Decorating the bare walls of your new apartment may seem overwhelming at first, but even if you’re not a professional interior decorator, you can create a magazine-worthy rental by following a few simple tips. Here are just a few smart tricks that you should know before hitting the home goods store.

1. Incorporate storage wherever you can. Choose furniture items that contain built-in storage, and make sure to hang shelves in spaces like the kitchen or bathroom.
2. Replace the hardware. Showerheads and drawer pulls are easy to replace to reflect your style. Hit up your local hardware store and invest in a high-pressure, filtered showerhead, and then choose kitchen and bathroom pulls in whatever style you like. You can easily switch these back once you move out.
3. Work around a rug. Unsure about the color scheme for a room? Choose a rug first, then decorate around it since it will likely be the largest item in the space.
4. Add temporary wallpaper. Try temporary wallpaper in a fun color or edgy pattern to create a designer-inspired look that you can easily remove.

The 10 Commandments of Rental Decor [PopSugar]
5 Easy, High-Impact Rental Decorating Ideas (That Can Move With You) [Apartment Therapy]
6 Ways to Decorate Your Rental—Without Losing the Deposit [Oprah]

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr Stacie Stacie Stacie

Barton Creek Square is one of the most comfortable and modern malls in the west side of Austin, hosting a wide variety of stores, plus spacious, air conditioned corridors and even cell phone charging stations that give your electronics a boost while you shop. Major department stores like Macy’s, Dillards, and Nordstrom act as the mall's anchors, while a spacious AMC movie theater is situated on its lower level.

Popular national clothing retailers like LOFT, Banana Republic, and Abercrombie & Fitch offer clothing for shoppers of all ages, and there are even larger sporting goods stores like Finish Line for all of your athletic apparel needs. At its food court on the second level, the two-story mall contains a variety of different eateries offering everything from Asian cuisine to grab-and-go pizza slices and ample seating for guests who want to sit and enjoy a meal. There is also a large parking lot with a full farmers' market every Saturday afternoon!

Barton Creek Square
2901 S. Capital of Texas Highway
Austin, TX 78746
(512) 327-7040
www.bartoncreeksquare.com
www.yelp.com/biz/barton-creek-square-mall-austin

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Maegan Tintari

Wishing everyone a happy and relaxing Labor Day!