You will never be completely prepared to move into your first apartment. If you’re a typical 20-something in our society right now, you most likely won’t be moving into a massive, roomy house. You are likely entering a small, 500 square foot area (just like my boyfriend’s studio apartment) where you must learn how to make the most of your available space. Whatever, it is your first apartment that you have to yourself, so you may design however you choose! Isn’t it amazing?
However, I am not moving into my first “adult” apartment quite yet. Currently, I am living at home to save some money. I did live in an apartment my sophomore year of college, so I do have some experience. In the future, I will share about my own apartment. For now, my boyfriend just moved to Pittsburgh for his job. He got his first “adult” apartment in June this year and he asked me to help him pick out things he needed. He asked me because I got him obsessed with this game called “Design Home” that we both play on our phones. We send each other designs daily. So once he got to Pittsburgh, we were on the phone the whole time he was shopping, talking through the plan. Throughout this post is a helpful list of things you’ll require for your first apartment:
I told him to buy a lot of his furniture and home accessories from IKEA. You may create your own mood boards using various goods as well as view designed spaces. Additionally, I was able to pick items that were ideal for his room because of the large selection. The affordable furniture at IKEA is another reason why I adore them. Warning: assembly is required!
His Living Room
This is like the lobby of your hotel. In situations where initial impressions are likely, you’ll want to both impress and feel at ease. Therefore, let’s begin with what you’ll need for your very first apartment (my boyfriend’s is a studio).
Your sofa selections will range depending on the size of your living space. He ended up waiting until he got to Pittsburgh to officially buy the furniture, so he could see the space. Additionally, it depends on how frequently you want to have guests. A daybed or sleeper sofa would be ideal if you have extra visitors or a tiny living space. He decided to get a loveseat that was less than $200 because his living room space is not that big and he doesn’t plan to have many people over (plus he has an air mattress for guests). Don’t forget that the living room is a terrific place to watch Netflix marathons with your friends, so acquire a TV and a media center that can store all of your gadgets and movies. He also needed it to store his video games and decorated with his salt lamp.
If there aren’t any ceiling-mounted light fixtures in your living area, be alert. To add illumination to the space, you might need to acquire one or two floor lamps. His apartment came with a ceiling-mounted light fixture, so he only added a smaller table light. However, nothing is finished unless you give it your personal touch, so decorate the walls with photos of yourself, your favorite artwork or quotations, and other wall décor that you feel to be in keeping with your taste.
Since he just moved in, he’s still working on the decor part. He just ordered some posters from Amazon to decorate his walls. He decided to put his Luka Dončić poster above his sofa. In addition, he decorated his coffee table with a plant and his couch with fuzzy pillows and a cozy blanket. Another fun detail are his coasters, which we bought at a market on a road trip to Cincinnati. They are repurposed from old Marvel comics, so he has one Iron Man and one Groot.
My favorite type of wall decor is decals since they need little work to make the walls appear great. They are fantastic for apartments where you are unable to paint since they are so simple to remove off the wall! For my future place, I love this one! Another thing to keep in mind are rugs. He loves rugs ever since he started playing Design Home, so he made sure to add one here.
Shopping List (mainly from IKEA):
- Couch (Loveseat or Sleeper)
- Coffee Table
- TV
- TV Stand
His Bedroom
When it comes to comfort, the bedroom should be your top focus. The bedroom is where you go mentally to recharge and unwind; the other rooms should undoubtedly feel like home, too, but the bedroom is most important for this. We made sure to select bedspreads that had a pattern and color that matched the rest of his gray apartment. If you must have color pops everywhere, choose a vibrant, lighter shade, but make sure there aren’t many patterns on it so your mind won’t need to be overstimulated before night. This is especially important for my boyfriend because he has insomnia.
Purchase one or two dressers to keep all of your things off the ground or off your bed or chair or desk (guilty!). He only needed one since he doesn’t have as much stuff as I do. He decorated his dresser with his Andrew Luck signed picture, which I got him as a birthday gift one year, and some memories from Hawaii.
Pick up some hangers for your brand-new closet as well. His closet is actually not in the bedroom, it’s near the entrance. And the lucky duck has two decent sized closets! He was also lucky because he didn’t need curtains for his windows since they came with shades and an amazing view!
Get a desk and chair if your room is large enough so you won’t have to work on your bed all the time. He had room for a desk and chair on the opposite side of his bed, which is nice since he has to work from home half of the week. To make sure you’re killing it each and every day, it’s always a good idea to use a full-length mirror. He decided he didn’t need a full-length mirror since he had a pretty big one in his bathroom and the people before left a big mirror near the entrance. I would definitely get one for mine!
