Seven Rules to Follow When Renovating Your Apartment

Whether you live in a studio apartment or something more spacious like The Madrid, renovating is the perfect way to make it your own. If you’re in the market to spruce your place up, then follow these seven essential rules.

1. Always Check With the Landlord

Apartment living comes with its own set of rules, and the person in charge of those is your landlord. Unauthorized changes to your dwelling can lead to fines or eviction, so play it smart. Start by checking your lease to see what upgrades can be made, then ask the landlord directly to get the okay on your project.

2. Hit the Kitchen

Apartments typically come with outdated kitchens since they save landlords money. That’s not always the case, and http://www.carmelapartments.com/the-village/ is living proof, but it might be the first area you want to spruce up.

Simple changes like replacing knobs or repainting cupboards can breathe new life into this space, as can printed contact paper inside the cupboards. To save on space, add adhesive hooks to the insides of your cabinets and some easy to install removable shelving.

3. Bathroom Etiquette

Dealing with a small bathroom? If your porcelain throne room could use an update, start with the showerhead and knobs on the sink then add a shelving unit to help stores things like towels or toilet paper. If you want to go the extra mile, ask about painting the walls a different color or updating the flooring.

4. Floors Galore

Updating the floors is a major change, but most landlords won’t argue if it can help increase the value of the space. They might even reimburse you for part of the cost if you sell the idea to them this way!

Keep your cost down with carpet, laminate, or linoleum. If you can install it yourself, all the better. Whatever you choose, this can make any room feel like it's brand new.

5. Livable Living Space

Apartments can often feel smaller than they are due to cramped furniture arrangements. Thankfully, moving your furnishings around is free and takes a mere few hours to complete. If you’ve already got the ultimate feng shui down pat, then consider swapping out certain pieces with space saving alternatives.

6. Make Use of Space

Have an extra room that you don’t use very often? Why not repurpose it into something more useful? Any room, open or not, can quickly be made into an office or extra space to entertain guests.

If you really want to go the extra mile here, use the smaller space for your bedroom. It might not seem practical, but consider how many more guests you could entertain with the opened up space in the larger room. Besides, how much room do you need just to sleep?

7. Brighten Things Up

A dimly lit apartment will always look smaller than it really is. While ample amounts of natural lighting are nice, it isn’t always an option. Consider adding a few lamps, and keep your eyes peeled for any overhead lighting you can install.

Provided you have permission, you could try out Lantern & Scroll custom lanterns for a truly unique feel, or pick up a few standing lamps to place in the corners of your room. To give different rooms their own vibe, try our different lighting in each.

Renovate Away

These rules are the recipe to making any apartment space feel more spacious, inviting, and aligning them more with your unique personality. By the time you finished #7, you’ll swear you just moved into a new place!