Don’t Have This Stuff in Your Grown-Up Apartment

Don't Have This Stuff in Your Grown-Up Apartment
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When you’re under 25 you can get away with all manner of interior design touches that you simply can’t when you grow up a bit and want to be taken more seriously.

 

If you want your apartment to look like grown-up lives in it, rather than a teenage girl, then there are a few things that you may need to get rid of….

 

Photo Collages

Photo collages are really popular with young women, and especially those who frequent dorm rooms where they’re a cheap way to cheer up and personalize the space. However, they run the risk of being seen as cheap and tacky when they’re on display in a full-on grown-up apartment.

 

Of course, that doesn’t mean that you have to pack away all of your favorite snaps never to be seen again. In fact, quite the opposite is true. All you need to do is improve your interior design by investing in a few quality frames. Filter out the best photos and create your own wall of frames (you can find some pretty nice cheap ones) for an update to the old college dorm room favorite.

 

Poorly Hung Posters

Don't Have This Stuff in Your Grown-Up Apartment
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You love The Black Keys, and you want everyone to know that Amelie is your favorite movie, so naturally, you hang posters all over the place. When you’re in your teens and early twenties, it’s a fine way to decorate your bedroom, living room, or…well any room ever. However, when you’re a bit older; a little more mature, and you have your first grown-up apartment, they can look a little juvenile, to say the least.

 

But, wait! Before you pull down that Pixies poster or throw Amelie into the trash, visit this frame shop and invest in some cheap picture frames to smarten up those images you love so much. Once the tac has been removed and they’re properly hung, they’ll look as respectable as any other piece of artwork you may wish to hang.

 

Liquor Bottles

When you’re in your early twenties, having a row of your favorite used and unused liquor bottles is a simple way to add color to your space, not to mention the fact that it saves you from having to recycle, but once you’re a bit older, it can start to look more like you’re keeping a messy apartment than adding a creative flair to the kitchen.

 

So, throw out the old bottles and either keep the space clean, clear and clutter-free and keep your bottles in the cupboard or if you’re still inclined to have your favorite drinks on show, invest in a cool bar that you should be able to pull it off for at least another decade.

 

Falling Apart Flat Packs

When you reach the age of 25, maybe 30, it’s time to start thinking seriously about proper furniture. Sure, flat packs bought from Ikea are pretty convenient, not to mention cheap, which makes them useful for when you’re moving around a lot. But, they don’t look grown up, and they won’t last a lifetime. So, if you’re serious about creating a grown-up apartment, then it’s time to start looking at solid wood furniture.

 

If you can’t afford solid wood just yet, then see what you can do to make your flat pack furniture look better, whether that means tightening it up, painting it or anything else you can think of. It will give you a much classier interior.

 

Milk Crates and Plastic

Don't Have This Stuff in Your Grown-Up Apartment
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If you’re still storing your books in makeshift ‘milk crate’ bookshelves or you’re using plastic storage bins for your underwear, then your apartment is always going to look like it belongs to a young person/ college student. Replace it now, or if you can’t afford to do that, at least cover it with some pretty decoupage, for example, until you can.

 

String Lights

Okay, so if you love string lights, you don’t have to get rid of them completely, but you should use some interior design tricks to make them look more grown-up. For example, instead of just stringing them up all over the place, arrange them in pretty glass bowls or hurricane lamps for a more ‘upmarket’ look. You’ll get the same sparkle with less of the dorm room feel.

 

If you’re serious about your space and you want it to be more serious and adult, but still fun and ‘homely’ then removing all of this stuff and replacing it with better, more grown-up alternatives is not only going to be very effective, but very simple too.

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