4 Steps To Decorating Your First Apartment

One of the absolute best things about getting your first place is shopping for your first place! It is such a fun and exciting time. And if you’re lucky enough for your first apartment to be bright, spacious, and well appointed (ehhmm, like Redwood apartments), you won’t have to worry about decorating to cover up flaws - like tiny windows that face brick walls. You can focus your time, energy and budget on finding items that fit your personal style and that you’ll be able to keep with you for years to come. So, how do you make the most of your first place?

1. A Budget:

Of course, when you’re getting started, the budget can be a significant obstacle. And even if it’s not, it’s a good idea to keep yourself to a pretty tight budget for your apartment purchases. It can be all too easy to go overboard, spending all of your time in furniture stores and the accessory department at Target. A real, concrete budget is a must-have for your first apartment. It will keep you from making some seriously expensive mistakes.

2. A Color Palette:

Color is all around us, and when beginning to decorate your first apartment, it should be at the top of your list of decisions. There are a few things other than “Blue has always been my favorite color” to consider when choosing a color palette for your first place. Unless you’re planning to go monochromatic, you’ll need to select more than one color and those colors will need to live with each other, so they should be complimentary. If all of this sounds like nonsense, don’t worry about complimentary, just think about creating a cozy little color family – a sister with 2 brothers. If you think of the sister as the star (which of course she’d be in a family with two brothers), you pick her first and she is your favorite. But, like any star, you give her too much room to shine and she’ll overshadow everything else in your life/apartment, so provide her with two neutral compliments (her brothers). For example, if your star is Pink, you might think of pairing her with white and grey as compliments. She still gets to shine, but she has a few grounding elements to keep her subdued.

3. Spatial Perspective:

With a defined budget and a color palette, your next step is to stop to gain some perspective. The absolute worst thing you can do when decorating your first place is to buy items that simply do not fit the space. Both pieces that are too large or too small are problematic, so let’s not fall into this trap. Pull out the tape measure, ruler and grid paper (or any scrap of paper) and get to drawing. Figure out what size furniture your room can hold and don’t forget to measure your doors – to make sure you can get said furniture into the apartment. Your grid will also help you with figuring out where you can place your furniture. Putting doorways, windows, and other stationary objects on the grid will give you placement ideas. You can also add electrical outlets to the grid, so you’ll know where you can place your lamps, television and stereo equipment. 

4. A Foundation Piece:

Oh, on to the best part, the furniture (and accessories). Since we’re going to be shopping on a budget, with a color palette in mind, and a template/spatial floor plan, finding the first foundation piece will be a snap. It might be obvious, but you should probably start with somewhere to sit/sleep. The seating/sleeping arrangement will determine where the other furniture goes. Choosing your couch and bed are a great place to start. Look for pieces that fit your personal style and try your best to go with neutral colors. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been called Rainbow Brite by more than a few people, I love color, but a big ol’ purple couch is difficult to decorate around (I know this from experience). And if/when your tastes change, getting a custom slip cover isn’t cheap.           

This list of must haves is probably less conventional than the standard “Start with a cute sofa” lists, but this will probably be more helpful than that. And, when you are making transitions from one style to the next and from one apartment to the next, you’ll be able to look back on these tips to help you continue to define your style and to build your most comfortable home. 

*Written by Lindsay S., proud writer and decorator.

5 Things You Might Believe About Working Out (That Aren't True)

It’s that time of year again…when I dig out the workout clothes, dust off those Piyo cds, and try to remember which gym I’ve been paying $10 per month to avoid visiting.

So, what’s been getting in my way? It’s these silly little myths that keep me from being realistic. Below is a list and my opinion of how I’m going to overcome them.

1)     Exercising is the only way to lose weight

Tropical Fruit Juice Recipe

Well, unfortunately for me (and you), this just isn’t true. You can’t outrun a bad diet. But, fortunately, you can eat your way to health…and depending on your goals, you won’t have to exercise at all. I’m no nutritionist, but I can tell you, from experience that you can modify your food intake to accomplish your weight loss goals without setting foot in a gym or turning on the DVD player. And you can do it in a healthy way. If you’re interested in learning how, head to your local library or open up your OverDrive (library) app and check out books on the Whole 30 or Carb Cycling diets. Both of these are lifestyle diets that will help you increase your healthy foods, while decreasing your calorie
count.

