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How to live in a rented apartment: 10 tips
Today we introduce you to the designer from the UK Sophie Robinson and her recommendations on how to make a rental apartment a real home. Sophie Robinson is one of the UK’s most renowned interior designers: she is often invited to collaborate with large furniture stores to create inspiring interior displays.
“Many, including myself, now live in rented houses, and it seems that we are becoming more and more numerous. Therefore, the topic of arranging such a space is more relevant than ever. Ever since I first left my parents' home and, along with three other freshmen, rented a waterfront basement in Brighton, I've loved watching rented accommodation change when I quickly and budget-friendly decorate it with my favorite things.
I want to tell you about my first apartment. I was 20 at the time and it was just a kitsch celebration: pink leopard prints, trinkets from the 1960s, gold mirrors and bright pink accents everywhere. Three pounds a meter of leopard cloth I made a bedspread, covered an old TV with artificial fur, and put rhinestones on its buttons. Every time I moved -- and it was once a year when I was in college -- I would take a pile of this crazy decor with me, and I would turn another temporary home into my home.
Since then, my taste has changed a lot, but the passion for turning a new apartment into a home filled with personal stories has not cooled. Although the chance to repaint the walls to completely change the house is rare, there is always the opportunity to make the apartment more stylish and cozy by simply adding a few carefully selected accessories. Here are my top 10 ideas on how to do this.
1. Use mirrors.
The design challenge that many people face: how to make the lighting in the room more vivid and natural? The real life of the house is always filled with sunlight, and even if you can’t paint the walls white, there are other ways to catch the rays of the sun – for example, mirrors.
I like the big ones (the bigger the better): leaning against the wall, they create a relaxed atmosphere. A collection of small mirrors on a large white wall can also look beautiful. Try to hang a mirror in front of the window: it will reflect not only a beautiful view, but also natural sunlight.
Explore the visual illusions that mirrors can create in your home. They can really make it look bigger than it is, the main thing is to choose the right place. So, if you have a narrow room, place a mirror on a long wall, this will help make the room a little wider.
2. Add textures.
The key to a successful design is the mixing of many textures for which the eye will cling. This is especially important if you decorate the room in neutral colors, otherwise it will be boring and bland. The secret in contrast: combine rough textures - wool, wood, stone - with smooth glass, polished marble, velvet. At the same time, a neutral color scheme is a logical and successful choice for a removable interior: it will stand the test of time and will not bother you, and you can carefully choose and add the necessary bright accents later.
3. Show the best.
You don’t have to buy new things to transform a room: look at what you already have and see how you dispose of those things. For example, almost all homes have a bookcase, and often it does not decorate the space with its crowded cheap editions and old DVD shelves.
It is important to carefully monitor what you put on display, so the necessary but unsightly junk should be sent to a closed closet or on the lower shelves. This will free up the upper ones, which will serve as a showcase for more beautiful things.
Arrange or place books on shelves in bounds to create the basis for a future “exhibition”. Choose the items you want to show and divide them into groups of three or five pieces, not forgetting that each group has things of different heights.
I like to collect groups on a certain basis: color, style, theme, so things are better combined with each other. And at the risk of seeming ruthless, I’ll give you one more piece of advice: If you’re not going to re-read these shabby paperback books, now is the time to get rid of them.
4. Add personality.
I think it’s important to think of the place where you live as a home, and it’s easy to do it: decorate it with personal belongings. Usually they are scattered photos of friends and relatives, but there are several ways to make this collection stylish.
The first trick that designers often use is to print all photos in black and white. Put together, they will look much better than colored ones. I would advise you to think about the framework. Different frames look too motley, but this does not mean that they should be completely the same. It is enough if they are united only by color: black, white or gold.
The photos will look better if you put them together. You can hang them on the wall or put them on a drawer or console. If the walls of the apartment can not be spoiled, use special Velcros for paintings and posters: they are firmly enough on the wall, and are easily removed without making traces.
5. Beauty is in symmetry.
A trick that designers often use to make a room look whole is symmetry decoration. We all want the interior to be pleasant to the eye and help us relax, and symmetrical arrangement of furniture and decor is a great way to bring order and tranquility to the house. Buy two table lamps with bright lampshades and put them on either side of the sofa. Opposite, place a couple of chairs. Hang two photos in the frame above the console. At least decorate your bed or sofa with a pair of large bright decorative pillows. Voila - your house in the blink of an eye became much more stylish than it was.
