Mistakes to Avoid When Decorating Your First Apartment

Leaving your family home to begin life on your own is undoubtedly an important moment. For some, it even marks the beginning of adulthood. For this reason, you’re likely to feel overwhelmed by different emotions, but you shouldn’t make any hasty decisions: designing the home you always dreamed of takes time. Discover the mistakes to avoid when decorating your first apartment.

Seven mistakes to avoid when decorating your first apartment

Excitement can often lead us to make some rookie mistakes. Therefore, we’ll explain the most common mistakes surrounding decorating your first apartment so that you can try to avoid them. Who knows? You could even save yourself a lot of time and money.

1. Buying all your furniture at the same time

If you just bought your first apartment and it’s empty, without even the basic furniture, it’s understandable that you want to go out and buy everything immediately. The problem is that this could be a mistake that you end up paying for.

The recommendation is that you plan and make a list of the furniture and equipment you require and acquire them in order of importance. Also, keep in mind that if you urgently need a sofa, (for example) you should get one! But don’t buy your auxiliary chairs or coffee table at the same time.

Take the time to find the pieces that go with your style and the design you want to create. Also, this advice will help you to research and compare prices so that you can adjust your choices to your budget.

2. Mistakes to avoid when decorating your first apartment: filling the gaps too fast

In the rush to fill your spaces, avoid going to the store, seeing the displays, and saying, “I’ll take it all!” This isn’t only expensive, but you could also end up with a room that isn’t very personal, functional, or creative.

The decor of space should be seen as putting together a puzzle in which each element is connected to another. Furniture, rugs, lamps and accessories should create a harmony that can be difficult to achieve the first time.

Therefore, create a decor plan before you make any purchase. Look for the most suitable furniture according to your space, including which carpet will best accompany your furniture, as well as the most appropriate lighting. This process also allows you to understand how much money you can spend and which items you need to prioritize.

3.  Don’t choose the color of the paint without testing it at home

You went to the store, you saw the available paint samples and there was one you liked, so you bought it! Then, when you arrived home and applied the paint, you realized it was nothing like you expected it to be. You just made one of the most frequent mistakes when decorating!

You must be wondering what went wrong? The problem is none other than the lighting changes within the room. Colors are often affected by natural light, which is why they can look different depending on the room.

In that sense, go to the store and choose a tone, but don’t buy all the necessary paint just yet. Buy a tester pot, and apply a small amount to your walls. This is the only way to ascertain what the entire room will eventually look like.

Now, if you don’t want to actually paint on the wall, but you want an idea of what it’ll look like, you can apply the paint to some cardboard and tape it to the wall.

4. Mistakes to avoid when decorating your first apartment: don’t buy without measuring

As with the previous error, this one can also be annoying and costly. Don’t go to the store without first measuring the space of your apartment, as well as taking into account the shapes of the rooms. This is especially useful if you’re buying large furniture such as a dining room table.

Also, consider measuring your doors, hallways, elevators and stairs that your new furniture must pass through in order to reach your apartment. Otherwise, you could find yourself in a pretty tough situation.

5. Mistakes to avoid when decorating your first apartment: buying the cheapest

Although it’s true that you’re leaving your family home and you have a budget that limits you, you’ve surely heard the saying, cheap is expensive! And this is especially true when you have to replace what you bought much earlier than expected. Therefore, when you go to buy a piece of furniture, accessory or equipment, try to make it the best quality you can afford.

It’s also true that recycling and creativity are ways to save money, but there are situations where this isn’t an option, and quality must come first. The real challenge in all of this is knowing which items to invest in and which items you should be more creative with.

6. Getting carried away by the suggestions of others

We spend a lot of our time in our homes, and especially given the COVID-19 crisis, we hardly set foot outside of them. Therefore, it’s important that you listen to the recommendations of the store’s decor specialist, but don’t ignore your instincts or your tastes. The final decision should always be yours, since you’re the one who should feel comfortable and, above all, happy with your decor.

7. Don’t place your furniture too close to the wall

One of the most common mistakes when decorating your first apartment is placing furniture close to the walls, which results in a void in the center of the room and a space where the air doesn’t circulate.

For this reason, make sure you don’t place furniture against your walls, especially in rooms such as the living room. Instead, put furniture together in the center for a cozy and intimate space, perfect for conversations with your family and friends.

Decorate your first apartment with ease

You’re out of your family home and a new journey begins! You must obtain the necessary furniture, equipment, and accessories while maintaining a harmony in the design, but wait! You shouldn’t rush out and buy everything immediately. Take your time and prioritize, so you can choose the first item according to your tastes and the characteristics of the space.

To do this, put together a design plan, and complete your decor as if it were a puzzle. In this way, you’ll guarantee not to go over budget and create a home that suits your personality. Yes, we know that you don’t have much money, but don’t skimp on quality! Remember the balance is in knowing what to invest a little more in and what to save.