Shopping List:
- Bed
- Bedding
- Mattress
- Pillows
- Nightstand
- Table Lamp
- Dresser
- Desk with Drawers for File Storage
- Full-Length Mirror (the one I would get)
- Hangers
His Kitchen
What’s cookin’ good lookin’? Prepare your kitchen to produce the greatest meals in your apartment building! But first, you’ll need some dishes! Pick a dish set that reflects your individuality on your next trip to Target. My boyfriend just picked up some fun bowls! Check with your landlord once again to make sure you have things like a fridge or microwave. Most establishments do have them, but you can never be too certain! Luckily, he had these necessities.
You may neglect this, as he did, but get some utensil organizers for your regular flatware and culinary utensils. He did manage to get a cart to organize different items. Pick up a couple interesting and colorful dish towels to hang over the oven door to shake it up a bit. Sorry for the terrible pun. He opted for more gray, but I think he could add some color in the future. Another piece of wonderful advice is to utilize photos. He found some artwork from Target to hand above his table along with something he got in Hawaii. Of course, he added more rugs!
Shopping List:
- Silverware
- Dishes
- Bowls
- Basket
- Food Storage
- Paper Towel Holder
- Pots & Pans (Cast-irons)
- Dish Towels
- Knife Set
- Utensil Set
- Bar Table & 4 Bar Stools (or regular table and chairs)
- Chair Pad
His Bathroom
Many individuals overlook the fact that there are several items needed in the bathroom. When he initially moved into his college apartment, he forgot to get a shower curtain since, after all, shouldn’t they come with the shower? Luckily, this one didn’t need a shower curtain as it has a glass door and overhead rain shower. The bathroom, along with a garbage can and some much-needed organizers for soaps, cosmetics (if it were me), and other crap, is sometimes forgotten when it comes to preparing to move into your own apartment.
Stock up on toilet paper, toothpaste, razors, shampoo and conditioner, and feminine goods (again, if it were me). But when did we become adults who stockpile stuff?! I would like a bath mat for spring/summer and another for fall/winter. You usually only need one thing for your first apartment, but occasionally you need to mix things up. However, he will probably just stick to this one.
Shopping List:
- Garbage Can
- Paper Towel Holder (he still needs to get)
- Bath Towels
- Toiletries
- Bath Mat
What I’ve Learned from Living in a Small Apartment
Living in a small apartment my sophomore year has taught me many valuable things that I will take into my future small apartment.
- Keeping things clean is crucial
- Cleanliness is vital to keeping a stress-free atmosphere. A little space makes it very simple to become untidy, but it is also quite simple to clean it up! You’re going to go completely insane if your little apartment is a mess and stuff has been thrown around. It really makes home more of a tense setting than a tranquil one, which I now experience because of how I used to leave my house.
- Try to live sustainably
- Because, let’s face it, we don’t have a place for junk we don’t need or that will break in a few weeks, so I try to be careful about the things I buy. I can live in a little place in the future because I make wise selections and refrain from buying stuff I don’t need. I didn’t have a large pantry to store lots of food, so I bought it deliberately! I really LOVE that living modestly forced me to live sustainably.
- Establish a home for everything
- Your best allies in locating equipment to help you compact your space will be stores like The Container Store (thanks to The Home Edit) and Home Goods. To assist you reduce the amount of space your belongings may occupy, these stores provide incredible and attractive containers and storage boxes. If in doubt, attach it to your wall! Utilize all of your available storage space, and if you can, search for furniture with additional storage space built in.
- Individualize every inch
- Despite its diminutive size, personalize every square inch. Being forced to live and sleep in a place that doesn’t feel like you is incredibly uncomfortable. Get throw pillows made of anything you adore and collect some art. Love corny furnishings and themed kitchen equipment? Try it out! Would you like to keep the space looking minimalist by painting it in shades of black, white, and gray like my boyfriend’s? Go for it! Own your area by making it whatever you’ve ever desired. After all, it is yours; personalize it so that it seems like home to you. Here’s mine from sophomore year in college:
In the End
I really hope that this list of things has given you peace of mind regarding your relocation and further details on what you’ll need for your first apartment. Although it might be really overwhelming, you’re going to love and enjoy this. So, congrats on your new apartment! Make it feel as comfortable as possible right now! I know I can’t wait to finally design my own home 🙂