There’s nothing better than getting your own place. You get to decorate and arrange it however you want! You can also upgrade it as well—this really makes it your own and shows off how great you are at adulting. You can get stuff done and make your apartment even more awesome!

1. Get Some Double Duty Furniture

One of the downsides to apartments is the struggle for space. That’s why double duty furniture comes in handy. Something like a sleeper sofa can be great for using as a couch and as an extra bed when you have guests over. Ottomans with storage in them are another good choice, as there’s no such thing as too much storage!

The big thing is saving space while remaining efficient, yet still having a stylish and guest-friendly pad. You don’t want to have your friends crashing on your floor when they could have a bed to sleep on!

2. Upgrade Grandma’s Old Furniture

Getting hand-me-down furniture from family members is always awesome—yay free stuff! But some of it might not be quite to your taste. Luckily, there are tons of ways to upgrade it and make it your own. Plus, old, sturdy furniture is going to be worth a lot more in the long run than the stuff you pick up from Ikea.

One of the easiest ways to make something look new is to change the knobs or handles. Put some modern ones on that old dresser for a sleeker look. Repainting is a good option as well, especially if the furniture isn’t in the best shape and the paint is peeling or chipping already. Staining is important too since you want all the woods in a room to match!

3. Paint The Walls

Give your rooms a bit more pizzazz and character with some new paint! A lot of times you’ll get apartments with bland white or beige walls. While that can go with almost anything, it’s pretty boring. Some bold new colors can really liven a place up.

You want to make sure the paint job goes smoothly. You don’t want patchy walls or drips everywhere. Make sure you take your time and move things out of the way to get every inch of the walls. Those little paint cards are too small to really get a feel for how things will look on the walls, so get some sample paint and test a larger surface out before you commit.

4. Frame Your Art And Posters

The touch of a frame can go a long way in making your place look sleeker. Instead of just taping your posters and pictures on the walls, get some nice frames for them. They don’t have to be expensive ones—even a plastic frame can go a long way on making things look more polished. If you want to create your own frame, there are pretty easy DIY ways to do just that!

5. Add Your Own Touch

Instead of buying things like soap dispensers, lamps and other little things, try making your own. Obviously you’ll have to buy your base materials, but finding a DIY tutorial online and twisting it a little for your own style can give you things no one else has. They may be little, but there’s a good chance guests are going to take notice—and wonder where you got such cool stuff!

6. Don’t Be Afraid Of A Little Clutter

Obviously, you don’t want to go overboard. But having a bit of clutter, like a stack of books or magazines on your end table or DVDs on a shelf, is what makes a house a home. You want it to look a bit lived in, not like some pristine setup from a showroom floor. Don’t try to hide everything behind fancy decorations and put personal photos up instead of just art. This is your apartment, and it should look like it.

Make your apartment the place everyone wants to hang out at! Get started on some upgrades and really make your new place feel like home.