Unconventional Apartment Decorating Ideas

Atlanta, like many other cities is host to a plethora of apartment communities. These communities range in price, style, and space depending upon the location. The problem with apartments in general, is that the floorplans leave very little room for creative furniture arrangement. Certainly, there are some things that must remain static, like plumbing and electrical fixtures/outlets. But just because your cable outlet is on the other side of the room does not mean that your television must make its home there as well. If you're stuck renting an apartment for an undetermined amount of time, the space might as well speak to your personality, instead of that of apartment developers.

ROOM CONVERSION

People often hear the advice "Think Outside of the Box." But this advice is often easier to give than to receive. When looking at your apartment floor space, consider that there are no rules defining where you place furniture, or how you use the rooms.

Do you work from home but have no second office? Convert your dining area into a makeshift office. If you never serve meals in the dining room, then you're probably wasting a good deal of square footage. You can even separate this area from your living space by hanging curtains, or purchasing a screen.

On the other hand, if you have very little room to entertain guests, you can expand your lounge zone by converting your bedroom into a "living room" or den. Very often, master bedrooms are larger than the common areas in some apartments. Thus, bedrooms often make wonderful entertainment areas. Create a lounge environment by hanging funky pictures or other memorabilia. Move your sofa into this room and accent it with side tables. You might even consider a small conversation/snack nook. If you're not keen on completely converting the space, simply add a futon and let the room double as a bedroom. The space is yours (or at least yours while under lease). So you might as well enjoy every square inch.

THEMES

A good way to help you forget that you're living in a rental property, is to create a fantasy in your home. Skip all the traditional decorating accoutrement and use your imagination to reproduce all your favorite places, and condense them into your living space. For instance, recreate your own personal "Hawaii" in your bathroom. Visit party or gag gift shops for props. Use a fake coconut to hold toothbrushes. Affix straw placements to the wall to assemble a faux "thatch" wallpaper. Create a southwestern style room with items like cactii (real or fake), faux tumbleweed made from a collection of treated wood. These kinds of items can even be found at home interior stores like Michael's.

Many apartment complexes will allow their tenants to paint or add wallpaper, provided that they leave an additional deposit, or restore the walls to their original condition. If this is an option you're willing to explore, the possibilities are literally endless where it regards room theme. Instead of paint (which is sometimes a messy option), try faux wallpaper. You can purchase wallpaper murals which are essentially huge photographs of things like city skylines, shoreline photos, waterfalls, or rainforests. Murals like these can be found on sites like lelandwallpaper.com or usawallpaper.com. You would be shocked at how faux scenery can create the illusion of depth, while providing a sense of immersion. If you're not willing to go that far, try reproducing the look of an authentic loft, by using faux brick wallpaper to fool guests. A little texture can go a long way in fashioning a mood out of raw materials.

SKIP "TRADITIONAL" FURNITURE

Who says that you have to visit Rooms-To-Go or some other major furniture chain to find the latest and greatest accents for your apartment? In fact, there are countless ways to dress your apartment in a way that is a little off the beaten path. Trying using what's been defined by many decorating websites as "architectural elements."

These would be items like pillars or pieces of discarded construction equipment. Most often, these kinds of materials can be found in salvage yards, or places where "defective" furniture is discarded. A friend of mine once made a contemporary coffee table out of a salvaged and unused metal garbage can and a round piece of glass. Very simply, he placed the empty can on the floor and placed a small piece of heavy round glass on top. The overall effect was very artsy. Best of all, he paid a fraction of the cost for a brand new living room table.

Remember that thinking outside the box means going against the grain of what everyone claims is acceptable home decorating. There is nothing wrong with placing a bed in your living room, or turning your bedroom into a den. As crazy as it may sound, these living space alternatives are truly what will make your apartment feel more like home. Your rented, yet cozy nook should be as comfortable as possible while you're living there. Never let stifling floorplans dictate how you should arrange your life.