What You Need for Your First Apartment

You’re never actually ever going to be fully prepared to move into your first apartment. If you’re like any other 20 something in this world right now, you probably aren’t moving into some huge, spacious home. What you are probably getting yourself into is a cozy 500 square foot place where you have to learn to utilize space. (And you can learn to take advantage of all the space by checking out my blog about that here!) Nonetheless, it is your first apartment to yourself and you get to decorate HOWEVER YOU WANT! Isn’t that so cool?!

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Here is a handy breakdown of what you need for your first apartment:

I ordered much of my home and decor purchases from Wayfair. They have the option to browse styled rooms, and also to make your own mood boards based on different products. Plus, with such a big selection, I was able to find things that worked perfectly for my space. Another reason I love Wayfair is because of their great return policy.

Your Living Room

This is the main event of your new apartment. This is the hotel lobby. Where first impressions are imminent – you are going to not only want to impress, but be comfortable, too! So let’s start where with what you need for your first apartment.

Depending on the size living room you have, your options for couches are going to differ. (Ask your new landlord for the dimensions or measure it yourself before you buy anything!) It also depends on if you plan to have travelers come to visit often. Getting a daybed or a sleeper sofa would be idea for both a smaller living area and if you have over guests. You can’t forget that the living room is great for Netflix binging with your friends so make sure you grab a TV and a media console that can hold any devices or movies you may have.

Be aware if your living room doesn’t have light fixtures in the ceiling. You may have to grab a floor lamp or two to add lighting to the room. But nothing is complete until you make it your own, so style the walls with your own pictures, favorite paintings or quotes, and other wall decor you find is your style. Guess what? The hardest room is over! All smooth sailing from here, y’all!

Checklist:

• Sofa (sleeper or loveseat)
• Leather Poufs
• Television
• Media Console

Wall Decals are my favourite they can make sure walls looks so good with minimal effort. They are great for apartment that you cant paint in because they come off the wall so easy!!! You can check out my wall decal blog post HERE.

Your Bedroom

The bedroom should be your main priority when it comes to comfortability. The other rooms should definitely feel like home, but the bedroom is where you psychologically go to recharge and decompress. Make sure you choose bedspreads that are solid, deeper colors if you tend to use the bedroom strictly relaxation. But if you have to have pops of color everywhere, go for a fun, lighter color – but make sure not a lot of patterns are on it so your mind doesn’t have to be too stimulated when you go to bed. Get a dresser or two to get all of your clothes off your bed or off the ground from the pile it has been living in (guilty!). Maybe pick up some hangers for that new closet, too! If your room is big enough, maybe get a desk and chair so you don’t have to work on your bed all the time. A full-length mirror is always a good idea to ensure you’re slaying it each and every day. Spoiler alert: you already are! <3

Checklist:

• Bed
• Bedding
• Bedside Table
• Full-length Mirror

Your Kitchen

What’s shakin’, bacon?! Get your kitchen all fired up for making the best dishes in your apartment complex! But first – you need dishes! Get creative on your stop to Target or TJ Maxx and pick out a dish set that fits your personality. Again, check with your landlord to ensure that you have things like a fridge or microwave. Most places do include them, but you can never be too sure! You may overlook this, because I did, but purchase some utensil organizers for your normal silverware and cooking utensils. To add more flair to the kitchen area, pick up a few fun and colorful dish towels to hang over the oven door to add spice. Yep – bad pun, sorry.

Another great tip is using Minted, They have so many great photo options and its so easy to use. I wrote a whole blog post about it HERE!

Checklist:

• Silverware
• Dishes
• Pots + Pans
• Dish Towels
• Knife Set
• Utensil Set

Your Bathroom

Many people actually forget there are a lot of things you need for your bathroom. Personally, when I first moved into my apartment, I forgot to grab a shower curtain, because shouldn’t they just come with the shower? Am I wrong?! But then you also have to get the hangers that go with them?! Ugh. Between that and a garbage can with some very needed organizers for soaps, makeup, and other junk, the bathroom really does get overlooked when it comes to prepping to move into your own apartment. Don’t forget to stock up on toilet paper, toothpaste, razors, shampoo + conditioner, and feminine products. But like, when did we become adults who stock-pile things?!

Checklist:

• Trash Can
• Towel holder
• Towels

I couldn’t just pick just one shower curtain or bath mat so here are a couple of my favourites. I myself have one for the spring / summer and one for fall and winter. What you need for your first apartment is probably just one but sometimes you need to change things up.

I hope this list of things really helped put your mind at ease with your move and more information on what you need for your first apartment. It can totally be overwhelming, but this is going to be so good and fun for you. So, congratulations on the new home! Now it’s time to really make it feel like home!

This blog post about what you need for your first apartment is brought you in collaboration with Wayfair. Thank you for supporting the companies that support me.