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

So you might not be the neatest person in the world, but that doesn’t mean that you have to deal with clutter cramping the style in your apartment. There are a number of smart, simple ways to de-clutter your space without spending hours cleaning every day. Here are just a few tips for managing the mess.

• Think function, not fashion. Sure, that matching furniture set might look great, but that doesn’t mean that it actually works in the room. Having too large furniture (or even too much furniture) is a surefire way to make a room look cluttered. Downsize to maximize your space.
• Create a place for everything. Go through your home and make a note of everything that doesn’t have its own designated space, from the stack of mail to your everyday beauty products. Invest in small bins or drawer organizers where you can toss things to keep them out of sight.
• Add shelving. Keep things off of the floor by adding shelving anywhere that clutter frequently accumulates. Add attractive bins or boxes that you can put things in.
• Spend a few minutes. Take a few minutes before bed each night to make one final sweep of your home, putting things away and getting organized. Waking up to a tidy house will make you want to get in the habit of de-cluttering.

Clear Clutter and Take Control of Your Life [All You]
Clutter Control in 10 Steps [Family Circle]
25 Ways to Clear Clutter [Style at Home]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr Jamesthe1st

Satisfy your passion for great coffee at Pasion del Cielo. Located at the corner of Giralda Avenue and Merrick Way, Pasion del Cielo isn’t just a place to stop in a grab a cup for the ride into work. This is the place you want to go to relax and enjoy a cup of fine roasted coffee. The ambiance of the coffee house will immediately put you in the mood to relax, with rustic brick walls, comfortable tables and even more comfy chairs and sofas. It’s like a home away from home! It gets even better when you see the selection of espresso drinks, frappes and iced coffees, made from coffee beans procured from around the world. Bring your friends or just come alone and sit back with a good book, or enjoy the free wifi.

Pasion del Cielo
100 Giralda Avenue
Coral Gables, FL 33134
(305) 448-0007
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pasi%C3%B3n-del-cielo-coral-gables-2

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr marfis75