Creative Ways to Lighten Your Apartment

• A good rule of thumb to remember is that lighter colors reflect light, while darker colors absorb light. A dark couch or dark-colored furniture may fit the design of your apartment perfectly but can make an entire room appear darker. If you cover a dark couch with light-colored throw pillows or something else that reflects light, it can help brighten a room. Cover the top of a black end table with a small white tablecloth, for example, to achieve this effect. 
• Lighter colors can brighten an apartment — and so can mirrors. A full-length floor mirror placed in a corner can increase the amount of light in a room without adding a single penny to your annual electric bill. Experiment placing a mirror at different angles to find the maximum "light bouncing" benefit from it. 
• Many smart home devices are geared toward controlling the lighting in an apartment. Inexpensive smart lamps paired with the correct app on your phone can be scheduled to come on at certain times of the day. A couple of lamps that automatically turn on as the sun starts to set can brighten a room, and you won't even have to think about it!

Those are just a few quick ideas to lighten your apartment as the days get shorter. Do you know someone who plans to move soon? Have them call the leasing office at 844-864-0303 for a tour of the Flagstaff apartments we have available.

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Think About Your Needs

When trying to create balance when decorating, you should first decide on your needs. Do you want a large couch? Do you want a green chair? By first deciding on your needs, that can help you add other design elements that will fall into place. If you decorate as you go with no real plan or idea in mind, that tactic may be harder than you think. Before you start decorating, try deciding on your specific needs, and everything else should fall into place.

Create a Focal Point

While balance has to do with elements working in conjunction, proper balance also has a centralized focal point that helps the work stand out. When planning your decoration, deciding on this focal point piece should be a top priority. Now you may be wondering: What should this piece be? If you’re lucky enough to have a large window with a beautiful view, then you’re already ahead of the game. A view to the outdoors works great as an attention-grabber, and it also does a wonderful job of bringing the light in. Fireplaces and French doors are other focal points that are very popular and effective.

Minor Details Make All the Difference

While being small and usually less costly, small touches make a huge impression when decorating a home or an apartment. Whether it’s silver bowls on the table or a colorful blanket over the couch, these minor details can really add balance to any space. Once the larger pieces of furniture and other elements are in place, you still may find areas that need some work. Try adding blankets, pillows, candles, bowls, or other elements that can help fill in these areas and make a lasting impression. However, you don’t want to go overboard. Be sure to add minor details, but remember not to add so much that it might feel congested.

Looking for a new apartment in Flagstaff, AZ to start your decorating journey? If so, then be sure to call Butterfield Apartment Homes today to check out our amazing floor plans!

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Convert a Blank Wall Into a Solution

Consider a floor-to-ceiling shelving system that serves multiple purposes. With some strategic design work, you can incorporate a desk space, a TV niche, and storage for toys, decor, or office supplies. If you're a book fan, this is a great way to display your collection. Keeping items neat and organized keeps this space from becoming a catch-all and makes it the centerpiece of your apartment.

Design a Play Area With Colorful Rugs and Cubbies

Create a bright corner for kids with an area rug in pretty pastels or bold rainbow tones. Add portable cubbies in accent colors for easy storage you can quickly stow away when company comes over. Beanbag chairs and tiny sofas give children a cozy space all their own to encourage them to keep toys and books contained.

Craft Nook Fun

Perhaps you're an artist, musician, seamstress or hold another creative talent. It's easier than you might think to create an area dedicated to your passion. It could be as simple as choosing the right accent rug to give the space a creative flair. Oval and round rugs soften the overall impact, especially if you want to blend your hobby area into a larger room. Choose a rug that fits a comfortable chair or stool and your instrument or easel, and all you need is a little inspiration to get started. For crafters, a small desk or table with storage helps keep your supplies and current projects accessible. 

With a little research and inspiration, you can maximize space in our apartments in Flagstaff. If you'd like a look at our floor plans, contact us today to see what's currently available.

