Designing a Trendy Apartment for 2014

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If you’ve just moved into our gorgeous Dogpatch apartments, Welcome!

Now that you’ve got your boxes unpacked and your basic furniture arranged, it’s time for the real fun to begin! Our favorite part of moving to a new place the opportunity to explore your options in decorating your new space - now is the perfect time to inject your personal style into your new home.

If you’re having trouble finding the inspiration you’re looking for, there are plenty of options available to you. Along with a fresh start at the new year, 2014 brought exciting decorating trends for your apartment as well! We love the ideas highlighted in this blog from apartmentguide.com! Keep reading and your apartment will be looking great in no time!

1. A Mature, Adult Atmosphere

It’s 2014, folks. Your apartment should no longer look like a neglected college dormitory. By now you should have comfortable furniture, a real bed (along with a complete bedroom set), matching dishes… you get the picture, right? No matter what, your space should clearly belong to an adult because that is what you are, after all.

2. A Conversation Piece

Whether it’s hanging over the living room sofa or your king size bed, every bare wall needs a visual punch. A cool framed piece of work is ideal. Some renters take things a step further by hanging family photo collages, a collection of plates, or even framed swatches of leftover fabric. On a budget? You can find something one-of-a-kind at an estate sale or thrift store that won’t set you back much at all.

3. A Touch of Antique

Not only do antiques add a touch of character to your apartment, but did you know that this decor choice is an easy way to go green? It doesn’t matter if your antique has been passed down from a family member or you randomly stumbled upon it at a garage sale. Most people like the old world style that antiques display. But if you prefer a fresher take, antiques can easily be re-purposed to look like new which is usually cheaper than spending money on the latest item. If you think that infusing antiques into your apartment will make it look like granny’s house, just remember not to overdo it. Just a touch is all you need!

4. Sleek and Shiny Stainless Steel

There are many words to describe stainless steel kitchen appliances: sleek, industrial, rich and sophisticated. No wonder these over-sized gadgets are the latest craze in apartment features! Renters love not only the look of stainless steel, but the fact that these appliances are extremely durable and super easy to clean.

5. Pile Up the Pillows

Don’t feel bad if you can’t paint your apartment walls or you’re afraid to hang pictures. An easy and cost-effective way to add color to your small space is with a bevy of pillows! Can’t decide on a color? How about Pantone’s Radiant Orchid? Even if your budget doesn’t allow for brand new accessories, check out your local craft store for discontinued and clearance fabric remnants to recover old pillows yourself!

6. Stackable Appliances

Looking for a way to save space? Stackable washer and dryer units could be your savior. If your apartment contains washer and dryer connections, find out if stackable appliances can be accommodated. These definitely come in handy for city renters that have limited square footage. And they look trendy, too!

7. Dignified Dining

Dining rooms can be an intimidating space. But don’t feel pressured to dress it up as you might for the holidays. In fact, you don’t even have to set the whole table. Even if you live alone, a minimum of two place settings will look better than a completely bare table. And you won’t have to scramble if a friend comes over to chow down!

8. A Blissful Bedroom

This is seriously one of our favorite trends: a luxurious, 5-star hotel-style master bedroom. Have you ever noticed that high-end hotels really know how to create an aura of opulence? Well, you can do the same for yourself at home. Simulate a suite at the Four Seasons with a down comforter, high thread count sheets, giant pillows, a neutral color scheme, a terrycloth bath robe and a soothing aroma like lavender. Simplicity is the key.

9. A Ravishing Rug

There are many ways to play around with area rugs within your apartment. You can layer them, place them at an angle, up against the wall or even side by side. But choosing one isn’t an easy feat. You’ll have to consider the size, shape, color, pattern, texture and cost. The most expensive rugs will last for decades. But if you just need something to get you through the next few years, a budget-friendly floor covering from your local chain store will do the job.

Which of these trends will you be adding to your apartment in 2014?

De-Clutter The Stress-Free Way

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We’ve all heard that you never really know how many unnecessary possessions you’ve been hoarding until you’re getting ready to move from one home to another. Though many of us pride ourselves on being able to ruthlessly cut down on the clutter that we all seem to accumulate after a while, we have to admit that there’s no better time to get rid of the stuff you don’t need than when you’re moving.

In order to determine what items you can really live without we propose a test - put the boxes down and only unpack items as you find them necessary. Now, hear us out - unpacking necessary items first will help you out by making you realize just how many items what items you use on a daily basis and which you don’t. Don’t believe us? You don’t have to take out our word for it. This article from renters.apartments.com highlights some of the finer points to this plan. Keep reading to learn more.

I think we can learn a lot from this. But what I’m choosing to learn here is that clearly, procrastination pays.

To road test my theory, I applied the procrastination approach to unpacking the boxes in my new apartment and you know what? It works.

By unpacking by priority, I’m uncovering three major truths: First, I have a lot more stuff than I need. Second, I moved a few boxes to this place that I never unpacked at the last place either. Third, I’m not nearly as awesome at ruthlessly downsizing my clutter as I thought.

