Young Adults on their Own : Personal Life : WorkLife : HRA : IUPUI

Young Adults On Their Own

"Man's maturity: to have regained the seriousness that he
had as a child at play." Friedrich W. Nietzsche

Decorating Your First "Place"

If you have a lease, learn what your lease allows and plan accordingly.
Measure ALL dimensions of the area(s) you plan to work on to guide your purchases of paint, fabric, curtain rods, etc.
Get ideas from the internet by searching "rental decorating" or "apartment decorating" Check out the ideas at www.rentaldecorating.com\ .
Go to consignment home décor shops, but be sure to check price/quality.
Painting is the cheapest thing you can do, so consider changing from white walls to your favorite color. (Hint: Dark colors usually require more than one coat of paint.)
Look at what you already have and try to select paint and fabric that will complement. It is a lot harder to paint and then find furniture to match. Hint: If the arm of the chair has a protective cover, take that with you when you shop, or take a snippet of fabric from underneath the furniture piece.
Use fabric (sheets are great due to their size but can be more expensive unless purchased on sale) to cover walls, windows or furniture - bold graphics (stripes, etc.) really add punch but choose what YOU like. Spring rods for curtains are great because they require no hole drilling for brackets. If you don't sew, use iron-on, double-stick fabric tape - it won't be quite as durable but will probably last as long as you care to look at those curtains. Bonus: If you sew, you have even more creative options and could even line the curtains with used (but clean, good quality) white sheets.
Change hardware on cabinets in bath and kitchen. Keep old hardware so that it can be put back on when you leave, if renting.
Add an inexpensive rug and/or lamp from a discount or consignment store.

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