Category: Home Decor
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25 Small Apartment Living Tips for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know
The first apartment I ever lived in alone was 410 square feet, and the closet was basically a suggestion. I bought a gorgeous velvet sofa online that I’d measured for exactly zero things, and it spent a very long afternoon wedged in my stairwell before I admitted it wasn’t going anywhere. I returned it, paid…
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22 Best Room Dividers for Studio Apartments (For Every Budget, Layout, and Lease)
My first studio was 410 square feet, and for the first month my bed was visible from the front door. A delivery guy once said “nice place” while looking directly at my pillow. That was the day I started researching room dividers for studio apartments. Over the next few years I tried a lot of…
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Renter-Friendly Decor: 21 Must-Have Products for Renters Who Can’t Paint or Drill
The first apartment I rented had builder-beige walls, a lease that said “no nails, no screws, no exceptions,” and a landlord who inspected the place with a flashlight on move-out day. I know because I lost 175 dollars of my security deposit over four tiny picture-hanging holes I swore were invisible. They were not invisible.…
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9 Best Space-Saving Furniture for Small Apartments (That Actually Work)
By a renter who has measured every wall twice My first real apartment was 410 square feet, and the closet was basically a suggestion. For the first four months I lived with a full-size couch that blocked the path to the bathroom, a dining table I used exactly twice, and a laundry basket that doubled…
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How to Furnish a First Apartment on a Tight Budget (Without Buying Junk You’ll Regret)
My first apartment had a mattress on the floor, a camping chair, and a cardboard box I used as a nightstand for almost four months. I’d spent my entire move-in budget on the deposit and first month’s rent, and I genuinely believed I’d “figure out the furniture later.” Later turned out to be a very…
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How to Hang Curtains and Art in a Rental Without Damaging Walls (What Actually Worked for Me)
I lost a $350 security deposit deduction over one hole. One. It was a nail I’d put in to hang a mirror in my first apartment, and the property manager charged me “wall repair and repaint, full wall” for it. That’s when I got serious about how to hang curtains and art in a rental…
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How to Divide a Studio Apartment Without Walls (14 Ways That Actually Work)
For my first eight months in a 410-square-foot studio, my bed was visible from the front door, the stove, and the toilet-adjacent hallway. A delivery guy once said “nice place” while looking directly at my unmade sheets. That was the day I decided to figure out how to divide a studio apartment without walls, and…
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How to Make a Small Apartment Feel Bigger in a Weekend
My first apartment after college was 410 square feet, and the closet was basically a suggestion. For the first four months I blamed the space. Too small, too dark, too many corners. Then my friend Dana came over, stood in the doorway for about three seconds, and said, “Your room isn’t small, it’s just full.”…
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21 Studio Apartment Ideas for Separating Living and Sleeping Areas
For the first eight months in my 410-square-foot studio, my bed was about six feet from my couch, and I could see it from the sofa, the kitchen, and the front door. I ate dinner facing an unmade duvet. Then a friend came over, sat down, glanced toward the bed, and said, “Wait, do you…
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20 Neutral Apartment Decor Ideas for a Calm, Minimal Look
The first apartment I ever decorated in all neutrals looked like a dentist’s waiting room. Beige couch, beige walls, a beige rug I’d bought because it was $60 and “went with everything.” It did go with everything. It also made me feel nothing, and I spent about four months wondering why a space with zero…