10 Painless Techniques To Update Your Apartment

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No matter how much care you’ve taken in decorating your apartment, after awhile your carefully chosen curtains and wall art will start to look a little stale after awhile. Looking at the same pieces of art and knick knacks in the same spots every day can begin to take a toll on your eyes and your senses after a few months. When you get that itch to redecorate you don’t need to feel like you need to start over from scratch-there are few simple steps you can take to rejuvenate even the most bland apartment.

Adding a few extra decorations or moving around the pieces that you already have displayed in your apartment can make a world of difference! So before you head for the dumpster with the canvas prints you were in love with last year take a second to rethink your apartment layout. These ten tips, courtesy ofapartmenttherapy.com, walk you step-by-step through the quickest ways to give your apartment a boost when you feel like it needs it. Keep reading to learn more:

1. Bring the outdoors in with houseplants.

A little green can go a long ways towards bringing life into your space. Choose something low maintenance, like a succulent, if you have a less than green thumb.

2. Add a few throw pillows.
Throw pillows can add both color and texture, and go a long ways towards making a room feel finished.

3. Hang some art.

Frame it up or get creative. You can find great art on Etsy or at the thrift shop, or hang a masterpiece by your kid — anything that resonates with you or just makes you feel happy.

4. Buy fresh flowers.

Flowers add a lot to a space and feel decadent, but don't have to cost much. A bouquet from the grocery store in one bold color can have a great impact.

5. Add a shot of color.

Whether you pick up a bright throw pillow or paint a wall, bringing in color is the quickest way to bring about a dramatic change.

6. Cozy things up with a throw.

Throws add texture and warmth, inviting you and your guests to get comfortable.

7. Make it personal — display something meaningful.

Putting a sweet note or personal photo on display makes a house feel more like a home, and brings in a bit of your personal history.

8. Set out books and magazines.

Keeping reading material within reach invites you to sit down and make yourself at home, and is a great way to keep guests occupied.

9. Light some candles.

Scent can have a big impact on how we experience our environment, and the glow of a candle also brings a bit of warmth to a room.

10. Turn on some music.

Music is one of the easiest ways to set the mood and liven things up in an instant.

Ready To Explore? There's an App For That!

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So you’ve just moved into your new apartment - you’ve finally got your couch perfectly positioned in the living room, you’ve unpacked your bedroom and this place is finally starting to look and feel like home - it’s a great feeling. Now that you’re getting comfortable, it’s time to head out and explore your new surroundings. What’s the best restaurant in town? Where is the nearest gym?

If you have the time and don’t mind wandering, of course you can walk around the city and get the scoop of your surroundings. But, If the idea of spending a day without a direction doesn’t quite fit your fancy, you have options! There are plenty of apps for your smartphone that can direct you around your new city. This list, courtesy of renters.apartments.com, includes some of the best gadgets to find your way around your new city.

Yelp: The user review site is even handier on your smartphone. The app pinpoints your location and lists nearby restaurants, bars, coffee shops, shopping and more. Or, use the Monocle feature and hold your phone up in front of you to see nearby businesses appear in your camera’s view.

Shopkick: If you want to save a little money while you’re exploring, Shopkick may be the app for you. It will tell you what stores are nearby and what rewards they are offering at that moment. Once you’re in the store, log into the app and points will automatically load onto your phone. Points can be redeemed for gift cards, song downloads, Starbucks drinks and more.

Foursquare: Kind of a combination of Yelp and Shopkick, Foursquare can help you find a place to eat, drink or shop, and let you know which places are offering rewards for checking in. It can also help you find other types of attractions, like dog parks, food trucks, jogging trails and farmers markets.

Uber: If you’d rather explore your ‘hood on wheels rather than on foot, use Uber to get a ride in a jiffy. Use the app to set your pickup location on a map, and they will dispatch a towncar to your location along with an estimated arrival time. Your credit card information is stored, so you don’t have to worry about having cash or a credit card on hand, either.

Klikaklu: This new scavenger hunt/geocaching-type app guides users to different clues using GPS technology. Users can make their hunts public so other people can try them out, and successfully finding and photographing a clue results in rewards. Similar apps include Scavenger Hunt With Friends, Stray Boots and Huntzz.

Do You Have Control Of Your Clutter

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Let’s face it, we all have those heirlooms from our childhood that we just can’t seem to part with (stuffed bear from infancy, anyone?) Though there are appropriate items to hang onto, generally it can be tough to squeeze every last item into our apartments. Though we may say that we’ll change and promise to downsize, the challenge then becomes deciding what to keep and what goes.

If you find yourself harboring items that you have no use for ( a closet full of salt packets collected from fast food restaurants, or something of the sort,) you may need to think about decluttering. This checklist fromapartmentguide.com may help you to decide if your clutter is warranted or a problem. Keep reading to learn more!

