7 apartment essentials you shouldn't be living without

Homey must-haves

Pink bookshelf dressed with colorful frames and home decor accessories
(Image credit: @eedies_house)

Furnishing and decorating your empty new apartment might seem like a daunting task. While it may be tempting to rush over to a big box store and fill the space quickly, snap up this opportunity to take your time in designing a place you can truly make your own. One of the ways to get started is by searching through Pinterest boards and design sites to help fine-tune your personal interior style. As you find inspiration, take note of what appeals to you and look for the essentials that best suit your overall vision. 

From there, you can focus on creating the most functional design in your apartment. Whether that means opting for a clothing rack in order to free up space for storage in your closet, or figuring out how to save as much kitchen counter space as possible, the only way you can make the best decisions in creating a functional home is by taking your time in the space. While decorating and furnishing, another important thing to note is to not forget to have a little fun along the way. Although it may take a while to find the joy in searching for that perfect rug or drawer inserts to keep things organized, here are a few essentials that can immediately make your new place feel like home. 

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Every apartment needs the basics, but to really make your space work even harder, look for key items that deliver a little more and be creative with how you outfit pieces that already exist in the space.

Pink shelving dressed with bright accessories, frames, and plants

(Image credit: @eedies_house)

Small, cozy, and functional upgrades

Pink tile kitchen space with pink accents and storage jars with pastel lids

Courtesy of @eedies_house

(Image credit: @eedies_house)

It's all in the detail, and from cute organizational products that make all the difference to keeping your things in order, to a groovy shower head that will glow-up a sad-looking bathroom routine in an instant, here are some tiny but major apartment must-haves to consider.

Kate Santos
Contributor

Hello! I’m Kate Santos, a writer and photographer based in Los Angeles. In the design world, I got my start working as an Editorial Intern for Dwell magazine in San Francisco. Since then, I’ve written about design and architecture in many national magazines and online publications, including Playboy, Hunker, and The Culture Trip.


I grew up in a very old house in North Carolina and am still influenced by the rustic, charming, antique and aged elements of a home. Sustainability and longevity is extremely important to me and I believe learning to reuse materials or purchasing items you’ll love forever goes a long way. I also lean towards the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi when designing my own home, embracing the perfectly imperfect items I can find. 

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