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How to Refresh Your Apartment to Accommodate Your Family’s Needs
As a renter, it might seem like you’re limited in what you can do to make your apartment fit your aesthetic and your family’s needs. However, there are plenty of ways you can decorate and update your space without upsetting your landlord.
The Kids’ Room
Your children should have a dedicated area that provides comfort and joy. With limited space, storage is a necessity. Since children generally don’t have as many clothes as adults, keeping toys in the closet alleviates bins in the bedroom and makes room for a play tent to inspire imagination. Place books on shelves and stuffed animals in a hanging hammock on the wall to clear the floor. Decorate with colorful bedding and throw rugs for a cozier feel and add a couple of oversized pillows on the floor for a reading nook or in the tent for camping.
Experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics estimate that 25% to 50% of children experience sleep issues. This can affect their learning and behavior. To promote good sleep, enhance your child’s room with window coverings that allow for natural light during the day and blackout at night for a dark, quiet environment.
The Home Office
If you do not have an extra bedroom for your office, carve out an area on an unused wall or corner that fits a small desk or table. Make sure your chair is comfortable, and decorate your work area to match the rest of your room. Use natural sunlight and a small lamp for task lighting. Put up floating shelves for vertical storage and use wicker baskets to hide unsightly papers and desk items. Hanging plants, candles, or family photos will keep your work area inviting and provide motivation.
Eliminate potential distractions in and around your home office and maintain good time management by setting specific rules for your work hours to limit when you can be interrupted. If you need to, go ahead and put up a “do not disturb” sign to let everyone know you can’t be disturbed. Give children activities and projects to do while you are on the clock. Expect to work in short quantities of time so you can give yourself and the kids a break. Be flexible, and if your family needs a particular space for their play or projects, take your work somewhere else.
The Cozy Niche
Create a getaway spot where you can get a change of pace at the end of the day. This could be on your front or back porch. With comfortable outdoor chairs, a couple of large potted plants for privacy, and a small table to hold your favorite beverage, you have instant downtime to catch up with family and friends or read a book.
Make your main living area cozy and inviting for family. You don’t need a lot of furniture, and you may want to opt-out of buying a big sofa. Concentrate on a few comfortable chairs in various sizes and floor cushions that can be moved around and used as needed for entertaining. For extra coziness, add a bio-ethanol or electric fireplace that is mobile and fits easily into your room — there are even wall-mounted options.
Apartment living has many advantages. Enhancing your available square footage to accommodate your needs can take some ingenuity. Have fun making it your own and creating a space that invites comfort and joy for you and your family.
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