Reaping the rewards of inaction pretty much stops here – after all, after a month of only unpacking by necessity, the place is still kind of a wreck and I should probably track down that cable bill I know I tossed in a box on moving day.

But the good news is, by knowing what I don’t need, I’m in a better position to ditch the clutter (*Bonus! Most of it’s still in ready-to-donate boxes!) and better organize my life. After all, that way-too-high shelf in the back of the closet? It isn't for just anything – it’s for air conditioner manuals and important documents I never seem to need but am required to keep.

Now, post-procrastination, I know where it actually makes sense to keep the cutting boards in my new kitchen and I've come to terms with the fact that I don’t need to keep giving valuable under-the-sink real estate to curling irons and straighteners my hair has been far too short for for roughly the last 3 years.

Personal growth through inaction, people; I recommend it.

Stuck On What To Do For Valentine's Day?

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The pressure is on! Valentine’s Day is tomorrow and if you haven’t made plans for a special night with your significant other yet, we bet you can feel the stress mounting. Don’t worry, at it’s very core, Valentine’s Day is just a time to show your sweetie how much you appreciate them, right? You don’t need to make reservations months in advance in order to show someone that you care - a well-planned night in can do that and more!

If you’ve decided to score some extra points by cooking for your date, there are a few things you need to remember before they arrive. This article from renters.apartments.com walks you through all the last minute prep items that you can’t forget to really ‘wow’ your date! Keep reading to make sure your Valentine’s Day dinner goes off without a hitch!

Step 1: Clean.

You need to clean beyond your usual standards. But it can be tough to ascertain how gross you really are on your own. Invite a stranger into the mix and everything that is awful and horrifying about your place will be instantly clear to you as you watch them react.

Helpful strangers include: the UPS guy, a pizza delivery person, or the woman from 3B who is too polite to say no to the coffee invitation you sprung on her as she came up the stairs after work.

Step 2: Cook.

Even if you’re not any good at it. Esquire offers a few recipe suggestions you might try here. Or you can hack into your significant other’s Pinterest account and there will be a minimum of 1, maximum of THERE IS NO MAXIMUM food boards. Scour them for ideas.

When it comes to the meal, there are only a few absolutes:

• Burritos are a bad idea (and Valentine’s Day is the only day that’s true).
• Champagne is a good idea (careful when you open it).
• Dessert is a must.

Step 3: Gussy.

Wherever you’re serving dinner, make it look like you a) thought about it and b) made an effort. It doesn’t even have to look good. When it looks planned, it implies that you thought about wanting to do something nice and when you look like you thought about wanting to do something nice, you have achieved the desired effect.

Suggestions: Flowers, candles and real dishes and glasses on the table are nice. A tablecloth is nicer. Cloth napkins are pro status.

One caveat: It doesn’t have to be fancy. If your roommate recently moved out and took all of his furniture with him, a picnic blanket in the middle of the floor with paper plates and plastic cups is adorable. Just set the mood with a few candles or twinkle lights and soft music.

Step 4: Dress.

Your apartment looks great, you should too. Keep it polished but casual—after all, you are at home.

Step 5: Check the oven.

Is it off? Good. Safety first.

What are your top tips for hosting a romantic night at home?

Apartment Pick-Me-Ups

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Wherever you live, little projects will crop up that are not big enough to call your landlord (or property manager) to handle. In these situations, there has to be some way to take care of the stain in your carpet or the nail holes that you can’t cover up.

Rather than simply learning to live with these non-emergency issues it could be worth your while to learn to trouble-shoot these problems on your own. This article from renters.apartments.com will equip you with some DIY solutions to some more common apartment problems. Keep reading to learn more:

Stained bathtub: Real Simple recommends a concoction of cream of tartar, baking soda and lemon juice to remove stains from porcelain. Better yet, this method is less toxic and less expensive than abrasive store-bought cleaning products.

Drafty windows: Cranking up the heat is not the best way to compensate for old windows. Buy weather stripping or plastic for your windows and plug up any holes that are letting cold air in. This will not only make your place warmer, but should also help decrease your energy bill.

Slow drain: If you don’t have a drain snake handy, BuzzFeed recommends pouring a cup of baking soda, followed by a cup of vinegar, down the drain. Then run the hot water to create a gunk-fighting foam.

Slamming door: Another Real Simple solution, use foam weather stripping or a rubber band to decrease the noise.

Ugly nail holes: If the former tenants didn’t do a good job of spackling where their pictures used to hang, buy some yourself, let it dry, then go over it with a damp sponge. This Old House says this method is damage and dust free.

Grimy showerhead: The website Household Hackers is full of quick fix ideas. For a showerhead, fill a plastic bag with vinegar and let it soak for 15 minutes.

Dull sink fixtures: Readers Digest offers up all sorts of uses for toothpaste, including shining up faucets, cleaning the bathroom sink, and removing crayon from walls.

Rusty cast iron pans: Cut a potato in half and cover the flat end in salt, then use it to scrub your pan. Get the full details at SheKnows.com.

Squeaky floor: HGTV says sprinkling baby powder or baking soda onto the squeaky joint will lubricate the wood and keep the floorboards from rubbing against each other, which is what causes the noise.