My First Apartment is going global! Our newest guest blogger is Dedreanna, a 21 year old journalism grad from New Brunswick, Canada, moving to the city to start her career.
Decorate Debate- Decorating an apartment to suit everyone’s taste. By: Dedreanna
For me, one of the main things I thought about when we finally found our apartment was how I was going to decorate.
The second my roommates and I found the perfect place, I quickly informed them that I wanted lots of plants….actually my exact words were “ I hope you guys don’t mind plants because we’re gonna have A LOT of them!” I saw nothing wrong with this, because who doesn’t like plants right? And by “a lot” I didn’t mean I wanted to turn our apartment into a jungle, just a few here and there.
My fiancé and will be living with another couple- Ashley and Keith, who also happen to be our best friends, and the men in this situation don’t really care how we decide to express ourselves through décor. As long as they have a couch and TV to play Call of Duty, they’re happy.
Unfortunately Ashley saw my plant comment as me trying to control the decorating, and we fought about it for two days until finally coming to a conclusion- compromise. (In the end it wasn’t me wanting plants that bothered Ashley, it was the way I took control over decorating. We decided that a few here and there were okay, and I’m in the process of rooting some new ones now.)
Since the guys don’t care about this, it was up to us to work together to make our apartment a home. We decided that whenever one of us has an idea, we need to share it with the other before buying anything. From garbage cans, to shower curtains, every detail is discussed.
Here are some things we’ve learned about decorating a shared space:
1- Compromise: Like I said before, compromise is key to living with roommates. If you really want to hang a mirror above the couch, but your roommate doesn’t, opt for a painting that you both like instead.
2- Keep your own personal style in your room– unless you both agree on it, a living room isn’t the best place to display your hot pink zebra print cushions or Edward Cullen posters (and if your living with guys, this definitely won’t fly with them). Instead, opt for more neutral colors and a unified theme.
3- Don’t split the cost of one item. This will cause trouble in the end. When you move out you don’t want to have to fight over who bought the end tables. Instead, if you find an item you really like, and you both agree on, get one of you to buy it and the other can buy the next item you find.
4- Ask about allergies. Make sure to ask if your roommate has any allergies before tossing that down filled cushion on the couch or lighting your walnut scented candle. Also, if your apartment allows pets, definitely NEVER bring a pet in unless you clear it with your roomies first.
5- Have fun with it. Decorating should be fun and it’s a great time to bond with your roomies. Go shopping together, search kijiji and craigslist for used items that you can incorporate. If it’s warm outside go to yard sales and flea markets together. You never know what treasures you can find if your really look.
That’s a nice story. I tried and kind of succeed with decorating my apartment.