Moving to a foreign country and making your new apartment into a home is not easy, especially when shipping your current belongings can prove to be too costly.
You don’t have to be an interior decorator in order to have a nicely decorated home. Buy some local decorating magazines to help you figure out what you like and don’t like. Cut out items you really like and write down the name of the stockist next to it, should it be close to you. You can either consider a scrapbook to guide you along your way. Do a two-page spread for the kitchen, lounge, bathroom and bedroom. Remember that simplicity works best and now is your chance not to clutter up your apartment that much.
If you have just moved to the country, make sure you bring at least one box or suitcase with your favorite belongings in it. This will help you add your personal touch and help immensely to make this space feel more like home. Give the space your own personal touch and place some photos in the lounge to help you see your loved ones more often. Do not move items you don’t like simply because they are useful, now is your chance to get rid of all the clutter!
If you have not decorated a place before its important to discover what your tastes are and how this place can define you. Your scrapbook can help as well as deciding on what your favorite color schemes are. Remember that colors can make a big difference to a room, cool colors like blue and green can make a space seem smaller and cooler whereas warm colors like red and yellow will make it seem hotter and more vibrant. White is the best color to enlarge a space and mirrors can also make a big difference in creating a sense of space.
What type of styles do you like? Do you like plain rooms or vibrant colorful rooms? Antique or modern? Geometric designs or floral? Make a point of displaying your collections even when you only have a few belongings. Little shelves with your favorite books or CDs help you feel at home and also adds that important personal touch. Put some of your favorite magazines or books on your coffee table for your guests to enjoy.
If you have the time and your budget is a bit low try making a couple of your own things. Many books and magazines out there are printed to help you know how to make placemats, pillows, duvets or curtains. You could be surprised at how easy it is to make these items you normally spend a fortune on. Home made items adds a special touch and helps you control your spending when moving into a place.
By placing your favorite photographs on shelves and in your lounge you are creating conversation points. Visitors often first stop at photographs when they first visit your apartment.
By displaying photographs around your apartment you are tempting your visitors to ask ‘who is this’ and learn more about your family and friends.
Pictures and photographs will also help you feel a bit less homesick for the first few weeks, as you will have little reminders of your loved ones all around you. Hang a few nice portraits and make a fun collage for your refrigerator. To save money you can easily make your own photo frames or glue pictures onto magnets to stick them on the fridge.
As time goes by, fill empty boring rooms with little creative items. Not clutter necessarily just some unusual pieces or personalized works of art to help decorate the room. Consider taking up a craft like pottery that can help you be creative as well as create useful items and decorations.
Some inexpensive ways to decorate include painting old furniture or buying new handles for cabinets, drawers and dressers. You could also buy wooden handles and paint them in all your favorite colors. A glass bowl can act as a centerpiece if you fill it with candles, marbles or polished stones. Or use a vase or glass bowl to hold lovely fragrant pieces of potpourri and flowers.
There are many other inexpensive ways to redecorate without blowing your budget. You could buy a lovely piece of cloth to cover up a stained, faded or damaged old couch. Get a colorful welcome mat for outside doors to make guests feel welcome and protect your flooring. Throw rugs and pillows are an easy way to add color to a room.
Remember to check with your landlord before doing any permanent redecorating in your apartment. Ask him or her what the policy is on painting i.e. are you allowed to repaint and would you be forced to paint it white again before you leave? What’s their policy on drilling holes into the wall for paintings or repainting kitchen cabinets?
When you do end up repainting your apartment, remember to get a few samples first and paint large swatches on the wall to study the effect before going the whole hog.
Look out for great deals on furniture and appliances. Local classifieds can often help you find the best deals around. Also ask your landlord to keep you up to date should any of the tenants plan to move or have a garage sale. Most people are lazy and will often throw something out or sell it for next to nothing when it stops working. By learning some DIY skills or knowing when something can be saved, you can save hundreds of dollars. When you notice an ad that has been displayed for a long time, always make sure to barter a bit when buying an item.
