24 *MUST TRY* Apartment Upgrades for 2024! ✨

It's a new year, which means it's a perfect opportunity to refresh your apartment and try out some new tips, tricks, hacks and DIYs to make living there easier. From easy ways to add accent walls, to ways to make your rental feel more like home, I'm sharing my top 24 ways you can upgrade your apartment in 2024. ✨

L I N K S :

L E T ' S B E F R I E N D S !

A B O U T :
Hi I'm Alli. I'm a 20-something just trying to balance a full-time job with with full-time creative life. I love everything about DIY and home decor, especially finding affordable ways to make high-end looking decor (that's renter-friendly too). So join me here as I help you craft your dream life! ✨

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[susankruger]

For the peel and stick tiles… first apply removable wallpaper, then apply tiles to the wallpaper. We did that for applying sound tiles to a recording studio in the office that we lease. Works great!

[Heidi_]

*TIP* Put the peel and stick on foam board first and then attach the foam board with command strips!

[donnapaquette]

My sister had a great idea just as you walk into her apartment she has a coat closet, she took the doors off the coat closet which added a nice space for a chair, a full length mirror a couple of nice photos and coat hooks. It looks fantastic, it really brightens up the space!

[GeorgeP]

Rather than contact paper on the counters, I'd recommend peel and stick vinyl - you can get varieties which are waterproof and moderately heatproof, which mean they're fine as long as you don't put boiling hot pots directly on them.

[deborahshufflebarger]

Concerning a backsplash for your kitchen, if you're able, apply a thin cutout of luan paneling using your command strips and stick your peel and stick tile to it .

[msm]

The "built-ins" look phenomenal! I have so many art supplies with so little room/storage, this is the perfect solution for a workspace. Thank you : )

[lyndareith]

I was able (with permission from my landlady) to redo my counter tops throughout by painting to look like marble. She had pink counters from many years go and she really liked the change. I also did peel and stick 12"×12" stainless steel look backslash tiles. Looks awesome. I'm very lucky that my landlady is so great.

[zabrinabridges]

I’m absolutely loving the lamp shade made out of a basket. I need the How to, please. 😊

[chriswithers]

Alexandra Gater and her team on her you tube channel has experimented with tile application...currently affixing to foam board/ply wood matching wall space dimensions and then caulking around edges for professional finish. I tried in my bathroom but the wall I covered wasn't recessed between a countertop and overhead cabinets so extra wall "thickness" was noticeable. Hers looked great thus the reason I tried it in my home. Just sharing in case you want to research her fails and solutions before attempting yours. It takes a village's experiences to discover most beneficial solutions...

[suecox]

I've used Contact paper on kitchen and bathroom counters several times. It's easy to do--all you need is a metal ruler and razor blades or an Xacto knife--and the branded version (Contact is actually the brand name) lasts literally for years. You need to use trivets for hot pans, but I've found it very durable. and the difference it makes is amazing. It also strips off easily when you're ready for a change or you decide to move.

[CraftingMyBestLifewithLisa]

I love all of your renter hacks. As you know, I am a renter too. So inspiring. I am totally uneasy about putting peel and stick anything on counters. I’d love to see peel and stick backsplash in the kitchen and/or bathroom. Also, flooring! Awesome video Alli! 🥰🤗

[debbybrigham]

I get large murals from Amazon or Temu and put them up with push pins. Looks great and easy to change out.

[chelseacheevers]

The dark blue accent wall with the shelving is so striking! Would love to see how you add the shelf and hooks. Thanks for all the tips!

[ubtcjjv]

I tried contact paper on my countertops in my last house as well as my last apartment and discovered that the longer you leave it on, the harder it was to remove. In my house, it was only on for less than a year but I was at my apartment for 7 years and it would not budge. I also did the same with frosted glass film, it was on for 2 years at my house and came off fairly easy but was on my apartment sliding glass doors for 7 years and would not come off. Let’s just say, I didn’t get my deposit back…

[maggielovestoads]

Contact paper on cabinets I would try but maybe not on counters? Just because I worry that it won’t be food safe. But you can put painters tape underneath it so you’re sticking it to the tape and not the surface itself

[dodiegoldney]

Lots of great ideas here! ❤Thank you!

I did my counters with dark grey marble peel and stick. They are really old laminate, and the sink side has bubbled from past water damage from a tap leak. That was difficult, but eventually, with some cussing, it worked out. The flat counter on the other side of the kitchen was easy-peasy! I later used the same stuff on some metal cabinets that had fake wood (yuck) tops, which I put in my entryway next to the kitchen, so it looks sort of unified. It was also pretty easy. So if you have flat counters, you'll be fine. Definitely get the kind recommended for countertops - it's not as stretchy/flexible as the shelf liner/wallpaper variety, but it has a realistic counter-like sheen to it and it's super easy to clean. To make it easier, you can spray the counter with soapy water to make it easy to position, then squeeze all the water out when you go over it with the squeegee tool.

[ForTheLoveOfTina]

Where is the entryway shoe holder from?

[barbarajackson]

If you heat removable wall paper with a hair dryer it comes of much easier

[hnijslo]

I would do the peel and stick tiles over contact paper on the backsplash

[legingembrefou]

My kitchen vibe is retro pastel so I used pink marble contact paper on my counters. They don’t look cheap or tacky AT ALL; if you didn’t know, you’d think they were something more substantial than contact paper. They were easy to apply (by myself), look gorgeous and they’re sturdy af (I am really rough on my counters and they’ve not budged in six years)