When you’re moving into a senior living community, you may wonder how you’re going to decorate your apartment. While there will be furnishings in the apartment, you can add a personal touch that will create a space that’s right for you.
At Quartet Senior Living, we believe in providing you with a beautiful living space where you can express your creativity and individuality to make it your own. We offer residences which all have a variety of beautiful apartments available.
If you’re looking at the living options in Assisted Living, you’ll find a number of living options available. Some examples of Assisted Living Quartet residences include:
- The Andover – Two Bedroom – 980 square feet
- The Gilbert – Studio – 462 square feet
- The Ashton – One Bedroom – 605 square feet
- The Laurel – One Bedroom – 605 square feet
- The Wesley – One Bedroom – 627 square feet
You don’t need to be an interior designer to find the best ways to make your apartment your own. Check out our residents’ tips for decorating a senior living apartment.
1. Bring Meaningful Possessions
Do you have a family photograph that makes you smile every time you see it? Or did a loved one give you a piece of art that you enjoy?
When you’re decorating your apartment, bringing sentimental items can make it more personal and comfortable. This could be mementos from family members, favorite books, and anything that makes your living space feel like home.
You can also make your favorite possessions your main décor. Display photographs of your childhood home, your recent home, your church, or any place that means a lot to you.
If you have creative hobbies like needlework or woodworking, you can display your favorite pieces as main focal points in the room.
2. Reduce Clutter
There are a number of ways for you to make your apartment peaceful and calm. One of the best ways to do this is to reduce the amount of clutter. When you “rightsize” for your apartment, you’ll make the most out of your living space so you can enjoy your home to the fullest.
As you go through the process of reducing clutter, you can organize into four piles: what you’re going to bring, give away to family members, donate, or throw away.
Donating or giving away items that you no longer want or need can help you identify what possessions bring you joy and which ones are causing more stress because they’re taking up space.
Keeping clutter to a minimum also helps make your living space safer as you’re getting rid of potential tripping hazards.
Safety Tip: when you’re decorating your space, avoid throw rugs as these can cause slipping or tripping accidents.
When you’re enjoying your clean and beautiful apartment, you’ll likely want to show the space to others, too. You’ll have the perfect place to invite friends and family over to share a meal, chat over drinks, or watch a movie.
3. Have Plenty of Lighting Options
During the day, definitely take the time to pull the curtains aside and open the blinds to let as much natural light in as possible. Seeing sunlight when you first wake up helps you be more alert for the day and can improve your mood.
Having multiple warm lighting options throughout your living space can make it more inviting and cozy. Using lamps, lanterns, string lights, and battery-powered candles are perfect options.
Our community at Quartet is designed specifically to let in as much natural light as possible in all living spaces. Each residence type and community areas all have plenty of windows so you’ll be able to see the bright sun no matter where you are.
4. Add House Plants
Got a green thumb? Adding plants to your apartment can make the room feel bright and airy. If you enjoy tending to plants, you can enjoy watching your plants grow and flourish in your apartment.
Low-maintenance plants include:
- Succulents
- Air plants
- Snake plants
- Golden pothos
You can also opt for fresh flowers to beautify your space. Having a vase full of blooming flowers is a great focal point for your living room. If you don’t want to care for plants or keep up with flowers, artificial plants add a touch of color without any hassle.
For those who love to garden with others or if you need more space, the community garden is the place for you. Here you can swap gardening tips with other residents, see what other gardeners are growing, and add your gardening skills to help make the community garden as beautiful as possible.
5. Include Storage
When dealing with smaller spaces, having plenty of storage options is key for keeping the space clear and organized.
There are pieces of furniture that are built for storage. Ottomans can be used to store extra blankets, and side tables with drawers are perfect for cards and other games.
Putting storage bins in closets and organizers in drawers can help you keep your space tidy. As you get a feel for your space, you’ll know what storage solutions will help you the most.
You can also get the best of both worlds with dual purpose furniture. Consider the following furniture options that can provide you with additional space to organize your belongings:
- Using a dresser as a tv stand for storage
- Ottoman with storage
At Quartet, many of our residences have walk-in closets, making it easy for you to store and access your clothes, shoes, and accessories.
6. Spruce Up Entryway
The entryway to your apartment is a great spot to make an instant statement. Placing a small table in a recessed area can occupy unused space and give you another opportunity to decorate. This could be where you keep a seasonal arrangement or a soft lighting element.
7. Decorate the Walls and Windows
An easy way to personalize your apartment while keeping the space tidy is taking advantage of your walls and windows. You can hang anything you want on the walls like family collages and important pieces from home, like a family quilt.
Choosing your window treatments can add a special touch to your home. Curtains and valances can elevate a room and make it more inviting.
8. Have Fun With Color
Developing a color scheme for your senior living apartment can really set it apart from the rest. Finding pieces of art or decorations with your favorite colors is a perfect way to accent your space.
For example, you might have a coffee table with a blue vase of flowers and matching blue coasters.
You can also add color to walls and personalize with peel and stick wallpaper. You can get creative with adding patterns and textures that draw the eye to certain focal points. It’s also important to remember that you don’t have to make it perfect immediately – take time to find what you like best.
9. Use Helpful Resources
While moving in and decorating may seem like a large task, you don’t have to do it all on your own. There are so many resources available to you that will help with the moving process and making your space perfect for you.
“At Quartet, we provide residents with a list of resources at move-in that will help them with their furniture. Organizations like the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity may accept furniture that you no longer have use for,” said Amy Gutknecht, Senior Living Consultant.
“New residents can also use Fresh Start Living, who will help with packing, moving, and how to fit your furniture in your new space. Families frequently partner with Machu Movers who assist from start to finish, helping seniors with the fresh start by helping pack, move and decide what to fit in the new space.”
10. Decorate Your Door
A great way to personalize your space and create displays that your neighbors can enjoy is to decorate your door. You can change it up with each season or holiday–and your community may get everyone involved in a competition. This is a perfect opportunity to be creative and enjoy your neighbor’s displays as well.
11. Show Friends and Family
One of the best parts of creating the perfect living space is showing your friends and family. Your new neighbors or friends you’ve made at new resident gatherings will definitely want to see your newly decorated apartment. You can also explore the community together, like attending a happy hour or going for a walk around campus. You may even discover something new that makes you love the community even more.
When your family visits you, they will see how great your apartment is and you can tell them all about living in your new community. Your family will see firsthand what makes your community the perfect place for you to live.
Quartet Welcomes You
Are you interested in seeing more of the living spaces and the rest of the community at Quartet? We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us to learn more about life at Quartet.