Moving into a new apartment is exciting, but it can also be stressful and expensive. When I moved into my place in North District, I had to make a lot of decisions about where to put my limited time and money. Naturally, I focused on the essentials — the kitchen and the bathroom.
These are the parts of an apartment you use every day. A good kitchen and a clean bathroom make a huge difference in your quality of life. Decorating my bedroom felt like an afterthought, a nice-to-have rather than a must-have. Still, I ended up spending extra time and money decorating my room, hoping it would make my space feel more like home.
Here’s the reality: decorating doesn’t make your apartment function any better.
No matter how many rugs you buy or how carefully you arrange your posters and lights, none of that changes your practical day-to-day experience. Decorating won’t make your apartment more livable or comfortable in a real, tangible way.
In contrast, investing in the kitchen and bathroom upgrades improved my life dramatically. Those improvements were worth every penny because they are areas in my apartment that I use multiple times every day. Decorating, on the other hand, is more like a cosmetic upgrade with little lasting value.
The biggest problem with decorating, especially for students living in apartments, is that these spaces tend to be temporary. Most of us don’t live in one place for long. Whether it’s due to graduating, changing jobs or other life changes, we’re often moving after a year or two. So, all the time and money spent decorating feels wasted once you have to pack up and leave. I saw this firsthand with my sister when she moved back home and brought a bunch of stuff that now lingers around the house.
I’ve seen many students living in college apartments, and most love decorating their space with posters, fairy lights, rugs and all sorts of personal touches. At the time, it made the apartment feel cozy and reflected their personality.
But after you move back home, those extra items have become a problem. They’re just extra clutter taking up space in your house. Most of the items aren’t being used anymore; they’re just stored away, forgotten and collecting dust. What once made your apartment feel like home has turned into a cluttered mess that needs to be sorted, organized or discarded.
This example perfectly shows the downside of decorating — it creates physical clutter and extra work, especially when you have to move. The sentimental value attached to decorations doesn’t always translate into practical value, and often these items become burdens rather than assets. You spend time and energy personalizing your space, only to end up with more things to store or discard later. For many people, that’s frustrating and exhausting.
Some might argue that decorating is about more than just practicality; it’s about feeling comfortable and expressing yourself. And I won’t deny that. There’s definitely a mental and emotional benefit to having a space that feels uniquely yours. However, those benefits can be achieved in simpler, less costly ways. Instead of buying expensive decorations, you can use a few meaningful items or rely on a minimalist style that’s easier to move and maintain. The key is to prioritize what truly matters.
If you’re deciding how to spend your limited resources when moving into a new apartment, I suggest focusing on essentials first. Get the appliances, furniture and repairs that improve your day-to-day life. Make sure your bathroom works well, your kitchen is functional and you have a comfortable bed. These things pay off in comfort and convenience far more than posters or rugs ever will.
Decorating tends to be a distraction from these priorities. It can be tempting to focus on how your place looks rather than how it works. But if your apartment isn’t comfortable or practical, looking good won’t fix that. In fact, spending time on decorations might delay taking care of the things that actually matter.
Another important point to consider is that decorating requires ongoing maintenance. Dusting, cleaning and arranging — it all takes time. When you’re busy with school, work or other responsibilities, this extra upkeep can become a burden. Plus, decorations can get damaged or worn out, especially in a rental apartment where you don’t have full control. The result is more wasted time and money.
Even though I don’t regret decorating my room, I realize now that it was more of an emotional choice than a practical one. I wanted my space to feel like home, and adding personal touches helped me with that. However, in the bigger picture, it didn’t improve my living situation in any meaningful way. The kitchen and bathroom upgrades had a far greater impact on my daily comfort and convenience.
So, if you’re moving into a new apartment, save your resources for what really matters. Fix the things that affect your comfort and daily routine first. Then, if you have time and money left over, add a few personal touches, but don’t let decorating distract you from the essentials. Your future self will thank you.
