Items That Make Apartment Living Even Better
Have you seen all of the new apartment complexes that are being built almost everywhere? You might think we have a huge influx of people that need places to live. While that is partly true, a bigger majority of apartments being built are for people who are either downsizing, or who simply like the flexibility of the easy living that apartments offer. Unlike traditional home ownership, an apartment gives the occupant lots of freedom. Your days can be spent doing what you enjoy most instead of worrying with maintaining your property. With this freedom you will probably want to make your space as enjoyable as possible. So just for you, we have tested and compiled a simple list of products that we believe will make your apartment life even better. Let’s jump right into our list.
1. Air Purifier
The first item on our list is an Air Purifier. When living in a smaller space, things like cooking or pets will seemingly produce more odor because there is less space for dispersion. This isn’t always a bad thing, especially if you enjoy the smell of something good cooking. However when it comes to dust, cooking, smoke, pet dander, pollen, or air born bacteria, you will be better off to filter that junk out of the air. The best way to do so is with a quality air filter that does the job effectively and quietly.
For this task we have tested the Blueair Purifier. It is just the right size for most small rooms. This unit uses a multi-stage filter system that can remove 99.97% of airborne particles down to 0.1 microns. The Blueair is great because it is almost silent on low mode so you will not be disturbed. If you happen to be using this near the kitchen, it can help remove odor quickly during those times you overcook popcorn or decide to fry fish.
With a price point of $139.99 it is not a cheap option but it is a high quality option that will last you longer than your lease and all renewals combined. It is simple to wash the exterior fabric filter. The interior HEPA filter replacements cost around $21. This unit is good looking with the added bonus of being able to change the exterior pre-filter cover to your color preference. Remember clean air is an important aspect of having a “healthy home”.
2. Phillips HUE White & Color Wireless Lights
How would like to come home in the evening and have all your lights turned on just before you arrive? With the Phillips HUE light system you can have that and much more. These are replacement light bulbs that use a wireless hub to communicate what the user wants. Looking to dim your lights? No problem. Want your bedroom to be the color of the ocean? That is possible. How about our favorite, which is to turn all the lights off at 11:55pm each night?
These lights are controlled via an app on your phone. There are 16 million color combinations to choose from. Not only are they unique and fun but extremely useful. Phillips HUE bulbs are a good solution to lights that you wish had dimmers. In an apartment, you may not want to purchase and install actual dimmers, or you may not be allowed to make such a change. By screwing in one hue light bulb that problem is solved! How cool is that? So if you are looking for a way to give your living space a pop of color for dinner parties or just your evening shower routine, you must get these lights. We recommend purchasing a starter kit to get you going. This will include the bulbs and the required communication hub.
3. Under Cabinet Trash Can
Living in an apartment is convenient, but most apartments are smaller than regular homes. With smaller space in mind you must consider where you will store your garbage. The easiest and cheapest solution is to just set out a trash can. This isn’t the worst idea but we have tested out a solution to be much better for apartment living. That idea is the under cabinet pull out trash can.
This setup consists of a steel frame that mounts inside of one of your kitchen cabinets. Depending on what your kitchen setup is, you may actually have a cabinet door that has the perfect spot. Ridgewood Place Apartments are designed to have exactly this kind of product. The idea is simple. When you need to put something in the trash just open a cabinet door and slide out the trash can. Smooth bearings in the track make this one smooth operation. Yes the trash can is smaller than most are used to, but it is time to throw less garbage away. Two people using this trash can might have to take the trash out 2 times per week. This seems very much like convenience and efficiency in an easy to buy item. The current coupon price is $39.99 at Bed Bath and Beyond.
4. Small Bag Holder
We all do it right? We save our grocery bags for future use. Those little bags are great for lining the bathroom trash can. They also come in handy for packing lunches or to carry along when walking the dog. Whatever you use them for, they are important to keep on hand. We have found that storing them isn’t always the neatest situation in your apartment. That’s why we recommend the wall mounted bag holder from Simple Human.
While extremely simple, this $14 item can help everyone from the happily disorganized to the most OCD person. It is designed for wall mount and will easily fit under a cabinet or in a pantry. You could even mount it in your laundry room. The sleek stainless steel finish makes it look attractive. In your progress towards organization, this is one key item that you will for sure want to have in your apartment.
5. Led Lamp with Sleep Timer and Dimmer
Most modern apartments will have pretty good natural lighting. This is a big benefit for apartment dwellers. However, when the sun goes down you are going to light up your most used areas. We have found that the kitchen and home office area are two places where a task lamp is super handy. Our lamp of choice is the Lampat LED Desk Lamp found on Amazon. We chose this lamp because it has the right combination of features at a good price.
The features list includes:
- 4 Lighting Modes
- 5 Levels of Brightness
- 1 Hour Sleep Timer
- USB Charging Port
- Multi Angle Adjustment
Not only is this light extremely helpful, but it looks very sharp in any setting as well. This lamp has been tested almost daily by us for the past two years. At around $30 this is a good value. Place your order and you soon will be shining a lot more light on the subject.
6. Small Oven
Two ovens? Yes, yes indeed. If you are a home chef of any type you will appreciate this item so much. When living in an apartment, you know that it is much easier to cool the place down quickly then in a large living space. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true, so it heats up quickly when doing something like cooking in the oven. So by adding a small, efficient countertop oven you don’t heat your living area up nearly as much. Plus you get the added benefit of being able to cook different things in different ovens. This can really come in handy under the following situations.
- Meal Prepping
- Holiday Hosting
- Dinner Parties
Also this oven has a toaster feature so it removes the need for a single use appliance. Another thing to consider is that the Breville Oven has the option for a “convection” style oven and depending on your apartment you most likely don’t currently have a convection oven. For the home chef this might be reason enough to make such a purchase. If you do decide to add one of these to your apartment kitchen, know that they offer a bamboo cutting board with rubber non skid feet that fits directly on top of this oven. Now let’s jump right into our the last item on this list..
7. Bookcase
They say “Readers are Leaders”. That makes a lot of sense. It also makes sense to have a good place to store your books. If you are an avid reader you already know this to be true. In our experience the best bookcase for the money is the Billy Bookcase from Ikea. They make multiple sizes to fit any living space. Our personal favorite is the $79 model which allows for six shelves. It stands at 79 1/2″ tall so that it fits almost any room. They offer three different color combinations.
- Birch Veneer
- Black – Brown
- White
Once you build your bookcase, you will secure it to the wall for safety using the included mounting brackets. Then the entire unit will be super sturdy and ready to hold all of your books. This item not only gives your books a home, but greatly improves the look of whatever room it is in. The very top of the bookcase is a great place to showcase helmets, pottery, or any kind of showpiece that you want seen but not touched. Ikea knocked it out of the park with this item. You can order this product online, but half of the fun of Ikea is shopping and eating in their mega store. We recommend trying the Swedish meatballs and chocolate cake BEFORE you start shopping.
Apartment living has so many advantages, and one of the biggest is that you can put more emphasis on buying high quality items because you need less stuff overall since the space is usually on the smaller side. This makes apartment very exciting. We hope this list inspires you to make the most of every square inch of your home. If you have any ideas or products that you love please share them with everyone else by leaving a comment : )
