How To Make Your Sublet Feel Like Home

By Gretchen Kernbach on March 29, 2016

When you sublease an apartment, most come empty or only with a few pieces of distasteful furniture. Adding your own touches to the space can make it feel like home. But what is there to add?

Your own furniture 

Whether your apartment is furnished or not, bringing in new furniture will allow you to customize how you please. Bringing in your own desk, table, or even chairs allows you to create a space that reflects your style.

Other pieces such as an office chair for your desk and even a lamp can make your apartment that much more homey.

According to apartmentguide.com:

“Interior designers agree that every room should have at least three lighting sources to help create zones. Each of the three must be task or decorative lighting, as these types create pools of illumination — so that means the ceiling light that came with the apartment doesn’t count.”

Another addition you can bring into your new apartment is a new couch. The memories you associate with it will follow you away from home. Even though furnished apartments provide couches, you do not know what has been on them. Nothing is worse than feeling uncomfortable in your own seating area. You will spend more time there than you think.

Decorations

Things such as pictures and posters allow you to personalize your space. Pictures of you and your intramural team or sorority/fraternity create a space that really is yours.

Posters allow tenants to individualize their bedroom to their liking. Ranging from scenery to music artists, hanging posters up provides warmth to a room.

Tapestries and rugs add color and flair to your subleased apartment. Covering up the bare walls is one of the best things you can do. Creating your own color scheme reflects your style all around. Even adding curtains will do the trick.

Image via pinterest.com

Décor applies to the bathroom, too. According to whaleyoubemyfriend.wordpress.com:

“Bathrooms are not one of the most exciting places, but use that to your advantage. Create a theme that will unify all the items in your bathroom. Have fun with a color theme or even a nautical/beach theme. Add some themed prints, decor and shower curtain to your bathroom, and it will definitely brighten it up.”

Add sentimental items

College is about growing up and apart from your old self, but it does not mean completely separating from your roots. Nothing is more comforting than bringing your mattress from home, or even just your bedding sheets. Not only will your sleep feel like you are back home, it will look like your old room.

Specifically pictures of your family can make a sublet feel more comfortable, as well as those of your friends from home. This way you can look at the old memories whenever you get homesick. In addition, an old piece of furniture like an alarm clock or a mirror will go a long way in making a new living arrangement feel like home.

Color

According to freshome.com:

“If you can’t paint the walls consider using wall decals, fabric pinned to the walls or artwork to transform your walls until you decide to move. Another secret trick to try is to create a color palette theme throughout your apartment. Choose 2-3 colors and use them throughout the main living spaces in your apartment. This will create a unified theme and help to create a cohesive apartment home. You will be surprised how carrying out a color theme will help make your apartment feel and look larger and more inviting.”

http://4betterhome.com

Color schemes you could choose from are black and white, blue and orange, red and gold, green and blue, or pink and green. If you want to feel more relaxed consider colors such as baby blue, grey, sea glass, or lilac. On the other hand, entertainment colors include a variety of oranges, reds, and yellows.

Organization 

Even though cleaning and putting things away is a hassle, knowing where everything is located is a blessing. Consider focusing your organization needs in the kitchen and bathroom. This is where everyone’s personal items will clash. The longer you search for your Oreos in the pantry, the more frustrated your hungry self becomes.

BuzzFeed provides a list of 31 ways to cleverly organize a kitchen, one way using old magazine holders to hold Ziploc bags and aluminum foil.   Hanging corkboards allows you to hang things such as measuring cups and a set of teaspoons/tablespoons. The possibilities are endless.

Image via buzzfeed.com

Bathrooms also need a lot of attention. Attention all girls, according to hgtv.com, “Gels, sprays, curlers, combs and hair dryers take up a lot of space in the bathroom. For quick organization, buy a plastic tub for under the sink and load it up with your supplies.”

This tip works well for sharing a bathroom with more than one person.

Even your own closet requires good organization. To minimize space in a dresser, use shower rings to hang up shorts. Holiday ornament boxes also help you manage your socks.

Image via Monica Rose, tiphero.com

Great organization creates a pattern in your sublet that makes it feel like home. When you know where everything is, you are comfortable in your own place.

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