Apartment Blog

 Continuing our weekly trend, here are some amazing tips on how to refresh your home using the happy color yellow. As the color of sunshine and daisies, yellow brightens up dark rooms and breathes warmth into cold spaces. And remember, these tips will accommodate most limitations given for apartment renters!

For an elegant feel, add black and white furniture with strong silhouettes to a room in addition to the color yellow. In the photo example, a simple color scheme of white, soft yellow, and black creates a timeless look to this room.

Pale yellow walls set a soothing tone. Pairing cheerful colors, such as soft greens and yellows are also very welcoming.

A beautiful combination is blue with yellow. It adds a classic French country feeling to any space, especially with patterns that include the fleur de lis, the swan motif, stripes, small floral prints and checkerboards.

Curtains, appliances and kitchen towels in a mustard yellow coordinate with rustic cupboards (common in many apartment communities) can give a kitchen a Mediterranean ambiance.  Pair a few mosaic plates with red, blue and orange on the wall to really get the feeling going!

A floral-inspired bedspread, curtains and chandelier bring a romantic feeling to a bedroom.

A bold beam of sunny yellow can be brought in with an accent rug or a piece of art work.

For a multifunctional room or a child bedroom, use yellow with other primary colors (red and blue).  Children of most ages like the bright colors, plus this palette can be used for many years.

Yellow backing on bookshelves will make the books stand out on a custom-built shelf.

Combine warm shades of yellow, gold, and tangerine give to a room a sophisticated and elegant look. The walls, floor, and drapery are kept neutral in shades of white and cream (as most apartments are). Yellow upholstery, pillows, and artwork add a bit of color but keep it rich and elegant (see photo on left).

One of the best qualities of the color yellow is that it goes great with nearly every other color — white, orange, green, pink, blue and brown. So if you’re looking to punch up a space, why not consider this pleasing color! What’s next on the palate? The color PINK!

Source: Country Living and Better Homes & Gardens

Continuing our weekly trend, here is an article with some fantastic tips on how to refresh your home using the color blue! Bring the outdoors inside with a splash of sophisticated and refreshing blue!

Make a bold statement by using deep blue. If you can’t paint, curtains are a great effect for your walls (especially if they are floor to ceiling length).

For added excitement in a bathroom, replace the knobs on your vanity and/or medicine cabinet with blue ones (just make sure you keep all the screws and original knobs when it’s time to move out). White and blue bath accessories, artwork and towels would really complete the look.

Blue checkered details really add a lot of fun as well as a retro twist to any space. You can use this idea for pillows on a bench in your apartment or for cushions around your dinning room table.

Silvery gray and pale aqua is a perfectly glamorous combination for a vanity table. An ornate mirror makes an elegant topper, however if you can’t take down your mirror, removable stickers to adjourn your mirror will work.

For a beach themed apartment, you can use removable cushion covers from an outdoor patio set. A blue stripped rug and an antiqued painted coffee table add dimension to the space; as would blue stripes and fun accents like a nautical star or chandelier.

Also, don’t be afraid to mix a variety of patterns - just stick within the same color palette. A delicate blue-and-white curtain blends beautifully with a shag rug, toile quilt, and boldly striped cushions. My favorite pattern, besides the classic stripes, is damask. Having a piece in the room using blue damask instantly makes it trendy and chic.

Paint and furniture aren’t the only ways to bring color into a room; fun knickknacks in the same hue will do the trick also!

What’s the next color on the menu? Yellow! Soon we will post ideas for decorating in the powerful color of the sun!

Source: Country Living and Better Homes & Gardens

Ready for more decorating tips? This time we’re listing ideas with the chosen color red. The color red seems to be noticed more than other colors. Red cars have a notorious reputation for being pulled over more by cops because of the vibrant color. A small dose of a bold and vibrant red adds energy and impact to many things, including any room in your apartment. Here are a few tips to decorate your apartment space that will sure accommodate most limitations for apartment renters have!

If you’re ready to fully embrace red, go all out with a fire engine shade. Try it in a small room, like an office and pick up accent pieces that really add an impact. Rug, curtains, a big canvas painting, etc. Even choose office supplies and/or organization tools in the vibrant color.

Red doesn’t have to be flashy, certain shades, like a rich tomato red, add rustic warmth to a space.

Do you have an all white kitchen or bathroom? Apple red curtains, along with coordinating collectibles and dish/hand towels, add a splash of color to a pristine space.

A single distinctive piece, like a vintage dresser with ornate hardware (or a refurbished dresser you did yourself), in the color red can add just a touch of drama to a neutral room.

A symphony of red shades and patterns can play off each other nicely. Rather than clashing like you might expect, different patterns actually add depth and interest because they are within the same color family.

Give your dinner table a refreshingly simple update by painting your chairs candy apple red.

A boldly painted dresser, drapes and throw pillows add strength and focus to help to move the eye around the room.

Source: Country Living and Better Homes & Gardens

By Simon Phillips 

I like to do my bit for the planet by doing things like recycling and not using plastic bags for my grocery shopping, but my girlfriend takes green issues even more seriously.  Recently she started trying out all kinds of DIY cleaning tips using eco-friendly products.  To my surprise these strange concoctions made from things like baking soda and vinegar actually seem to do the trick.  As well as being good for your apartment’s air quality, you can cut down on packaging and reduce the number of cleaning products you need, and save money at the same time.  Here are some of the green cleaning tricks I’ve picked up, which you can try out for yourself next time you’re cleaning your apartment.

Upholstery - Baking soda works wonders at removing stains from upholstery.  To get rid of spots of greasy food on a polyester seat or cushion, rub dry baking soda into it and then brush off.  Vinyl seats such as recliners or barstools can be cleaned by using baking soda mixed to a paste with water.