1. You avoid social gatherings in your apartment. If you’re a hoarder, it’s only natural to not want people all up in your personal space. The whispers, the side eyes, the hesitance to sit down. You can smell the judgement from a mile away. Or maybe it’s just the mountain of dirty laundry piling up in the corner.
2. Insisting that you’ll use stuff that you know you never will. That broken blender and your worn out high school gym shoes will never see the light of day again. But you refuse to let go of these and countless other neglected gems that make you the hoarder you are.
3. Your apartment is no longer livable. Are you unable to properly use the kitchen or bathroom because it’s full of junk? Is your sofa or bed buried underneath another pile of random belongings? If you can’t utilize your spacethe way it was meant to be used, there’s definitely a problem that needs to be addressed.
4. You see “value” in ordinary things. In theory, it’s a nice idea to hold onto those things passed down from your parents and grandparents. But if grandma’s collection of knit Christmas sweaters are stashed in the back of a closet 365 days a year, you clearly don’t cherish them anyway. In your mind, tossing these items will result in guilt for years to come. Newsflash: it won’t. If it absolutely tears you up inside to even think about getting rid of your decade old hot pink poofy prom dress, you might indeed have a hoarding problem.
5. You collect insane amounts of duplicate items. What’s your weakness? A utility closet overflowing with cleaning supplies? Over 75 boxes of Saltine crackers? Do you have enough identical items to last you through the apocalypse and beyond? Hoarders are notorious for accumulating quantities of products that’ll last for weeks, months or even years.
6. You just can’t stop buying stuff. Even though your small space is packed to the max, you continue to acquire all kinds of things. If you’re constantly bringing new items into your apartment without doing some purging to make room, you might be a hoarder.
7. Your entire life is on the line. True hoarders experience life-changing events due to their habit. Relationships suffer when partners don’t realize why you just can’t stop. Debt piles up when you insist on stockpiling certain items. Your lease could even be in jeopardy if your space becomes a health or safety hazard. Yikes!

Divide And Conquer

(Image courtesy of UrbanAccents)

Creating exciting decor is all about finding one piece that will draw guests attention. Though definitive art pieces and colorful couches are great for drawing the eye and creating conversations, if you’re looking to change the shape of your space, it may be helpful to try a room divider.

To divvy up your space, you’re not relegated to the plain paper dividers that you can find at almost any store, there are simple solutions and opportunities to upcycle that will create a vibrant and colorful decor. Follow the links below, courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com, to find the perfect space divider for your apartment.

1. An old window used perfectly to divide the space, worth checking out the rest of the photos the rest of the house is lovely. koko studios via flickr

2. 3form's partitions are made from their Varia Ecoresin material, which uses a minimum of 40% recycled resin. A variety of options and colors available.

3. A nice use of the classic IKEA Expedit shelves, these are included because they are fairly easy to find used on craigslist. You can find all of the specs for these shelves on the IKEA website. SweetLunaNet via flickr

4. This project from Lifehacker turns old LPs into a room divider.

5. Natural Bamboo Screen from Gaiam, pesticide-free bamboo finished with nontoxic water-based finish.

6. Another great example of windows as room dividers. Perhaps not the best example for a renter, but so pretty. From Casasugar.

7. A fabulous fifties-inspired home, uses a tall entertainment unit that doubles as a divider. mouchoux via flickr.

Feel Better At Home

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We all get that itch from time-to-time. You know the one - the feeling where you just need to change something about where you’re living. It may be the furniture, or the paintings on the walls, or just the way that you feel when you walk in the door that something’s not right. There’s no need to tear your apartment apart and start your decor from scratch, there are quick simple solutions to help your apartment feel brand new again.

It’s easy to feel like your apartment isn’t living up to your expectations after you’ve been seeing the same thing everyday for months. These tips, courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com will help you take the step back you may need to fall in love with your apartment again. Keep reading to learn more.

• Clean your home. It's usually the single best way to improve your environment, and it costs nothing. Plus, even a new sofa won't fix a dirty house.
• Get rid of something. It's free and free-ing. The bonus? Helping your apartment lose weight is a lot easier than dieting.
• Lay off the shelter porn. Just as ads make it seem like everyone's a beautiful underweight 21-year-old, shelter mags and blogs (yes, us too) often feature beautiful homes that can make your own space seem like it doesn't measure up. Work on learning to love your home for what it is.
• Paint. Nothing perks up a room like a fresh coat of paint, and the right color can offset things you already own, elevating your whole apartment to a new level.
• Rearrange your furniture. It's a really effective way to change your outlook on your home, it's free, and it gives you a good workout.
• Upgrade something. This doesn't necessarily mean you need to buy something new - you can revive an old piece of furniture with a coat of paint, reupholster a chair, or make a slipcover for something.
• Fix something. You know that drippy faucet, torn window screen, or broken doorknob? You'll feel better once it works again.

