1. Look for clearance sales on new sofas and other upholstered furniture. Last year's fabrics may still appeal to you. Solid colored sofas and other seating for your living room offer more flexibility for your rugs, drapes and other accessories. The carpet color in your apartment influences the colors in your living areas. Most apartments have neutral carpet, but if yours is special, cover it with an oversized rug remnant that you can cut and fit for your space.
2. Spruce up furniture that you find at your local thrift store or yard sale. Dining room or kitchen tables and chairs are simple to repaint or stain. Add cushions or staple fabric and batting to reupholster chair seats or turn a coffee table into an ottoman. Wooden furniture is simple to transform with a little paint and a bit of effort. Find a bed and dresser, refinish it and add a new mattress for a bedroom that will be completely new to you.
3. Shop your local sales or at online retailers for inexpensive drapes and curtains, or buy fabric and make your own. Sew a seam around the perimeter of the fabric and hang it on the window with clips and a rod. The drapes will break up the whiteness of the walls with a splash of color. They can also tie two rooms together if you have a dining area and living room combination with a window in between.
4. Create custom art for your walls by adding strips of painter's tape in a geometric or striped pattern to a canvas. Paint the canvas with acrylics and remove the tape for easy wall art. Hang a colorful sari, quilt or wall decal for a simple alternative to creating your own canvas.
5. Center your main seating area on the television, fireplace or a bay window and fill in with a coffee table and one or two end tables, depending on your available space. Add lamps and other removable lighting to create warmth and to brighten up the room. Large framed wall mirrors propped against an open wall add depth and dimension to the space. Hang a mirror behind a lamp to increase the light or to create an impact.