Moving into a new apartment goes beyond simply opening boxes. Regardless of how all of your items have been unpacked and placed in the right spots, your place will continue to feel alien, a little too quiet, or not quite yours. But why? It all comes down to a number of issues, namely the lack of warmth, furniture that does not fit well into the space, and rooms that need some personalisation.
Don’t worry though – no fancy remodelling or buying new furniture is needed. Most of it depends on the smaller decisions that you will make over time.
Understanding the Blank Canvas a New Apartment Offers
Purpose-built apartments are intended to be attractive for everyone; that is why they usually have the neutral look. White walls, uniform textures and lack of distinctive features are good from the point of view of renting, but they are also helpful – they give you an opportunity to start from scratch without any obstacles.
The thing is to fill your apartment with things gradually. Adding textures, colours, light and things that will make you feel at home – all this turns an empty place into a place where you can actually live.
Start from What You Already Have
In general, our natural response when we move into a new home is to start from scratch. It usually turns out that we end up buying unnecessary things while the useful pieces remain unused in the basement.
Familiar things have certain importance in a new environment. The old lamp that accompanied us for years, the piece of art that we moved twice before and the soft throw blanket: all these things bring continuity that is missing in the new things. A comfortable atmosphere comes gradually, and our things can help with it.
Let your existing pieces become the base and build around them.
Choose Your Furniture According to Its Scale, Not Only Style
Furniture scale is one of the least considered details when styling an apartment. A piece of furniture that works well in a spacious home may appear too big in a small-sized room. The furniture frame that appears to be perfect in a photo from the Sydney furniture store could take up too much space in a low-clearance room.
Before purchasing anything significant, measure every wall, doorway, and clearance point in your apartment. For larger pieces, visiting a Sydney Showroom in person lets you assess actual dimensions, upholstery texture, and how a piece occupies three-dimensional space, none of which translates accurately through a screen.
What Should Be Considered Before Purchasing Any Furniture
Use Layering to Add Warmth Without Permanent Changes
There is an important constraint for rented apartments: painting, making any constructional modifications, and adding fixtures that cannot be taken away are impossible. However, this is a great way to get inspired to use layering, which is the best way to style your place regardless of its size and budget.
By layering, we mean the combination of various textures, lighting, and surfaces, which creates an illusion of depth. A rug anchors your living space and makes it more comfortable acoustically. Floor and table lamps create spots of warm light that ceiling lights do not provide. Pillows and blankets add softness without any commitments.
Indoor plants deserve separate consideration. There are a lot of varieties that will feel good in your apartment and have a great effect on your interior and air.
Don’t Forget About the Kitchen and Bathroom
Both of these rooms often get the least amount of love when it comes to apartment decorating, which is unfortunate since they’re the two rooms where a few adjustments can really help to create a sense of comfort.
The kitchen should be neat and tidy, with matching containers for dry food products, an uncluttered counter, and a couple of plants.
The bathroom requires a bit more effort – you need to swap simple metal shelving with something made of wood or ceramics, add some moisture-loving plants and choose good-quality towels. You don’t need to mimic the luxury style here – it’s enough just to decorate these rooms thoughtfully.
Take into Account the Factor of Location on Your Comfort
Interior decorating is important, but it doesn’t work alone. The neighbourhood you choose affects your everyday activities, your sense of social interaction and comfort coming back home each evening.
If you have decided on choosing a long term apartment rental in Sydney, think about the location of your choice because it may influence your sense of belonging there more strongly than good interior design does.
The Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing the Apartment
Home is Created Slowly
A new apartment will not become home all of a sudden. Rather, the feeling develops slowly as the result of various minor choices, such as finding the right position for a lamp and making sure the light works or purchasing a rug that gives character to the living room or the corner that you start to spend time in.
Do things patiently and calmly and avoid being in a hurry. Focus more on comfort rather than on aesthetics for several weeks and do not be afraid to change something as you discover how you really use the space.