Moving In: Secure the Area

By Lev Novak

When moving in to your apartment, before you set up your stuff, it’s important to set up the area. Objects are cool, but ultimately, the geography of your apartment might turn into a game of Tetris if you’re not careful. Plan ahead, and you can set up your apartment to maximum success.

1. Know What You Want

Do you cook? In that case, focus your apartment around having an accessible route to the kitchen. If you anticipate cooking, it’s important to have a good table that’s away from the actual cooking instruments, and you might want to get a spice rack. Your kitchen counter space has to be carefully guarded, and, in an extreme example, you might want to add a set of drawers in the area. You plan outwards from the kitchen, if that’s your priority.

Let’s say you don’t cook, though: in that case, you can move the table closer to the stove, if you expect to use it less. This will give you more room in the living room, and now that’s your communal room: if you have an Xbox or something, then you should use that as your communal room instead.

Each house has an identity, and you can shape it from the beginning.

2. Everything Has a Cost

If you get a crummy couch for free, it isn’t “free”: you lost an opportunity, and that opportunity costs as well.

I know, I know: free stuff on the curb is awesome. It is, really. But if something isn’t up to snuff, check Craigslist. It’s a little more work, but not much more money, and that way you can upgrade your stuff super easy.

Also, a really dirty smelly couch does more harm than good. Just a heads up, yo.

3. Use Corners and More

This is a small tip, but instead of putting your stuff exactly in the corner, you can put it across the corner. It makes the room look bigger since it makes it more of a creative physical space.

Also, have a mirror. You can see yourself and it makes the room bigger too.

4. Use More Space

If you want more space, be smart. Hang stuff from the walls- store stuff under your bed. Stack drawers on drawers, yo!

Apartment space is often limited, so keep in mind that there are three different directions to play with. You can tape Solo cups to the wall and fill them with silverware if you don’t have a drawer, for example- bam! Effective use of a wall. Similarly, a drawer or container under your bed can be slid out for socks and pajamas, which saves you space and also lets you be super cozy getting dressed in the morning.

Super effective stuff.

5. Decorate Your Walls

Blank walls just suck energy from you room: if you add fabrics on it, like posters, it creates a visual texture which makes your room feel more like a continued space. Same with a carpet. The more you put into your room, especially in terms of decorations, your room will feel larger and busier than a clean, nearly empty room would.

It’s funny like that.

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