One home essential that makes the difference between being able to cook, clean and find things easily and efficiently is the lighting situation in your apartment. When you move in to your apartment, you will most likely need to bring in your own light sources in addition the fixtures that already come with your apartment. Check out these tips for making your apartment lighter and brighter that are rental and property manager-friendly!
Stick-on cabinet lights
Task Lamps – If you need more light in your kitchen, bathroom, closet, or pretty much any room in your apartment, the easiest solution is to set up a task lamp. These flexible and portable lamps are convenient and can be plugged in a safe spot to add some more light where you need it in common work areas or go-to places to find household items you need.
Stick on lights – “Stick and click” LED lights are so convenient. These stick-on lights are battery operated, so no cords or plugs necessary, and they are inexpensive. Put them wherever you need more light in your apartment, including pantries, cabinets, closets or any dark corner in any room.
Under cabinet lights – Especially useful for smaller kitchens, overhead lights can be placed under cabinets which create dim areas in common food prep locations. Consider LED “tape lighting” which is an affordable strip of LED lighting which can be adhered to surfaces for extra light where you need it. These lights can range from as cheap as $15 and go up to $30 – $40 with enhanced quality.
Looking for a new apartment? We have over 9,500 apartments throughout the greater New Orleans area!
April is a busy time in the New Orleans area. It is officially festival season with French Quarter Festival and Jazz Fest on the horizon, and plenty of new deals and specials on 1st Lake apartments! If you’re looking for a great new apartment to move in to, consider one of these communities with offers you won’t want to resist!
Turtle Creek – The Turtle Creek apartments in Metairie not only offer a lighted swimming pool area and private patios and balconies on select apartments, but for April, one week of free rent and reduced move-in costs on select apartment homes!
Hickory Creek – This peaceful River Ridge apartment community is making offers that prospective residents simply can’t refuse. Sign a 17 month lease and receive two weeks free rent or one week free rent on a 12 month lease! On top of that, Hickory Creek is offering half off deposits on two bedrooms.
Clearwater Creek – Clearwater Creek offers beautiful apartment homes featuring full size washer and dryers, fireplaces, split level floor plans in a tranquil setting. This River Ridge community is offering a $99 deposit and waived administrative fees with a long term lease.
Sugar Mill West – Not only does Sugar Mill West feature immaculate landscaping with fountains, creeks, paths and bridges, but the Kenner apartments are offeing up to $175 off move-in costs on select apartments and reduced rental rates on select apartments.
Breakers – At the Breakers apartments in Metairie, enjoy great community features like a courtyard, access gates and gazebo, plus special rental rates on select apartments.
Magnolia Creek – One of the pristine apartment communities located in the Creeks of River Ridge, Magnolia Creek has unbeatable amenities and a special rental rate on one bedroom apartments for a limited time.
Other than Mardi Gras, to many, Jazz Fest is the biggest and best annual event in New Orleans, and with good reason. The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is a whopping seven full days of music, food and art. If you’re looking to experience a huge amount of New Orleans culture condensed into one day, Jazz Fest would be the place to do it. Use these tips for how to have a great Jazz Fest experience, which is easily and conveniently accessed by 1st Lake Properties residents of New Orleans area apartments!
Music – You really can’t go wrong with any music selection at Jazz Fest because it’s always going to be an excellent choice, even if you’ve never heard of the performer. The lineup this year features major headliners like Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Christina Aguilera, Phish and Arcade Fire. In addition to the big name, as always the fest features some of the best established New Orleans artists and some very talented newcomers. Check out the full Jazz Fest music schedule online.
Food – For some people, Jazz Fest is more about the food than the music. There are nine food areas, each with an amazing sampling of New Orleans food and some ethnic offerings for something different. Some festival favorites not to miss include crawfish bread, cochon de lait po-boy, the iced teas from Sunshine Concessions, Ms. Linda’s Ya Ka Mein, the fried softshell crab po-boy from Galley Seafood Restaurant, the Phesant, Quail and Andouille Gumbo from Prejean’s Restaurant, and of course the Crawfish Monica.
Crafts – If you want to bring a tangible piece of Jazz Fest home with you, there are three art markets throughout the festival grounds where you can find some amazing, hand-made crafts. In addition to the coveted Jazz Fest posters from years past, including the 2014 poster, you can find African art and wares at the Congo Square African Marketplace; paintings, pottery and more at the Contemporary Crafts in Heritage Square; and regional crafts including photography and jewelry at the Louisiana Marketplace.
Family – Jazz Fest is one festival where kids can have as much fun as the adults. There is a section just for kids that includes a kids’ tent and a food area with favorites like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and mac and cheese.
Transportation – It’s important to have a game-plan for how to get to Jazz Fest. It can be difficult to find a parking space if you are driving, but if you find a parking space within walking distance, you can take the Canal Street streetcar that drops you right off at City Park just a few blocks away, or take a pedicab or the Esplanade bus.
