Men are rarely known for their skill with home decor. That’s why there are so many jokes about a messy place filled with secondhand furniture described as a bachelor pad, even if a family lives there. However, men living in an apartment don’t have to live that way. And you don’t have to spend a fortune on furniture, decorations, and an interior decorator to do better. Here are a few home decor hacks for apartment-dwelling men.
Clean Up
Before you start worrying about the type of furniture, you should put in the living room and what to hang on the walls, the odds are that you need to clean up. Pick up the clothes off the floor. You might need a laundry basket to hold them until you’re ready to do laundry instead of hanging them off the exerciser. Pick up the trash. You might need to put a larger trash can in the living room or bedroom so that you’re less likely to end up with it on the floor.
If there are broken electronics or other half-done projects, consider getting rid of them instead of leaving them there. At some point, they should be considered abandoned property and discarded. If you have a workbench, keep your projects on it and around it, and don’t let the stuff spill into the rest of the apartment.
Show Off the Accents that Are Already Present
A lot of apartments already have decorative accents inside of them. It might be a set of decorative tiles in the backsplash, large windows featuring a great view, or decorative elements on a sidewall. That’s more likely if you’re staying at an upscale apartment complex like Link Apartments® Glenwood South than somewhere else. Just don’t cover it up. For example, don’t hang up recipes and cooking implements over decorative elements in the kitchen. Don’t hide your amazing views behind kitschy curtains.
You can even decorate by accentuating these accents. For example, put up a mirror opposite a decorative front door or large window to make it more obvious. Show off your decorative lamp in the corner by moving it to the side of the living room instead of having it sitting in a back room.
Show Off What You’re Proud Of
Hang your favorite guitars on stylish hangers instead of stacking them in the corner. Put your favorite artistic prints, family photos, or awards up on the wall instead of trying to use a lot of purposefully purchased decorative pieces. Replace torn-up posters with framed collectible posters. Just keep things at a reasonable level. For example, a couple of stylish posters and prints are fine, but it shouldn’t look like the wall is wall-papered with them.
Create Open Spaces
Clutter creates stress. And too much stuff – no matter how stylish – contributes to stress and frustration. That’s why you should seek to create open spaces. Remove anything that you have to step around when walking from one room to another. Have clear walkways within rooms, too. For example, you shouldn’t have any impediments when following a natural flow from the sink to the fridge to the stove. Have an open pathway from the sofa to the chair to the TV or gaming system. Try to open up main living areas. For example, have just one central table in the living room instead of having half a dozen footrests, tables, and other items in the middle of the living room.
