Modern interior design ideas

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If you live in an apartment, your decorating choices may seem limited, but it is possible to turn your rented space into a chic, streamlined retreat with a few modern decorating ideas. While renovations and other major changes to your apartment are out of the question, there are still lots of temporary and inexpensive things you can do to create a modern space that’s personal to you. Whether you’re looking to make a big change or just update some of your decorating details, try some of these modern ideas in your apartment.



Walls

Basic, boring white walls are par for the course in most rentals, and painting or wallpapering generally isn’t an option. If you long to add a little modern pep to your walls but don’t want to lose your deposit in the process, consider using bold artwork to liven up your living space. One large print or a grouping of several bright pieces in clean-lined frames will make a big impact on a blank white wall. Not enough color for you?  Consider using a great modern fabric as temporary wallpaper. Simply clean the wall (or walls) you’d like to cover, then cut the fabric to its measurements plus one inch, being sure to match your patterns at the seams. Soak the fabric in liquid starch and apply it to the wall using pushpins to hold it in place.  Apply more starch using a sponge and smooth out the bubbles. Trim excess at bottom. To remove, simply dampen fabric and peel it off. Consider using the same fabric for pillow covers or shams, window treatments, or a shower curtain elsewhere in your apartment to create a pulled-together, cohesive look.

Floors

If your apartment has lovely, gleaming wood floors, then you’re in luck; simply throw down a few modern area rugs to add a little warmth. Dingy, damaged floors are often standard-issue in apartments, however, and can put a serious damper on your modern décor. Consider purchasing large, inexpensive rugs of simple sisal or jute to create a neutral base on which to build your modern design. To add some personality, layer small, modern throw rugs on top for pops of color, geometric pattern, or texture.

Furniture

If you’re considering purchasing furniture for your apartment, you’ll want to keep both scale and function in mind. Consider purchasing sofas with unobtrusive arms or none at all, which both take up less space and have a clean look. A floating seating area allows you to use open wall space for storage or additional workspace. Look for a small-scale console table that can be slipped behind the sofa to create a space-saving home office. Glass-topped tables have a sleek look and won’t visually clutter a room. For additional seating, look for a pair of modern ottomans in lieu of a coffee table or purchase some box cushions that can be brought out for guests. Modern interior design ideas

Details

Ugly, dated light fixtures often abound in rentals, but swapping them out for more modern designs is a possibility as long as you save the original and replace it when you leave. Kitchens can be one of the trickiest parts when trying to achieve a modern decorating scheme in an apartment because so much of what’s there is expensive or impossible to change. Updating tired cabinet hardware with gleaming chrome is an easy and inexpensive idea that offers big impact, as does adding magnetic strips for holding knives and utensils, pot racks, and other creative storage solutions to free up counter space for a clean look.

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Modern interior design ideas

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