Have you recently moved into an old building? Are you considering moving into Danchi housing? Or maybe looking to change up the old home you’ve been living in for a while now… If you’re looking for some easy tips on how to make an old apartment feel more modern, please read on!

Renting old apartments has benefits; they often have more character and can be more structurally sound. They are also built to last, and, of course, for most people, the big bonus is that they are cheaper to rent. Nevertheless, new apartments have a more modern and sleek look, so many people opt to live in newly built apartments. If you’re looking for the best of both worlds, there are plenty of small changes you can easily do to make your home feel a little more new and fresh.

Contact Paper

Old apartments will usually have some wear and tear to the countertops, floors, kitchen cabinets, and fridges. They may be slightly discolored, or with some marks, or the design may feel a little bit outdated. This is when contact paper comes in handy. Contact paper is sold in sheets of stickers that can be attached to older furniture and surfaces to add a different surface with a new design.

Contact paper can be removed when you move out, so it works well for anyone living in a rental apartment as they don’t cause any damage. There are so many different contact paper designs and they come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, designed for specific areas and pieces of furniture around the house.

DIY shops, home furniture stores, department stores, and even 100-yen stores all sell contact paper to varying degrees of quality. Generally speaking, the more you spend on the contact paper, the better it will be.

Carpet

Contact paper is great for refreshing outdated cabinets and surfaces, but it isn’t the only thing you can do that covers up old surfaces. A carpet is perfect for covering up the floor in places where it has been worn down. Coming in endless shapes, designs, colors, and sizes, there is a carpet for everyone.

Carpets cover up specific spots that look more worn down, but they are also stylish pieces of furniture that can add a lot of character to your apartment. You can get creative with what carpet you choose and where you place it. You can even layer up with different carpets and rugs.

In the winter months, carpets are a fantastic way to help insulate homes. They help to keep you warm and make homes feel cozier, but they also help to dampen sound and generally make your home soundproof.

Carpets and rugs have so many benefits, so this is one of the best pieces of furniture in interior design!

Sofa Cover

Sometimes, it’s not the apartment itself, but the furniture inside it that needs to be modernized. If the sofa in your home is looking worse for wear, instead of buying a whole  new sofa, you can just buy a sofa cover.

You can find a sofa cover that matches the color scheme and design of your home. Most furniture stores sell them, Nitori and MUJI are a couple of the most popular places for sofa covers.

If you can’t find a sofa cover that fits your sofa or one that is within your budget, you could improvise your own sofa cover. Considering buying a large modern blanket to cover your sofa instead.

Clean Windows

You can make your apartment feel more modern without having to spend any money simply by cleaning it. Older apartments tend to be a bit harder to keep clean so it’s important to keep on top of the cleaning to make sure it feels fresh and looks nice. It’s a good idea to do a deep clean when you first move in too.

Something that is often overlooked when cleaning an apartment is the windows. Clean windows have a massive impact on the appearance of the apartment. Shiny and clean windows make a big difference since you can then see the outside areas much better. It creates a much more modern feel.

There’s a reason why shops and businesses always have such clean windows, so we recommend keeping on top of your window cleaning to create a modern and pleasant feel.

Art Pieces

What you put in your apartment as decor will have a big impact on the overall feel of the space. To add more character to your old apartment you can invest in some art pieces. Prints, paintings, photos, posters, or even your own art pieces will help to freshen up an outdated space.

Choose stylish art pieces to make your home feel modern. You can coordinate art pieces across your rooms too, which will create a sense of unity in your home.

Houseplants are particularly popular for furnishing homes at the moment. Like art pieces, houseplants will modernize your home. These timeless natural furnishings will help to breathe life into your apartment, giving it a calm but modern and fresh feel. You can find plant pots that suit you and work well with the plant too. If you stick to matching plant pots it will create a unified and organized look around your home.

These simple changes; cleaning windows, adding art pieces, houseplants, and carpets, using sofa covers, or even using contact paper will all help to refresh your rental apartment. It’s important to make your living space feel like a home. Your home can impact your well-being so please create an environment that is perfect for you! If you’re looking for a rental apartment, please check out our apartment search tool for affordable homes across the country.