Apartment Battles: Resident-1 Bathroom-0
One of the biggest hurdles of residing in an apartment is space constraints. Making the most of your space can be challenging, but completely doable. There are so many options you may not even know are out there for you to try in your home to achieve the illusion of space without compromising the comfort and beauty you want. Although this could be a chapter book of ideas for the whole home, we are going to focus on the bathroom for today. Stay tuned for more ideas for rooms throughout your apartment 😉
- Some apartment homes allow you to paint your walls (as long as you return them to the original color when you vacate). This could be a great opportunity for you to erase that cold or enclosed feeling you get with stark white walls. However, you will want to avoid dark or heavy colors for the walls. You can save those for the accent pieces to decorate your bathroom with. The dark or heavy colors have a tendency to make the space feel more enclosed or smaller. By choosing lighter (not necessarily brighter) colors, the room will have a soft warm cozy feeling without feeling bounded.
- If you have a regular shower curtain in your bathroom or are currently the proud owner of frosted glass doors, try changing these out for clear glass doors. This will add the look of the shower area as part of the bathroom instead of adding another illusive barrier to space. If you are unable to install glass doors, you can also try using a tie back to decoratively hold the curtain to one side.
- Try to open up floor space. Yes, this sounds like a no brainer, but often times we close a bathroom in by cluttering the floor area that we have to work with. If you have a linen closet, try keeping your laundry basket in the closet instead of the bathroom. You can also store other items like cleaning materials in the closet as well. Another option for saving floor space is to store your trash receptacle under the bathroom sink instead of allowing it to take up floor space.
- Establish a focal point of your room. Don’t try to force too much into a small space. Choose maybe a couple of accent colors, and stick with that. Being too eclectic with your space can cause the feeling of being closed in as there is so much going on in such a small space. This also decreases the ability to have an even flow in the room.
- Add a floating shelf high in the shower, above the linen closet (if it is in the bathroom), or over the door area. This will allow for creative organizing without intruding on the already limited space of the room.
- Try using an over-the-door towel rack. One of the unfortunate things about drying racks for the bathroom is that they take up useful wall space and can make your bathroom look cluttered. By placing the rack over the door, you are taking that “eye sore” from immediate view thus opening up the room.
- Use an over-the-toilet storage option. Many stores and on line vendors offer these special shelving/storage option for the bathroom. These are great for opening up areas, adding functional yet appealing storage options, and can really add that certain something to your space. They come in several varieties, easily assembled (usually), and can be inexpensive.
These are just a few ideas you could try to enhance the illusion of space and the feeling of your bathroom. But be creative and enjoy your undertaking of a small home improvement task. We would caution that if you decide to paint or otherwise change the physical structure of the room, please check with your leasing office first. This will ensure a smooth transition and no issues with lease requirements.
Every big journey needs a map. Starting a huge task (like spring cleaning) is no different. Before you begin your journey, you can sit down to make a checklist of the tasks you would like to complete. You can put these in the order you would like to get them done, what is most important to least important, or just get them down on paper so you don’t forget. The ability to check off completed tasks on your list is gratifying, and they can help keep you motivated to keep moving.
William Shakespeare reminded us that, “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” The time will come while you clean and organize your home, to determine if an item is still needed. Although we tend to want to keep everything, not everything should be kept. You can establish three piles for items as you go through the things in your home: Keep/Put Away, Trash, Donate/Sell/Give Away. Organization experts recommend that if you have not used something since last spring, or longer, maybe it is time to let it go. If you are like me, you hate to throw away something that is still useful (in some aspect). If it is time to part ways, but you believe the item is still useful, you could donate it, sell it, or give it to a friend.
If you are one of those searching for an apartment in Bozeman, you know the stress of searching for an apartment for rent: driving around the city, looking at locations, inspecting rooms, talking to management. Oh, let’s not forget the whole application process, credit checks, references, medical history (kidding).
Bozeman is growing. Everywhere you look lately, new housing is going in. Land is being cleared and leveled for businesses, homes and apartments. Roads that used to be dirt roads are now being paved and connected to the neighboring subdivisions. For a small city, Bozeman is booming and new people are moving in all the time.
When deciding on an apartment anywhere, there can be a lot of factors to consider. It can be frustrating to try and balance what you want with what you need. This can be hectic especially with trying to decipher from important decisions like whether or not to rent or buy, the style you are looking for, and the price range you need to stay in. Here are three tips on how to make this process to run a little bit more smoothly.
The question of whether renting an apartment is right for you can be a tough choice, and hinges a lot on personal preference, finances, and other resources available at the time of relocation. Just the idea of moving can be overwhelming, stressful, and scary. Take a deep breath and relax because we here at Bridger Property Management want to help you find the perfect place to call home.
This is really important, because an apartment that seemed like a good idea online, may not be that when you walk into the apartment. When you visit make sure to check the safety of the apartment, preexisting problems in it, and the general condition of the apartment features. Don’t bother with minor things, if the perfect apartment does not have all the features on your list just consider the pros and cons of forgoing those features, this is part of the balance of a wonderful place to live without being too hard on your wallet.