How To "Get Your Adult On" (Apartment Edition)

By Amanda Cohen on August 26, 2016

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.

Recent college graduates have been taking the summer to move into their one, two, and/or three bedroom apartments anticipating what the real world has in store for them.

Whether you are in New York, Chicago, Washington DC, California, or any other state, you want to make sure that your new home is as comfortable and homey as possible. The difference between college apartments and “real-world adult” apartments is that the adult apartments do not come furnished (let’s all take a minute to gasp and panic at the idea of having to furnish an entire apartment).

Well ladies and gentlemen, have no fear because Amanda is here to give you some advice on the patterns and color schemes that you should use when choosing furniture, bedding, décor, and other accessories!

Pretty in Pink

If you are like me, you want your apartment to burst with happiness and joy. For me, in order for this to happen, I have to incorporate pink into my living space in some way, shape, or form.

However, I don’t want my room to resemble a nursery, so I personally like to add white and grey into the mix and then find a simple, geometric, modern pattern that combines at least two of the three colors.

First, alternate the painting/wallpaper for the walls with one solid color and one simple pattern (I recommend white and grey). The simple colors and patterns will allow you to get creative with furniture, decorations, and other items.

When choosing a couch and dresser, get white or cream. Accent the couch with light pink and grey throw pillows to give the area a pop of color! Finish off the room with a grey shag rug, pink sheets, and a huge fun canvas print (plastered on a solid color wall) and call it a day!

Grey is the New Black

If you prefer simple, for monotonous colors and patterns, I recommend using a grey and white color scheme with a few accessories that have a huge pop of color. This color scheme is best for apartments that have plenty of windows that allow natural light to get through and make everything sparkle.

Choosing furniture using this color scheme is easy because you are going to choose half of the furniture to be white and the other half to be grey. However, to ensure that your apartment does not resemble an old-fashioned insane asylum, you need to choose the right accessories.

I would buy silver and purple/magenta throw pillows with a white and purple quilt to throw on the bed. Your wall art should be modern with lots of harsh, sharp edged designs that have black, white, and even a combination of dark blue and purple. Choose a dresser that is tall and thin and a short, round, fat bedside table. Use lots of furniture with wood-finishing rather than metal.

Mish Mosh

If you live the hipster lifestyle and want an apartment that reflects your trendy, cool, chill attitude, then the mish mosh apartment style is exactly what you need. This color scheme allows you to use any number of unique patterns.

In order to make everything look somewhat cohesive, you want your walls to be painted dark blue; the simplicity of the color will make sure that your decorations and furniture are the real standouts of your living space.

When deciding on a couch, get a cream colored, rough fabric couch and accentuate it with maroon, green, black, purple, and black pillows. Fill your bare walls with wall hangings of all different shapes, sizes, colors, patterns, and textures. Get an antique-style wall clock to put above your desk or dresser to give your apartment a vintage vibe.

Make sure that your desk is filled with plenty of copper, bronze, and gold trinkets (some of which have a useable purpose and some that do not). Finish everything off with some succulents, a wooden desk chair, and forest-patterned curtains and you have the perfect hipster apartment!

pinterest.com

These are only three of the many different color schemes to choose from for your adult apartment. Do not be afraid to get creative and think outside the box. There are so many different places you can go to when buying or renting furniture, decorations, and for just getting general inspiration.

No matter what type of apartment style you choose, make sure that you finish everything off with pictures of your friends and family so that you have that little piece of home with you. Below I have provided various links for you to browse when deciding how you want to decorate your living space.

Welcome to the real world, ladies and gentlemen, and enjoy your very first adult apartment!

Decoration Websites

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/index.jsp
https://www.etsy.com
http://www.wayfair.com
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/index.jsp
http://www.crateandbarrel.com
https://society6.com
http://www.redbubble.com
http://www.zazzle.com
http://www.poppin.com

Inspiration Websites

https://www.pinterest.com
https://www.tumblr.com
https://www.buzzfeed.com
http://www.refinery29.com
https://wanelo.com
http://www.popsugar.com

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.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format