Thursday, May 26, 2016

Tips for an Easy Moving Experience



Choosing to move into a new apartment in Calgary is an exciting experience; however, moving is an activity that is often associated with high levels of stress. Fortunately, there are several easy ways to make moving to a new apartment a simple and stress-free process, reducing anxiety about the moving process so you can begin enjoying all the benefits of your apartment home as soon as you receive your key.

Plan Ahead and Act Early
The key to making your move easy is to plan ahead as much as possible. As soon as you know you’ll be moving, begin sorting through your belongings to separate the items you’ll definitely want to bring from those that could be thrown away or donated. Additionally, consider the shape and size of your new apartment to determine how you’ll want to use your new space and whether the furnishings you currently have are appropriate. Once you know your desired move-in date, it’s best to begin calling moving companies to ensure you’ll be able to move on the day you want, especially if you’ll be moving during a busy season. Addressing issues such as transferring your cable, mail, and other services as soon as you have a move-in date planned can also prevent these important tasks from being forgotten as you become busier with packing and other moving plans.

Organize and Label Your Boxes
Packing is often a hectic process that can result in items from several rooms mixing together in one box. While this technique isn’t a problem before your move, it can make finding the items you need after you’ve arrived at your new Calgary apartment much more difficult. Taking the time during packing to organize and label your boxes will make the unpacking process much easier, even if all you’re able to do is label each box with its general contents or the room where it should be left. If you have the time to make a more complete list of the items in each box, this can help to prevent losses if you’re shipping boxes or know you’ll be looking for a specific item shortly after move-in day. When packing boxes, it’s also worth remembering to spread out weight—avoid placing too many heavy items in a single box, especially if that box is large. Even if you will have movers helping you or plan to use tools such as a hand truck, more manageable loads will make your move easier on everyone involved.

Schedule Deliveries After Moving Day
If you’ll be making any new purchases, such as furniture or other household items, make sure to schedule their delivery for a few days after your moving day. Regardless of the distance you’re moving and the number of boxes you’ll be transferring, moving day is always a little hectic, and it can be made more confusing by the arrival of delivery trucks and extra packages when you schedule their arrival for the same date. Giving yourself a day or two to recover after moving so you can make sure there is time and space to accept deliveries will go a long way toward a more enjoyable moving experience.

Are you looking for a new Calgary, AB, apartment to call home? The Metropolitan features beautiful upscale apartment homes in a pet-friendly community with easy access to all your favorite local destinations. We invite you to visit our website for additional details about our one- and two-bedroom apartments, or contact us online with your questions.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Tips for Getting More from Your San Antonio Studio Apartment

Studio apartments in San Antonio traditionally feature a single open living space that serves as the setting for both daily activities and sleep. While these apartments typically include less square footage than layouts that incorporate separate bedrooms, studio apartments remain a popular and comfortable apartment style for several reasons. Using your space to its fullest will mean enjoying greater comfort and convenience every day, while ensuring your apartment home never feels cluttered or cramped.

Start with Your Largest Furniture
When developing a smart layout for your studio apartment, start by placing your largest pieces of furniture first. The bed and the couch—if these are separate pieces—are often the biggest furnishings in your home, so determining where they’ll go before you arrange the rest of your furniture can help you create a more comfortable and functional space. Placing your bed in the area furthest from the door is often a good way to create a separate bedroom space, while arranging your couch or other seating in the center of the room can help to delineate a separate living and relaxing area that helps your apartment as a whole to feel larger.

Consider Combining Your Sleeping and Living Spaces
While creating a separate sleeping area is a great way to enjoy a personal corner designed just for relaxation, combining your sleeping and living spaces using a couch or futon that doubles as a bed can also be a smart use of your studio apartment’s available space. Hanging curtains or using bookcases to surround your seating area can create additional privacy and a place to unwind as you’re getting ready to sleep for the night, while eliminating a bed from your apartment altogether can give you more storage space if you have a significant collection of clothing, shoes, or books that you don’t want to compromise or hide away.

Choose Multifunctional and Collapsible Furniture
Keeping your space clean and organized is the key to enjoying the full extent of your home’s square footage and maintaining a comfortable and relaxing studio apartment. Multifunctional furniture, such as ottomans that double as storage and tables that include shelves or drawers, can expand the amount of storage space in your studio apartment to reduce visible clutter. Collapsible pieces, such as folding tables and chairs, allow you to increase the amount of available floor space when you need it, while rolling carts can be moved from space to space when necessary for added functionality. Wall-mounted shelving can also increase your available display and storage space, allowing you to take advantage of your walls as additional square footage in your apartment.


The Grand Estates at TPC features beautiful studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments in San Antonio with easy access to all your favorite local shopping, dining, and entertainment destinations. Inside our apartments, you’ll find luxury features that include granite countertops, crown molding, energy-efficient insulation, and high-speed internet service for amazing home comfort and convenience. Please check out our website for more information about our luxury apartment community, including our floor plans, neighborhood map, and ebrochure.

Simple Tips for Organization in Every Room of Your Apartment

A clean, organized apartment in Lawrenceville is a joy to enter and a relaxing, comfortable space where you can unwind and focus on work, hobbies, and the company of family and friends. The key to maintaining a clutter-free apartment is to implement simple organizational tips that are appropriate for each space in your home. While there are several universal techniques that will cut down on clutter and disorganization throughout your luxury apartment home, keep reading to discover a few room-specific tips you can use to put the finishing touches on your Lawrenceville living space.

In the Kitchen
One of the biggest sources of clutter in the kitchen is kitchen gadgets, such as coffee makers, mixers, blenders, and crockpots. A simple way to reduce kitchen clutter is to keep only the two or three gadgets you use on a daily or weekly basis on your counters, while storing the rest out of sight to pull out only as needed. This system will maximize your available counter space and keep your kitchen counters from looking too cluttered with unnecessary items; you can also use this system to assess just how often you do use your gadgets, and consider donating those you’ve found that you no longer use enough to justify storing. You can also use this technique to organize other items, such as pots, pans, and utensils, by separating those you use most from those you use only rarely. Going through your drawers every few months and pulling out the items you haven’t used at all can help to clear out more drawer space as well.

In the Bathroom
Bathrooms are another common area for clutter to accumulate, but allow for amazing creativity in terms of easy organizational solutions. Items such as trays, jars, and even wine racks can make keeping small, loose, and mismatched items contained in a fun and stylish way that will encourage you to put items away when they’re not in use. Hooks and shelving are great space-savers in the bathroom, and allow you to create small visual vignettes using your everyday toiletries and gadgets that can turn your clutter into unique decor. Just as in the kitchen, it’s also important to periodically excavate the contents of your bathroom cabinets and drawers, separating out items you haven’t used, didn’t like, or that you might consider donating to save space. It’s also important to separate out older items such as sunscreen and makeup—these products should be discarded after one to two years.

In the Bedroom
Your bedroom should be a comfortable and organized space that allows you to relax each night before and during sleep. The master closet is the perfect space to focus on organization and decluttering in the bedroom. Creating a storage system for out-of-season clothing will keep your closet from overflowing, making it easier to choose the perfect outfit each morning. If you have several items you aren’t sure you want to keep, set aside a small space in your closet for them and assess this space every six months. Each time you wear an item from this area, move it to the main portion of your closet. At the end of six months, the items that are still separate might be better off in the donation bin.


Are you ready to enjoy an organized luxury apartment in Lawrenceville, GA? Altera Riverside features newly-renovated apartment homes with amazing amenities in a pet-friendly community you’ll love. Please stop by our website to learn more about our features, our amenities, and our floor plans.