Metal Surfaces - You can bring the shine back to a stainless steel sink by cleaning it with baking soda sprinkled onto a damp cloth.  You can clean chrome faucets and other fittings by using a paste of baking soda and water and buffing dry.  This works on metal barstools as well.

Flooring - To stop spills from staining carpet, remove any solids and then pour club soda onto the area.  You’ll need to act quickly and do this as soon as the spill happens.  The club soda will help bring the spill to the surface and stop staining.  When vacuuming, add baking soda and a few drops of a pleasant smelling essential oil to the bag to reduce unpleasant odors. 

Wooden Furniture - Ditch the synthetic spray polish and use olive oil mixed with a small amount of lemon juice instead.  Rubbing mayonnaise on water marks helps shift them, and lemon juice helps remove heat marks from wood.

Laundry - Adding a spoonful of washing soda crystals to each wash makes hard water softer and reduces how much regular laundry powder you need to use.  Stubborn stains, including red wine, tomato sauce and curry, can be removed from clothes by soaking them overnight in a mixture of 1 cup of washing soda to 1 pint of water and then washing as normal.

Bathroom - Use an old toothbrush and a paste of baking soda and water to clean up old grout on tiles around the tub.  Scrub shower curtains with baking soda or a few drops of white vinegar to remove mildew.  Pouring half a cup of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar down the plughole in the sink and tub can unclog blocked drains and if you do this regularly can prevent future blockages.  The same mixture can be used to remove lime scale deposits from a showerhead - leave it to soak in the mixture for an hour before running hot water through it.

Kitchen - Soaking greasy roasting tins in hot water and baking soda to loosen the grease and encrusted food makes them much easier to clean.  An effective multi-surface cleaner can be made from 2 cups of hot water, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of borax, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and a drop of washing-up liquid.  A homemade disinfectant can be made from 2 cups of water, 3 tablespoons of washing-up liquid and 25 drops of tea tree oil.

Windows and mirrors - A really simple way of cleaning windows and mirrors that really works is to spray undiluted white vinegar onto the surface and then buff to a shine using scrunched up newspaper or a paper towel.

Simon Phillips is a writer, interior design enthusiast and co-founder of GetBarstools.com.  He loves finding eco-friendly, money-saving ideas for the home.

As promised, here are more tips for keeing your apartment energy efficient this winter. These lighting ideas are simple enough that anyone can do them!

Lighting:

• This tip is one I enforce a great deal-whenever you leave a room turn off the lights! Even if it’s for a short while and you are going right back. Over time this tip can really save you power (i.e. money)!!
• Obviously, use natural light as much as you can rather than turning on a light.
• Something interesting to note (and something I’m definitely going to check when I get home) is dirty windows let in less light, so do dirty light bulbs, fixtures and shades. So clean them up!
• Another item that is interesting, but may not apply until the next time you need them, is purchasing light colored furnishings, curtains and rugs rather than dark ones. This is because they will reflect light better therefore reducing the amount of artificial light needed.
• As I’ve mentioned in our previous blog “Water & Energy Saving Tips,” replace incandescent lights with fluorescent lights in fixtures you leave on for long periods of time. (i.e. kitchens, bathrooms, porches etc.)
• Consider getting dimmers or timers for your lights. Dimmers save energy by reducing the amount of energy needed to light a space, and timers are much more energy efficient than leaving your lights on all day (especially when you’re out of town).

Last month alone I saved $20 by incorporating a few habits mentioned in Part I & Part II ’Make Your Apartment Energy-Efficient this Winter’  in my household. Can you imagine the savings annually? For more great tips, stay tuned for our Part III. A breif snip-bit: how to go energy efficient with appliances (and no, it doesn’t include you purchasing new ones)!! 

I just read this fantastic article called ‘Tips for an Energy-Efficient Apartment’ located at Healthgoods.com and let me just say ‘wow!’ There are some really great tips for making your apartment more energy efficient that I had never even heard of or considered. Especially given the time of year and the fact that the cooler temperatures are forcing us to change our habits, I think we could all use a little brush up so we aren’t overusing what we don’t need to and be able to save a little money. While most of it is out of our control given that we are living in an apartment and landlords/management companies are responsible for the building condition, heating systems and major appliances, there is still quite a bit we can do on our own!

Heating:

• Set your thermostat between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3-20 degrees Centigrade) during the day and 60 degrees F (15.6 degrees C) before going to bed. Most people won’t be at risk of hypothermia if temperatures are less than 65 degrees Fahrenheit, but if you’re uncertain consult your doctor.
• Be sure and keep your radiators clean. Dirt and dust can block the heat output.
• Arrange furniture so they are not blocking vents, radiators or baseboard heaters as this hinders the amount of heat distributed. If you find you are unable to move something, then look into getting an air deflector. This device attaches over the vent and allows you to direct where the air is going.
• The most well known thing I’ve heard regarding windows is caulking to decrease the heat loss. But did you know that for greater savings, you could invest in insulated curtains?! Never even heard of them!
• An obvious solution would be to remember that you can dress warmer to eliminate turning up the heat. If you’re feeling chilly, put on a sweater or socks. You’ll save big $$ in the end!
• And if anyone is from Virginia you can attest that our temperatures go all over the place. One day it’ll be freezing and raining, the next will be sunny and in the 70’s. If this is true where you live, consider turning on the ceiling fan or using the window next time it’s a nice day.

Stay tuned. We’ll be posting Part II soon! What tips should you look out for?? How to be more energy efficient with your lighting!