Designing your first ever apartment is both exciting and intimidating. Unless you have a serial apartment dweller friend who could walk you through the challenging process step-by-step, then you probably need to do your assignment.
Apartment Therapy's Nancy Mitchell shares her first-hand experience of things she did right and not so right when she had her first ever apartment all by herself:
DO:
Ask for hand me downs
Buying new furniture may not be the best financial option for anyone who is starting out, but that doesn't mean you need to move into an empty apartment. So don't be shy to ask mom, dad, aunts, uncles, grandma, granddad, or friends who are also moving and may have some few things they need to get rid of. You might end up getting really interesting pieces with interesting stories to boot - and they are free!
Think about what you really need, as opposed to what you feel like you should have
Assess your day-to-day living and base what furniture and things to get from there. Why would you want to have an 8-seater dining table? Maybe you don't even need a dining table since you don't really have people come over; just spare that space for a large workspace and a comfy armchair which are must have pieces for your lifestyle. It's your place, not someone else's, so consider that when picking things to put in it.
Buy only the most essential pieces and wait on the rest
Stick to a couch, a mattress, a few dishes and towels as starters. Don't give in to the pressure of completing your apartment all at once. Waiting a little time on buying the less essential pieces gives you the opportunity to find great ones, and you also allow your bank account to rest!
DON'T:
Buy things that are super-specific to one place
Avoid picking pieces that will only look great in one particular place; younger people tend to move a lot and this first apartment will most likely not going to be your last. Buying more versatile pieces that you can take and use in whatever space is a wise thing to do.
Become obsessed with trends
While it's okay to follow trends, it is important that you only follow those that are true to you. You're not really the Keep Calm and whatever type, right? So why would you hang that poster on your wall? Don't get easily swayed by trends, especially if it took you a lot of self-convincing to give in to it.
Compare your place to anybody else's
You wouldn't help but compare your place to the ones you see on designer blogs; while it's a good way to get ideas, avoid striving to be on their level since they after all have production design teams working for them. Also, your situation is different from others - they are older, they have a bigger budget, it's not their first apartment and they probably have done the drill many times before. It's your personal space and it is a reflection of yourself - so allow it to evolve continually and naturally as you are.