6. Style of walls
One of the main disadvantages of a rented apartment is the walls, with which nothing can be done. There are also quite loyal homeowners, but you need to know exactly what you can change anyway. Perhaps you can repaint the walls on the condition that then return everything to its original appearance. Wallpaper is usually more difficult, but recently I discovered Peel soil, which allows you to peel wallpaper without difficulty: after you will only need to update the paint on the wall.
Another way to decorate walls is to use vinyl stickers. They are inexpensive, easy to use and will quickly give your home an identity. You can buy stickers with a beautiful concise design from an online store or order stickers from a local service according to your own sketches. A little trick I use before removing the sticker from the wall is to warm it up with a hair dryer: the heat will soften the glue, and it will move away from the wall more easily.
7. Add textiles.
If you do not want to mess with the walls, you can change the image of the room using textiles. Furniture in rented apartments is usually expressionless, so it is worth adding freshness and color to it by buying a chic bedspread for a bed or a set of sofa pillows. Even curtains can transform a room. Choose light curtains: Unlike dense curtains, which are usually adjusted to the size of a particular window, they are sold in a variety of sizes, so you can easily find suitable ones.
8. More light.
Lighting can really change a space, and this is very important, given that we are home most often in the evenings, in artificial light. Even if you did not have the opportunity to influence the location of stationary lamps, you can always create the right mood using table lamps and floor lamps, illuminate dark corners with garlands. My main rule is more different lights on all levels. And turn off that boring chandelier.
9. Improve the floor.
Pay attention to the floor. Do you really dislike the owner’s carpet or are you constantly afraid of getting it dirty and losing your deposit? Buying a large one – at least 2 by 1.5 meters – can really change the room and your mood. Roll up and hide the owner’s carpet and go in search of a bright lilaless specimen. It is good if the table in the room will be with a glass countertop, so that your chic designer carpet remains in the spotlight.
10. Iconic smell
Smells have the power to relive memories and evoke emotions, so if you manage to associate a certain smell with the feeling of home, it will always help you make the home more comfortable. It’s like an air conditioner: with it, all your stuff just smells right. There are plenty of candles, diffusers and sachets on sale - explore your tastes and assortment of shops and choose the right smell for you. published
Read also: How to Protect Your Home from Flood
How to choose a color for the bedroom: recommendations of psychologists
P.S. And remember, just changing our consumption – together we change the world!
Source: kvartblog.ru/blog/kak-obzhit-s-emnuyu-kvartiru-10-sovetov-ot-sofi-robinson/
“Many, including myself, now live in rented houses, and it seems that we are becoming more and more numerous. Therefore, the topic of arranging such a space is more relevant than ever. Ever since I first left my parents' home and, along with three other freshmen, rented a waterfront basement in Brighton, I've loved watching rented accommodation change when I quickly and budget-friendly decorate it with my favorite things.
I want to tell you about my first apartment. I was 20 at the time and it was just a kitsch celebration: pink leopard prints, trinkets from the 1960s, gold mirrors and bright pink accents everywhere. Three pounds a meter of leopard cloth I made a bedspread, covered an old TV with artificial fur, and put rhinestones on its buttons. Every time I moved -- and it was once a year when I was in college -- I would take a pile of this crazy decor with me, and I would turn another temporary home into my home.
Since then, my taste has changed a lot, but the passion for turning a new apartment into a home filled with personal stories has not cooled. Although the chance to repaint the walls to completely change the house is rare, there is always the opportunity to make the apartment more stylish and cozy by simply adding a few carefully selected accessories. Here are my top 10 ideas on how to do this.
1. Use mirrors.
The design challenge that many people face: how to make the lighting in the room more vivid and natural? The real life of the house is always filled with sunlight, and even if you can’t paint the walls white, there are other ways to catch the rays of the sun – for example, mirrors.
I like the big ones (the bigger the better): leaning against the wall, they create a relaxed atmosphere. A collection of small mirrors on a large white wall can also look beautiful. Try to hang a mirror in front of the window: it will reflect not only a beautiful view, but also natural sunlight.
Explore the visual illusions that mirrors can create in your home. They can really make it look bigger than it is, the main thing is to choose the right place. So, if you have a narrow room, place a mirror on a long wall, this will help make the room a little wider.
2. Add textures.
The key to a successful design is the mixing of many textures for which the eye will cling. This is especially important if you decorate the room in neutral colors, otherwise it will be boring and bland. The secret in contrast: combine rough textures - wool, wood, stone - with smooth glass, polished marble, velvet. At the same time, a neutral color scheme is a logical and successful choice for a removable interior: it will stand the test of time and will not bother you, and you can carefully choose and add the necessary bright accents later.
