Painting parts of your first apartment is a perfect way to add your personality to your living space and make it feel more like home. Plenty of people paint the walls, but what are some ways to think outside the box and do something unique? Read on below for four unusual, fun parts of your first apartment to paint.
Getting your landlord’s permission
Before painting anything in your apartment, it’s important to get your landlord’s permission and check your lease. It’s common for an apartment lease to forbid painting walls, ceilings, or other permanent fixtures, but even if your lease forbids it, it’s still worth asking your landlord. If the apartment needs a fresh coat of paint anyway and you choose a tasteful color that the landlord approves of, you might even be doing them a favor.
The ceiling
One way to add a unique flair to your first apartment is to paint the ceiling a different color. Most people have white ceilings, so this will be an immediate eye-catcher for anyone who visits you. If you have white walls, consider painting your ceiling black or navy blue for a refined, elegant look.
You can also paint the ceiling an accent color that works well with your decorations for a room, but try to choose a somewhat dark or muted tone to keep it from taking all the attention off the rest of your decorations.
Trim
If you don’t want to paint the whole ceiling, another great way to add an interesting accent color to your apartment is to paint your trim. Black looks great for this as well, especially if your walls are an interesting color. If your apartment doesn’t have trim, painting a neat strip of white around the top of the wall can give the illusion of having crown molding.
The corners
It’s common to paint one wall in an apartment an accent color, but how many people shift the accent into a corner instead? Painting an accent corner in a bright color adds some unique visual interest to your apartment and can be a great way to highlight features or decorations such as a lamp, hanging chair, or piece of art. Since you won’t have the corners as a guiding line, it’s important to use a tape measure and some masking tape to be sure that you paint neatly.
Shelves or furniture
What if your landlord won’t let you paint anything in your apartment? If you’re just dying to paint something and want to add visual interest to your apartment without breaking the rules, simply paint some of your furniture. Bookshelves or hanging shelves are a great option for painting, as the items on them will help a bright color blend into the walls instead of seeming too outlandish.
Refinishing and painting a chair, table, or dresser is a great weekend project that can add an interesting focal piece to a room in your apartment, and it lets you use the furniture you already have instead of having to find new pieces. Repainting can bring life to an old piece of furniture.