Moving into a new place? Feeling stuck on how to decorate and personalize your apartment color? A good way to start is by choosing a color palette.
One of the great things about color is you can change the motif from room to room depending on what works best in your apartment.
Here are the interior design color combinations that are safe bets for decorating. Consider incorporating them into your apartment’s aesthetic for a hip, current and striking interior design you’ll love!
All the design blogs and magazines agree that purple, blue and neutral hues are great design choices for apartment colors. If you need new or updated furniture or apartment accessories, this is a great opportunity to purchase with these colors in mind.
Purple and blue hues make a great complement to white or beige colored walls. Adding these hues make those accent pieces pop in your apartment. Try purchasing rugs, throw pillows, blankets, ottomans or chairs in these rich colors.
Looking for a fun project? Try painting dining room chairs, trunks or a chest of drawers in these colors to customize the furniture you already have.
For neutral hues, use the white walls in your apartment to your advantage with statement pieces, bold prints and wooden furniture. These will offset the white tones for a balance of natural and bright qualities. Indoor plants will also add that pop of color to a neutral toned room.
Choosing a color scheme to decorate your home isn’t as simple as black and white. Elements such as hue, saturation, and tint each contribute to the overall look of a color.
Mood is a consideration, too – many psychologists believe certain hues encourage certain feelings. Colors can make you feel things like happiness, excitement, or tranquility.
To be clear, the majority of renters are not permitted to make permanent changes to their living space such as painting a room.* But changing the mood can be as simple as accenting with objects d’art of a particular palette.
Unsure of the hue that would be best for you? Check out our rainbow sampling below for ideas on splashing some color into your home.
Seeing red isn’t always a bad thing.
PhD Psychologist Sally Augustin writes that energy levels go up as color saturation increases. “Brighter, more saturated colors improve our mood,” she explains in her book Place Advantage.
Hues like red, for example, ramp up the pituitary gland, leading to increased energy. Red accent pieces can add vitality to a room without overpowering with too much color.
Blue, one of the coolest colors in terms of temperature, is associated with the feeling of tranquility.
But, in overabundance, cool blues can give a home an aloof or unfriendly appearance. Color consultant Leatrice Eiseman suggests light pastel blues in her book, Colors for Your Every Mood. They help create a “delicate, detached, ethereal ambiance.”
In The New Home Color Book by Anna Kasabian, yellow is the new neutral color.
According to Kasabian, yellow is “warmer and more sumptuous than white. It works well as a backdrop for dark or black furnishings and heightens the honey tones in polished wood floors.”
To add some golden warmth to your own home, try sprucing up rooms with cheerful yellow throw pillows or window treatments.
* A Word to the Wise for Renters *
As a New Orleans apartment management firm, we must add a note for renters. Decorating with color doesn’t always mean painting. But, if you are so inclined, be sure to contact your apartment manager or landlord for rules on painting rental property. No amount of color will make up for the green that you could lose if your terms are not followed out (i.e., goodbye deposit).
If you found this article helpful, please share on Facebook or Twitter
Related posts: What is Eclectic Home Decor? We Explore This Design Style, Apartment Storage Ideas: Vertical Space + More, DIY Home Decor Ideas
1st Lake Properties takes pride in each of their individual apartment communities with meticulous landscaping and reliable maintenance. To reward properties who demonstrate outstanding attention to detail, that has become to be known as the “1st Lake Look”, 1st Lake recognizes winners of the Beautification Awards each quarter and the results are in for the most recent winners! Congratulations to these properties, worth checking out if you’re looking for a lovely new apartment to move in to!
Lake Towers – Lake Towers has its own pool area with a gazebo and courtyard overlooking the peaceful Capital Lakes in Baton Rouge that is beautifully landscaped.
Camelot Court – Camelot Court offers townhome style apartments that provide a private home living experience with all the amenities that apartment living affords! In addition to private backyards, there is a private pool and courtyard area that is carefully maintained and landscaped.
Turtle Creek – At these tranquil Metairie apartments, enjoy a spacious swimming pool surrounded by manicured greenery.
White Water Creek – The property grounds at the White Water Creek apartments in Metairie are adorned with winding walkways, bubbling creeks, fountains and palm trees to make living more of a resort-like, luxury experience.
Willow Creek – Bask in pleasant living at the oak tree-lined Willow Creek apartments in River Ridge with landscaped paths, creeks and fountains and a private swimming pool.
Palmetto Creek – Palmetto Creek always have attentive maintenance staff on hand to handle any resident need thoroughly and efficiently. Palmetto Creek has walking paths, pavilions, lush plants and creeks for its residents to enjoy.
1st Lake Properties | P. O. Box 73709 | Metairie, LA 70033 | info@1stlake.com