The Once-A-Month Apartment Fix

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Chores. A necessary evil. We know that cleaning isn’t at the top of everyone’s list of favorite things to do, but, if you can’t get out of it, you might as well get into it. Lucky for you we have a fool-proof list of once a month cleaning that will make your apartment look and feel fresher.

The best news of all: we can show you how to freshen up your apartment once a month in 20 minutes flat. Are you ready? Check these tips courtesy of tide.com for all the details you need for the cleanest apartment you’ve ever seen.

1. Recharge a sluggish showerhead: 5 minutes. To rid mineral buildup, unscrew the showerhead and quickly wipe off loose debris with a scrubber sponge. Then, using a large zip-top bag, submerge the head in a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. Leave it to soak and move on with your chore list.
2. Unclog and deodorize the kitchen sink: 3 minutes. Pour a half cup of baking soda, then a half cup of white vinegar, down the drain. Set a timer for 2 minutes. (While you’re waiting for the timer to go off, move on to the next step.) When the timer stops, return to the sink and rinse hot tap water down the drain.
3. Tidy the dryer vent: 3 minutes. Sweep lint from the lint trap, and clean the vent under the trap with a vacuum hose attachment or a skinny brush made for dryer vents.
4. Clear cobwebs: 5 minutes. Use the Swiffer® Dusters Starter Kit with Swiffer® Gain Original Scent® dusters. The handle helps you navigate hard-to-reach surfaces, and the lively, crisp Gain® scent will make you wish cleaning day came more often!
5. Finish what you started: 4 minutes. Flush the kitchen sink drain with cold water, then head back to the bathroom and replace that showerhead. Run clean water through it to flush debris—and you’re good to go in 20 flat.

Lunch Made Easy

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Between work obligations, personal interests and all other manner of meetings and activities that fill your schedule, it can be tough to make sure that you get to sit down for lunch most days. Often on our busiest days it seems easiest to just stop by a drive-thru and grab an order of fries - but is that the best way to stay healthy? Making sure that you have a balanced meal during the day will make you more productive and will keep you feeling like you're on the top of your game.

With a little planning, lunches don't have to be rushed. Take the time the night before a busy day to put together one the items on this lunch menu from renters.apartments.com and you'll be ready to chow down whenever you have a moment to sneak a bite to eat. Keep reading to learn more.

1. Veggie-Stack Pita Pockets

Vegetarian- and kid-friendly, veggie-stack pita pockets are filled with lean protein and tons of nutrients.

Ingredients:

• 10 to 12 whole-wheat pita minis, lightly toasted if desired
• 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup grated manchego or pecorino romano cheese
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 ripe Hass avocado, pitted and sliced
• 1 small cucumber, sliced
• 2 tsps. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes

Directions:

Mix together chickpeas, cheese, water, lemon juice, salt and red pepper flakes in a food processor and puree until the mixture becomes smooth. Leave the food processor on and pour in olive oil until fully mixed. Season with freshly ground pepper. Spoon the bean spread onto the toasted pitas. Add avocado, cucumbers and additional vegetables of your choice, and your healthy lunch is ready to enjoy.

2. Chili-Spiced Salmon Salad

At just 283 tiny calories, the chili-spiced salmon salad is surprisingly packed with delicious flavor.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. canned salmon
• 3 cups Bibb lettuce, torn into pieces
• 1 pink grapefruit, sectioned
• 2 slices red onion
• 1/4 avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup canned beets, drained and diced
• 10 pistachio nuts, shelled and chopped

Directions:

Combine dressing ingredients into a food processor and mix until smooth. Mix together salmon, lettuce, grapefruit, avocado, onion and beets into a large bowl. Toss with dressing. Sprinkle with pistachios and enjoy the natural energy!

3. Curry Chicken Lettuce Cups

Want to (literally) spice up that boring chicken salad sandwich? Try this adventurous and guilt-free dish!

Ingredients:

• 1 package split chicken breasts
• 8 large leaves Bibb lettuce
• 3/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 2 tbsps. mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• 2 tsps. water
• 1/4 tbsp. kosher salt
• Optional garnishes: golden raising, chopped scallions, slivered almonds, fresh basil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place chicken breasts on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil. Coat chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake concoction for 40 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Remove from oven and set aside. Once the chicken has cooled, discard the skin and take the breast meat off of the bone. Chop the meat into bite-sized pieces. Place the mixture in a large bowl with the diced pepper.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, salt, curry powder, and water. Add dressing to chicken and peppers. Measure half cups of the chicken mixture into each lettuce cup and have fun experimenting with various garnishes, or simply enjoy as is.

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but that doesn't mean lunch doesn't play a role in your health and well-being also. These three recipes can help give you the energy need to get through the day, while staying on schedule. More importantly, these meals help you stay healthy all day.

References:

• http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/veggie-stack-pita-pockets-recipe/index.html
• http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/summer-salad-recipes?page=1
• http://blog.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/2009/09/03/5-ingredients-or-less-curry-chicken-lettuce-cups/