3. Show the best.
You don’t have to buy new things to transform a room: look at what you already have and see how you dispose of those things. For example, almost all homes have a bookcase, and often it does not decorate the space with its crowded cheap editions and old DVD shelves.
It is important to carefully monitor what you put on display, so the necessary but unsightly junk should be sent to a closed closet or on the lower shelves. This will free up the upper ones, which will serve as a showcase for more beautiful things.
Arrange or place books on shelves in bounds to create the basis for a future “exhibition”. Choose the items you want to show and divide them into groups of three or five pieces, not forgetting that each group has things of different heights.
I like to collect groups on a certain basis: color, style, theme, so things are better combined with each other. And at the risk of seeming ruthless, I’ll give you one more piece of advice: If you’re not going to re-read these shabby paperback books, now is the time to get rid of them.
4. Add personality.
I think it’s important to think of the place where you live as a home, and it’s easy to do it: decorate it with personal belongings. Usually they are scattered photos of friends and relatives, but there are several ways to make this collection stylish.
The first trick that designers often use is to print all photos in black and white. Put together, they will look much better than colored ones. I would advise you to think about the framework. Different frames look too motley, but this does not mean that they should be completely the same. It is enough if they are united only by color: black, white or gold.
The photos will look better if you put them together. You can hang them on the wall or put them on a drawer or console. If the walls of the apartment can not be spoiled, use special Velcros for paintings and posters: they are firmly enough on the wall, and are easily removed without making traces.
5. Beauty is in symmetry.
A trick that designers often use to make a room look whole is symmetry decoration. We all want the interior to be pleasant to the eye and help us relax, and symmetrical arrangement of furniture and decor is a great way to bring order and tranquility to the house. Buy two table lamps with bright lampshades and put them on either side of the sofa. Opposite, place a couple of chairs. Hang two photos in the frame above the console. At least decorate your bed or sofa with a pair of large bright decorative pillows. Voila - your house in the blink of an eye became much more stylish than it was.
6. Style of walls
One of the main disadvantages of a rented apartment is the walls, with which nothing can be done. There are also quite loyal homeowners, but you need to know exactly what you can change anyway. Perhaps you can repaint the walls on the condition that then return everything to its original appearance. Wallpaper is usually more difficult, but recently I discovered Peel soil, which allows you to peel wallpaper without difficulty: after you will only need to update the paint on the wall.
Another way to decorate walls is to use vinyl stickers. They are inexpensive, easy to use and will quickly give your home an identity. You can buy stickers with a beautiful concise design from an online store or order stickers from a local service according to your own sketches. A little trick I use before removing the sticker from the wall is to warm it up with a hair dryer: the heat will soften the glue, and it will move away from the wall more easily.
7. Add textiles.
If you do not want to mess with the walls, you can change the image of the room using textiles. Furniture in rented apartments is usually expressionless, so it is worth adding freshness and color to it by buying a chic bedspread for a bed or a set of sofa pillows. Even curtains can transform a room. Choose light curtains: Unlike dense curtains, which are usually adjusted to the size of a particular window, they are sold in a variety of sizes, so you can easily find suitable ones.
8. More light.
Lighting can really change a space, and this is very important, given that we are home most often in the evenings, in artificial light. Even if you did not have the opportunity to influence the location of stationary lamps, you can always create the right mood using table lamps and floor lamps, illuminate dark corners with garlands. My main rule is more different lights on all levels. And turn off that boring chandelier.
9. Improve the floor.
Pay attention to the floor. Do you really dislike the owner’s carpet or are you constantly afraid of getting it dirty and losing your deposit? Buying a large one – at least 2 by 1.5 meters – can really change the room and your mood. Roll up and hide the owner’s carpet and go in search of a bright lilaless specimen. It is good if the table in the room will be with a glass countertop, so that your chic designer carpet remains in the spotlight.
10. Iconic smell
Smells have the power to relive memories and evoke emotions, so if you manage to associate a certain smell with the feeling of home, it will always help you make the home more comfortable. It’s like an air conditioner: with it, all your stuff just smells right. There are plenty of candles, diffusers and sachets on sale - explore your tastes and assortment of shops and choose the right smell for you. published
Read also: How to Protect Your Home from Flood
How to choose a color for the bedroom: recommendations of psychologists
P.S. And remember, just changing our consumption – together we change the world!
Source: kvartblog.ru/blog/kak-obzhit-s-emnuyu-kvartiru-10-sovetov-ot-sofi-robinson/
