Ways to Find Apartment Decorating Inspiration

Whether you’re in a brand new apartment or looking to spruce up your present one, most of us are on constant lookout for design inspiration.

But where to find it?

Read on for some places to find the decorating ideas you’ve been waiting for.

Do you have an emerging style?
Look around your apartment. Do you see a look that’s trying to get out? Perhaps you have several pieces that share the same era, color or style. What about the color, fabric or design of your bed linens, window treatments and wall hangings? You might discover that you have subconsciously been collecting items that create a style of their own, but it’s one that has been buried by the mish mash of other looks you’ve decorated with. Remove these unaffiliated pieces and accessories and replace with others that match your existing theme.

What are your hobbies?
Or let’s say you’ve got nothing but a hopeless hodgepodge for your look. Then it’s time to get down to some serious apartment decorating repair work. How do you find a look that reflects the real you, one that you enjoy looking at and living in? Let’s start with some soul-searching. What do you love? Look to your hobbies and the interests closest to your heart to develop some decorating ideas.

Are you a golf fanatic? Perhaps you’d enjoy the trappings of the Florida scene with a palm tree motif, plenty of greens and browns, rattan or dark wood furniture and vintage golf accessories. Do you love to travel? Posters from faraway places or of planes, trains and automobiles are a great way to underscore your theme. Antiques often deliver an old-world flavor. Do you like to garden, cook or build kites? Look for patterns, paintings, posters and colors that represent your passion and let your imagination run wild.

Inspired by art
Do you have a favorite painting or photograph, or a much-loved period of art? That information could make a great starting point for your apartment décor. From the Renaissance masters to modernism, a powerful framed piece can set the stage for an entire room. Go quirky or classical, depending on your favorite hanging.

Look to nature
Perhaps you have a favorite climate or geographic locale. Are you a beach lover or do the mountains call your name? Do you long for the Mediterranean life? Whether you want to create a beach cottage, an Italian villa or an alpine cabin for your apartment look, there are many nature-inspired apartment decorating ideas to fuel your design journey.

The world of design
Modern media is obsessed with design. From magazines to entire television channels devoted to interior design, there are literally countless resources at your disposal. Are you drawn to the modern look or do you prefer country rustic? Whatever your persuasion, you can find a Web site, show or publication that will feed your interest. Why not try the public library for books on apartment decorating, or browse the newsstand at your local grocery store and pick up several magazines to take home with you. The most exciting aspect of apartment decorating is combining styles to create your very own.

Design inspiration can come from virtually anyplace. If you’re short on decorating ideas, you need only look around you. Be open and inventive, and you’ll soon be living in the style that suits you best.

Ideas for Spare Rooms in Your Apartment

Are you lucky enough to have extra room in your apartment? If so, there are plenty of ways to make use of it. Read on for great spare room ideas.

Ready for guests
Turn your spare room into a guest room so you can host out-of-town friends and family. A daybed works as a sofa for you and sleeping quarters for your visitor. Add a night table and perhaps some space in the closet, and you’re ready for your mom or your German pen pal.

A home office
You can create an office workspace in your apartment at the kitchen table, so imagine what you could do with a whole room? A desk, chair, filing cabinet and bookshelf create a fully-equipped private workspace — an office away from the office. Bring in a comfortable seat to lounge on, and you can read or teleconference in comfort.

Your own library
If you are an avid reader who owns a lot of books, creating a library may be an excellent use for your apartment spare room. With today’s (mostly) easy-to-assemble modular shelves and room dividers, it’s simple to create wall-to-wall bookcases. Add cozy seating, a throw and a fireplace (or a nice space heater), and you have a quiet corner for a good read with a cup of your favorite beverage.

Play room
A place to play gives your apartment a feeling of creative freedom and confines toy chaos to a home of its own. To add play potential to your extra room, use modular frames to hold bins of toys and games. You also use this wide-open space for a train table, a doll house, bean bag chairs or a rocking horse.

Craft room
Do you like to bead, knit or scrapbook? Make your extra room an artistic oasis. Under-the-table rolling drawers hold art and craft materials and are easy to hide when not in use. You can store a taller version in the closet. A simple table or one that can store all of your supplies gives you plenty of dedicated work space.

At-home gym
Who needs a gym, when you have workout space at home? A television set with DVD player stands by for exercise discs, and exercise mats can stow away easily in a closet or roll up into an attractive basket. Add weights and other equipment to your regimen and store them in a handy shelves and bins unit.

Entertainment room
Maybe you’d like a place just to watch movies and television, or play video games. With an entertainment center, a small sofa, comfortable chairs or bean bags, you can invite friends for the game or spend uninterrupted hours with your Wii or PlayStation.

Do you need a roommate?
Of course, the most lucrative use for your extra room is to rent it out. Think hard about whether you’re really ready to share your home and deal with another person’s lifestyle and habits before you begin the process. You can find a roommate through word of mouth, a classified ad or via a roommate referral service. If you decide to take on a roommate, however, make sure to talk with your apartment manager and them onto the lease so you are covered should something happen.

Have you got too many rooms on your hands? The possible uses for an extra room are limited only by your imagination. See how much you can make your spare room multitask, and you could expand the living space of your apartment in ways you never thought possible.