These 10 First Apartment Essentials Are Chic and Affordable

Moving may never be easy or fun, but there’s a special challenge about moving into your first place. Whether it’s a first off-campus apartment or just the first place without your parent’s name on all the utilities, a first apartment is a blank slate that’s both invigorating and intimidating. With so little to go on, where do you start?

Apartment Therapy recently teamed up with Amazon to bring you our favorite first apartment essentials, with an eye towards budget, function, and (of course), design. Below are 10 of our favorites that will make even the smallest space feel chic.

This is perfect for any spot where you need a little more storage. We like the idea of sticking this console in an entryway and topping with a mirror (for last-minute makeup checks) and a tray for keys. The base is open, meaning shoes and even umbrellas have a place to live. If an entryway is a second apartment dream for now, this can be great for a sideboard to display booze or even a record player.

Start your plant parenthood off right with an affordable set of planters that look luxe and are neutral enough to go with just about any decor.

Rugs are a fun thing to collect over time, and getting a long-lasting basic for an area rug is a great way to kick it off. It’s neutral enough that you can even layer with it later.

Half the struggle of a rental is figuring out temporary storage solutions for all your odds and ends. An upgrade from inexpensive metal shelves, bamboo stands up to the moist, grimy bathroom environment while still looking cute.

A catch-all might not be a strictly essential item, but we love the way it can organize surfaces like bedside tables, entrance hallways, or bathroom counters. Not only do your bits and baubles look better, but it’s a reminder to you to keep them coralled and in place.

And speaking of bathroom organization, this is one chic way to organize your space without having to rely on over-the-door solutions that look straight out of a dorm room. This can also be used in the bathroom or living room for throw blankets.

Small enough to fit into even a tiny bedroom, you can nevertheless use it to create the bedside table tableau of your dreams. Add a favorite candle and a few favorite books and you’re set. (The drawer is also good for stashing the stuff that isn’t as pretty, like tangled charger cables and whatever else you don’t want visitors peeping.)

For a first kitchen, form should come well before function. But covering your bases doesn’t always have to be boring. This set of measuring cups and spoons is simple enough to use with ease and pretty enough that you might even be inspired to find a way to hang them where they can be proudly displayed.

If burning a candle makes you fear the day you’ll eventually see it all used up, consider another way to add a bit of scent and luxury to your life. These sachets can hang or nestle in a number of places and last around 3-4 months. (Want to just put it one place? Store the extra in a sealed plastic bag to preserve the scent.) It’s something that will add a touch of class to your new space–and help combat that yesterday’s dinner/mystery bathroom smell that can build up in tiny space.

Use this flexible and cute caddy to remind you to keep your sponge from festering in the sink. You may even be tempted to upgrade to cute sponges to perch there.