Don’t know where to start when it comes to apartment decorating? Use the basic tenets of home decorating as your guide.

Create a theme
Design experts say that creating a theme or mood in your space is the key to apartment decorating. Think about what kind of space makes you want to create: formal and sophisticated? Punk rock? How about a funky retro pad?

You can even look to your favorite activities for inspiration in creating a theme. If you love movies, you might want your living room theme to be classic movie posters. Love to travel? How about an African safari-themed bathroom?

Whatever you choose, commit to a look and go for it. When you pick accessories and furniture for your apartment, let your theme guide the way.

Use color
Standard white apartment walls can be a drag. Adding some color to your place with a fresh coat of paint makes a big difference.

The key to using color in home decorating is to pick a color that sets the right mood. Psychological research shows that color plays a big part in influencing mood:

• Red is a highly stimulating color that makes heart rate and breathing increase. It’s a good color for rooms that need to have energy. Try it in your dining room or living room to stimulate conversation.
• Orange creates excitement and enthusiasm. It’s a good choice for your workout room.
• Blue is a calming color that aids relaxation, making it a popular choice for bedrooms.
• Green is a very pleasing color for the human eye, creating warmth and promoting calm. It’s a good choice for nearly any room.
• Violets can improve creativity and mediation. Dark violets create dramatic feelings while light violets can promote rest.

Remember that even though you may like a certain color, using too much of it in a room can be overwhelming. It’s best to strike a balance between colors. If you’re not sure how to do that, take a tip from your favorite throw pillow or painting. Use the fabric or artwork as a color pallet to decorate your apartment.

If you can’t paint your apartment, don’t despair: you can still infuse color into your rooms in other ways. Even with plain white walls, displaying an abundance of colorful artwork, accessories, fabrics, and furniture can make your place seem vibrant.

Light it up
Don’t neglect the importance of lighting in apartment decorating. Even the most visually pleasing space can turn into a cave at night time if you don’t have enough bulbs to light it up. Choose soft bulbs for relaxing spaces and brighter, clear bulbs in work areas. Consider where you place your lighting as well: eye-level lighting tends to be more relaxing while overhead lighting is a bit harsher.

Consider scale
One of the basic tenets of home decorating is to pay attention to scale. When you decorate an apartment, consider the size of your rooms and the size of the furniture you put in them. Packing a small room full of oversized furniture will really dwarf your space. Likewise, putting a lot of short items in a high-ceiling loft will also look kind of funny. The key is balance: mix up items of different heights and sizes in a room to create design harmony.

Make sure you can live with it
In the end, apartment decorating has to be all about functionality. Floor pillows might seem like a good alternative to a sofa, but when you just want to crash out in front of the tube, you might start to second guess that design choice. However you decide to decorate an apartment, make sure your décor compliments your lifestyle.