Costly Apartment Decorating Mistakes To Avoid

By Ashley Paskill on August 16, 2019

This article is brought to you by CORT Furniture Rental. We take the hassle out of furnishing your new place so you can do more important things like read this article. Learn more about why furniture rental is the best way to get a great looking apartment.

As a college student, you are likely on a tight budget and have a packed schedule. This is especially important when it comes to decorating your house or apartment. Although mistakes happen, some mistakes can be more expensive than others in terms of time and money. Being careful to not make too many mistakes will help you save time that would be used to correct the mistake and the money needed to make things better.

Image: Deborah Cortelazzi via https://unsplash.com/photos/gREquCUXQLI

Making modifications without your landlord’s approval

Unless you own your apartment, do not make significant modifications without your landlord’s approval. Such modifications can include painting the walls, hanging things up with nails, and changing things like the floor, doors, ceiling fans, and other hardware. Not only will you be wasting money if you are actually not allowed to make these modifications, but your landlord may also fine you. If you want to make changes, be sure to check with your landlord before being fined or before spending money only to have to undo it.

Using the wrong paint

After checking with your landlord, if you are allowed to paint your walls, choosing the wrong color paint can be costly not only in terms of finances but also when it comes to time. For example, you should avoid painting a small room a dark color since it makes it seem even smaller. Also, if you paint the room and it ends up not looking like you thought it would, you will have to buy even more paint and spend more of your limited time painting. Ask for advice from the store you are getting your paint from. See if they have paint swatches that you can bring home to compare different colors.

To prevent issues, bring home swatches and see what you like. Once you choose a color for a room, get a sample. Even if you have to buy the sample, it is better than painting a whole room a color you do not like at all. That way, you are not wasting time and money on a color you hate.

Mistakes with furniture

While paint mistakes can be costly, especially if you need to buy multiple cans of a particular color, furniture is even more expensive. Therefore, making mistakes with furniture can be devastating to your limited budget.

Do not buy furniture until you are sure you need to. Some landlords furnish their houses or apartments. When you are looking into apartments, ask the landlord if the apartment is furnished or not. If so, you do not need to buy your own furniture, which will help you save money. As will be discussed later, some furniture companies may not allow you to return furniture that is not damaged and even if they do, they will not refund your delivery fees.

When buying furniture, it is important to measure your room and measure the pieces of furniture so that you get the right sizes. Some furniture stores have a feature on their website that allows you to input the dimensions of the room you want to furnish and see how certain pieces of furniture will look and fit in the room.

Another common furniture mistake is buying too much furniture. If you plan on having company over, you may need more furniture that those who do not plan on hosting guests. However, it is still possible to go crazy and overbuy furniture that you do not actually need.  In many cases, the delivery fees increase with the amount of furniture you buy, so buying more furniture increases the amounts of fees the store charges. Some stores do not accept returns, but even if they do and refund your money, they may not refund the delivery fees.

Also, make sure to measure the areas that furniture stores will use to deliver the furniture. If it turns out there is not enough room and the furniture damages the walls, you will likely have to pay for at least some of the damages.

Avoid covering air ducts

Whether you are trying to heat or cool your house or apartment, the air ducts are a crucial part of making your home comfortable. If you are covering the air duct with furniture, a rug, or something else, you will increase your air usage. If you are responsible for paying for your utilities, this will drive up your bill. To avoid this, plan your décor around the air ducts to help the flow of cold or warm air so that you can keep utility costs at a minimum.

Do Not Overbuy Pillows

Couch pillows can add a nice touch to a room as well as make your couches more comfortable. However, if you are not able to sit because you have too many pillows, there is obviously an issue. Depending on the thickness of the pillow, you can get away with having four pillows per couch. Each couch and pillow is different though. If you find pillows that you adore but have enough already, feel free to swap some out and store the others. Otherwise, avoid spending money on something you do not really need.

Trying your best to avoid making costly decorating mistakes in your house or apartment can help you save your valuable time and money that are important to you as a student.

Looking for an easy way to furnish your off-campus apartment? Renting furniture from CORT saves you time and money. See how easy it is to get great looking furniture without breaking the bank.

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