What are key things for a new apartment to look good and feel comfortable?

Question

I'm a mid-20's single male, this is my first apartment and want it to be impressive for my guests. I don't know much about decore...
Extra tips are welcome...

Thanks for all the input, these ideas will help!! Veg - you have a good point...

Answer 1

What I did for my apartment was get some furniture and some things to put on the walls...these things help take up a little space and make the place look less empty. If it's too empty, it doesn't really look like a home.

It helps if the furniture matches, and if you have things you can display on any shelves or tabletops. If you have lots of shelf space and nothing on them, not only does that look awkward, but then you will probably start putting your mail and other random junk all over them and the apartment will just look messy ;P

Having a theme in mind for each room (for example, our kitchen has a Japanese theme and the living room has what I call a Neo-Victorian theme) can guide you in your decorating endeavors.

For a guy, some display things might be picture frames, trophies, or you could store your CDs and other media in a nice display case. Candles are nice for some people. I'm a girl, so I have a lot of candles and flowers and other elegant decorations.

For the walls, I'm thinking of a couple paintings, classic or modern, or if you're not that kind of guy, movie posters work well when framed. My dad also used to keep a wall of vinyl record covers from his favorite band in the basement.

And coffee tables are an essential part of any home ;P

Hope that sparks some ideas.

Answer 2

I think the main focus for a living room, or the area of the house where your guests will be spending most of their time, is the couch. I think that if you go all out and get a great couch I think that will impress your guest the most. Like right now if you were to go to someone house, to someone house that you have never been before, I think the first thing you look at is their couch. So if you invest in a good couch, then as long as everything else in your home reflects you personally, Then I think that you should be fine.

Answer 3

I don't find that everything has to necessarily match, but at least coordinate. You can mix and match pieces but try to keep them in the same color scheme and period, whether classic, modern, etc. I like to shop thrift stores, garage sales, or flea markets for older pieces that have character. For the most part, keep it simple. I think people tend to be more impressed with neatness and lack of clutter than with expensive furnishings that they don't feel comfortable in.
You can go to the library and check out some of the decorating magazines to get a feel for what you like. I've gotten some great ideas from mags.

Answer 4

Something with lots of windows.
Keep it neutral. Your renting and you don't want to put alot of money into something that really isn't yours.
Black and silver deco is always nice for a man.
Keep bathroom neat. You'd be surprise on how many look at your bathroom.
Micro fabric couches and chairs are very impressive for a young man.
Make sure you keep air fresheners going. Plug In's, etc.
Some candles are nice too, especially to impress women.
So many things you can do.
Good luck and congrats.

Answer 5

Good curtains and good duvets make it look homely and nice. Some portraits with pictures of friends and family will add up. I would keep it simple (and as clean as possible).

Answer 6

Get some bird to help you out they know more about homeliness than us blokes.