Okay, guys. The big day has finally come. Gone are the days of dingy dorm rooms and twin beds – you’re moving into your own bachelor pad. Finally, you’ll have a space of your own to decorate as you please. The big question is, do you have any idea what you’re doing? Fear not, we have a foolproof guide to first-time bachelor pad style. Simply follow the advice below for a place you’re proud to show off and spend time in.
First, select a color scheme. This scheme should include a complementing palette of colors, not just one color. If you have a brown leather couch, that does not mean you need a brown chair, a brown rug and brown tables. Got it? Good. Our favorite way to design a room is around a favorite or sentimental piece of art. Do you have a painting or a framed poster you love? Find the image of it online, paste its URL into a color palette generator online and magic happens! You’ll have a custom palette that you can save or print out to assist you in purchasing furniture and decorative pieces for your new place. (If you’re starting from scratch and need a little inspiration, check out the industrial palette from Robertson Design/Build.)
Next, sell, donate or throw away cheap, dorm room furniture and accessories. Plastic storage bins are not replacements for dressers. Wrinkled and tack-holed posters have to go too. Now is the time to buy sturdy, first-time furniture to last you a few years. IKEA has long reigned as the first-time apartment furniture shopper’s paradise – and for good reason! Just make sure you’re buying the right furniture from IKEA. Coffee and end tables, lamps, silverware, night stands and other small furniture items can be found there for very reasonable prices. For couches and beds, you can get better quality for the same price (or cheaper) elsewhere.
Finally, add finishing touches:
• Always frame posters if you’re going to use them as art.
• Make sure that you have matching sets of towels, silverware, glasses and dishes. Donate mismatching pieces to a friend or a charity.
• If you’re over 21, buy a set of wine glasses and have a couple of bottles of wine at the ready.
• The right curtains will save you energy and boost your apartment’s appearance.
• Mounting televisions, hanging art and choosing the right size furniture for your apartment will make the most of your space.
Don’t forget to have fun and let your personality shine through! If that means featuring that funky piece of art or brightly colored accent furniture, go for it!
Our contributor, Ryan Schilling, is a copywriter for Move For Free, an apartment locating service in Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio.
Sotes sending this to my boyfriend. Brown couch + brown everything = terrible.
Nice read! Very informative since I’m looking to move out…which can be very stressful and daunting.