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3 Tips to Discover Your Personal Decorating Style

1. Use an Online Designer Service

Online designers can take your room and give you ideas on how to decorate it, all without you leaving the comfort of your apartment home. If you choose one such as Havenly, you can get a choice of three different styles. Once you decide which one you like best, you’ll have a better idea of what kind of interior design looks you most connect with.

2. Create a Mood Board

Whenever you’re browsing through magazines, clip images of things that you especially like. They don’t have to be pictures of furniture; they can be landscape images, fashion pictures or even food images. Tack the images up on a bulletin board to create a mood board. A mood board gives you an overall view of what kinds of images you like to see, as well as what colors you’re drawn to. This is a great idea to figure out what kind of “scene” you’d enjoy in your apartment home.

3. Visit Showrooms

Furniture showrooms almost always have mock room setups so customers can get a sense of how different pieces work together. Visit some of these showrooms in your area. Browse around and spend some time in each mock setup. Which ones make you feel most at home? Those are the ones with decorating styles that will best match your personal style!

These three tips will make decorating your Flagstaff apartment much more straightforward. To get a personal tour of available Flagstaff, AZ apartments, please contact us or drop by in person.

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Everyone loves decorating for the holidays, but not everyone wants to change everything in their home or apartment just for a month or two. There are a lot of ways that you can actually decorate for the holidays without making a lot of changes. These are just a few that you can try this holiday season in your apartment home!

Decor Tips for the Holidays

Use Scents to Add Holiday Spirit

You can change the entire feel of your home with some scented candles. If you go get some candles that have scents that remind you of the holidays, just having one or two in your home and lit can change the whole atmosphere. 

Bring the Outdoors Inside

Around this time of year, there are so many options outdoors that you can use to really bring in the holidays. This can be as simple as bringing in some firewood to place next to the fireplace. You do not have to even light the fireplace, but it would make it feel even more like the holidays if you were to do so. 

Use Decorative Pillows

If you do not want to put up a lot of decorations, you can easily change the look of a room with some decorative pillows. You can do this with your couch or even the bedrooms to add a bit of holiday flair. All it takes is one or two pillows to change up the look of the room, so you don't need to cover up the space with pillows unless you want to!

Decorate Your Kitchen and Dining Room Table

There are some simple things you can do in the kitchen and with your dining room table. You can add in a few towels that are holiday-themed and even add in some placemats or a nice tablecloth to tie in everything for the holiday look. 

With these tips, it is easy to change the entire look of your home. If you are looking for a place to call home this holiday season, be sure to check out our Flagstaff apartments.

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Area rugs are a great way to add distinction and variety to the decor in your Butterfield apartment in Flagstaff, AZ.  You can bring the country club style of living into your home by using area rugs to add texture, pattern and color. Additionally, when choosing area rugs for different locations in your apartment, the right rug size, shape and material are factors to consider and will depend upon the location of the rug. No matter which shape or texture of rugs you prefer, consider these five ways to decorate with rugs:

5 Ways to Decorate With Rugs

1. Define Areas: The living room seating, the dining room table and the entrance to your apartment are three areas that can be easily defined with an area rug. And for studio apartment living, area rugs are a great way to define the open space.
2. Establish Quiet: Using fabrics throughout your home is one way to absorb sounds from neighbors or outside activity. Yet, area rugs can also be used to quiet the interior decor—softening hard surfaces, blending upholstery colors, and adding subtle contrast to neutral walls. 
3. Create Variety: There is no decorating rule stating only one area rug is allowed per room. Using two rugs of the same size can create the illusion of separate spaces. When you use two different-sized area rugs, it adds a sense of diversity to the room.
4. Focal Point: Since an area rug makes an impact by creating visual diversity, they are famous for creating a focal point in the room. Use a contrasting color or an intricate pattern to subtly create a point of focus in your decor.
5. Add Harmony: The color, style and shape of an area rug can effectively blend a room's decor and create a pleasant harmony to the entire space. Muted tones, without patterns which are complementary to your home furnishings, are a great way to establish harmony.

Area rugs can be used to brighten, soften, or coordinate your home decor. If you are searching for great community living in Flagstaff apartments, contact us to discover the country club amenities at Butterfield apartment homes.

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