What are some good inexpensive ways to liven and brighten a dull apartment?

Question

I am a college student and live in a crummy apartment. I need some ways to liven the place up a bit!!

Answer 1

Of course the cheapest and easiest way is paint. If they don't let you do that or they don't then you have to go for something like colors on furniture. You can go to the Good will or if you have money buy sheets and use as furniture throws to make it look bright and they are washable and not too much money either way. You can buy crates that stack and use them to keep clutter out of the way and maybe use for a place to put a lamp or put some books. To brighten the bath it is the shower curtain, Stick with something like blue, light colors and not too bright but more of a pastel color...you can get the liners cheap at the dollar store. Then use a rug to make the floor bright. When you wash the rug do not dry in a dryer. Air dry. Buy a few towels to match and it's brighter already. Rug are cheap and do look good when your floor is dull or dirty....you can buy them on sale and at Wal mart and the Dollar store you'd be surprised what you can get. Also, make sure to have waste baskets around and use store bags. This will help you keep clutter up. Curtains are the greatest thing for brightness or shades depending on your needs. But they must be a light neutral color. Tab curtains are great and they come in plain colors. Just don't buy dark ones...they have tan and white.
Lamps and night lights are great too for mood lighting. Having a three way bulb and lamp allows you to adjust the amount of light you have with only one lamp. A tall reading lamp is good to have in corners or near a chair for reading too. Well, Bed linens are important...They make the room. Use a neutral color and a medium color to keep it looking clean they aren't easy to wash. Have at least two sets of matching sheets or contrasting, then pillows and cushions in the living space makes it feel comfortable. Good luck. Study and make good grades. That's the mood you need to go for, so you can get all those nice things when you get your job. Miss Mary

Answer 2

good inexpensive ways liven brighten dull apartment

Answer 3

Paint it. Get brighter lights. Get some art for the walls. Find curtains with pazzaz. Area rugs. Flowers and/or house plants.

Answer 4

Soft furnishings are the go for me... use cushions with good colours that please you, change the drapes if you can afford it to ones you like. Painting may not be the best, but you can hide many things with drapes, soft throw rugs, cushions, striking vases or sculptures... they can come from a cheapie shop, second hand from family or hand me downs from friends who may be tired of the items.

Do hang up photographs blown up and preferably simple subjects in black and white...

Also any other artwork.

Plants work very well... live durable ones

Hope this helps you.

As for examples you can look in images of a search engine... I used apartment decor as search terms in yahoo and got this...

http://au.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?ei=UTF-8&p=apartment+decor&fr=slv1-msgr&b=21

Hope this helps you.

Cheers

Lisa

Answer 5

Live plants can be inexpensive and cheap. Some neat pictures for the walls;fresh paints always nice or a cheap indoor outdoor carpet. Curtains will bring life to room too

Answer 6

take a large wicker basket and place it in the cornor of the room or at the end of a hall way..somewhere in the neighborhood there is a vine ...take and cut a bunch of long vine pieces and start from the basket and stapel vine to wall and up on ceiling like it is growing you can make it go everywhere and it dosnt need any care no water or lite and smoke wont hurt it....plus its free...
wood crates go well with the vine look and stack ..decor should reflect you...what are you going to become...do it in that....only try and do it from a period long ago...old doctor stuff or old books and typewriter stuff....rusty tools etc...stick things on the wall...make your room your own little antique road show....or if your into computors hang pieces of them from the ceiling like planets and get christmas lites to lite them up....you can never go wrong with live plants if you take the time and care of them..
think about what do i want people to see about me when they walk in....do you want them to go WOW how cool,,,or maybe WOOO this guy is a clean freak and i better take off my shoes....or GREAT were on the moon...

Answer 7

I happen to be the manager of a six piece Mormon Death Metal Band called "Brigham's Devils" It's a drummer and his 5 wives. They're pretty good actually. Wait until you hear their best song, "Missionary Position".