2)     There’s no such thing as “spot training”

Thank goodness this isn’t true! You can spot train, but you can’t spot lose. Weight loss is always a distributed process, but you can focus your training on the development of certain muscles or developing specific physical strength. On that note…

3)     Ab exercises give you six pack abs

You can’t exercise your way to a six pack. In the fitness model world, this is one of the myths they love busting! You can exercise your way to flat abs – your genes might help a little, but the exercise will do it; you just can’t exercise your way to a six pack. Fortunately…you can eat your way to a six pack! If you’re working your butt off (or abs off), you can modify your diet to take you those last few ounces. Once you’ve gotten into your six pack BMI range, you’ll need to wheedle out all of the fat, sugar & carbs from your diet…but you can’t stop eating, that’ll take you in the wrong direction.

4)     No Pain, No Gain

If it doesn’t hurt, then it’s not working…it sounds like nonsense, and fortunately it simply isn’t true. There are plenty of highly effective exercise routines and even weight lifting regimes that will not leave you feeling like a broken man or woman.

5)     You need weights and machines to build real strength

The truth is that you can lose weight and build strength without leaving your living room (and without turning said living room into a home gym). Of course, hitting the gym and doing cardio and hiring a personal trainer are useful methods for weight loss and strength training, but they aren’t necessary. I’m a huge fan of body weight training, such as Pilates and Yoga. I mean, I’m a girl…so there’s that, but the truth is that body weight resistance training has been around forever and it’s a proven effective method for weight loss and building strength.

So…myths blown, my plan is simple. I’m going to focus on getting back to what has worked for me in the past. Portion control and a routine of yoga and Pilates. My likely addition to this tried and true regimen will be some bicep workouts. Wish me luck!

*Written by Lindsay S.

To Be Heard: How To Create Your Dream Job

In 2017, many corporations tout “open door policies” and a lack of “executive titles” to establish the culture of the office workplace. The new modern office curriculum includes a level of transparency and openness to new ideas unlike previous workplaces in history.

If you work in such an environment, congratulations, you are very lucky.  To be led by true visionaries is an exceptional, sometime fleeting moment in any person’s career.

I have never forgotten the feeling of “being heard” by Dan Gilbert the first week of my career with the Cleveland Cavaliers.  In previous careers and offices, I had always had what I believed to be “good ideas”, but they were squashed with red tape, budget minders and process followers before they were even presented.

Dan Gilbert, legendary owner of The Cleveland Cavaliers, founder of Quicken Loans, was different.  For those who have had the opportunity to learn his business “ISM’s”, it is clear to see how he envisions a “from the bottom” approach to running his family of companies.

After leaving the Cavaliers Organization in 2012, I was afraid that I may never find another team to work with that shared the same approach.  I took several steps back and decided to reenter the world of property management, a previous career, from the very bottom.  

In June 2015 I landed with Redwood Living, a young apartment management company that is thriving and growing at a tremendous rate nationwide.  As a leasing professional, I was tasked with showing model apartments and closing leases in the Columbus, OH region.  I was thrilled with the position and loved helping people find new homes.   

And then the idea struck….

Sometime in July 2015, just one month into my new career, I had an idea for how to approach a new national corporation that was moving to a location nearby.  In my mind, it made all the sense in the world to proactively approach this business and offer them an incentive to drive their new employee base towards Redwood Living when they transferred to the area. I brought this opportunity to the attention of Kris Conwill, COO of Redwood Living Inc. when I met him briefly later that month.

For the second time in my career history, someone heard me. That’s right…me. The person in perhaps the lowest rung of the totem pole of the entire organization… I was heard. And the rest, as they say, is history.  

Much is said of great leaders, and we all have our favorites.  Mine are both historical and those living in my everyday life.  As Dan Gilbert states in his “ISM’s in Action” book, “Being a leader doesn’t give you the right for perks, it gives you the right to motivate others”.

My ability to identify a gap in Redwood Livings current business plan and change it has been successful, in most part, for the simple fact that Kris Conwill heard me, believed in me, and made others listen.  He gave me the opportunity to follow my instinct and thus carve a new career for myself.

The ideas that will bring your organization to the next level may already be out there in the minds of your current team.  Put down the spreadsheets, close your laptop and use your ears.  Give audience to anyone on your team, even briefly, and LISTEN to what they have to say.  Be open to new ideas. Reward passion and allow it to be followed.

My career thus far with Redwood Living has blossomed into a new level of job satisfaction, challenge and balance that I have never known to be possible.  I am grateful for the past leadership that has brought me to this place, and forever thankful to the Redwood Living Leadership Team for hearing me.

 

*Written by Amy Litten, Leasing-Professional-Turned-Corporate-Outreach-Specialist for Redwood Living