is the shower head. If the shower head in your apartment doesn’t allow you adjust it or simply just has poor water pressure, find a new one! Most shower heads have several settings that can turn any ordinary shower into a massage. If you want to cut back on your water bill, find a shower head that advertises as being efficient. The less money you spend on bills means more money you can spend on future upgrades!
