You have to be honest with yourself about a few factors, the first being your style. The simplistic style of Sabai’s The Essential Sectional might not be the best fit if you want a jungle-themed living room replete with animal print designs. The cream color and minimalistic beauty of the ZINUS Debi Upholstered Platform Bed Frame would fit perfectly for a bedroom designed around neutral colors or meant to look like it was pulled out of a Wes Anderson movie. The style theme of your apartment is critical but not something to stress too much about. We have plenty of options to complement almost any apartment aesthetic.
Once the style vision in your head fits in the space you’ll be calling home, it’s time to figure out how much it’ll cost to bring it to life. Before you start sacrificing your Starbucks Coffee in the morning or scouring Instagram for yard sales, you should recalibrate how you perceive price. When it comes to furnishing an apartment, expensive doesn’t always mean the best fit, and budget-friendly isn’t always convenient. You have to establish and determine what parts of your apartment you value the most and price it accordingly. If you can’t function without a great night’s sleep, don’t shy away from spending a little extra to snag a [quality bed with sheets that drift you off into Lala land and keep you there for as long as you want. At the same time, if you’re barely home long enough to commit to an [eight-hour binge], maybe you don’t need a 70” inch 4K TV worth two months of rent.
These 19 apartment essentials are a good start for you to begin mapping out your dream home oasis.
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Pros
- Quick and easy to assemble
- Vibrant assortment of colors and materials
Cons
- A bit pricey
Whatever color scheme you’re looking to achieve for your living room space, The Essential Sectional likely comes in a color to compliment it. The sofa is available in ten colors separated by two material categories—recycled velvet and upcycled poly. The fuzzy warmth of the recycled velvet can be styled in indigo, moss, mustard, seafoam, or dusty rose while the upcycled poly softness comes in oat, moon, midnight, Farro, and shadow. It’s scratch and stain resistant and can be cleaned with typical household cleaning products.
Regardless of which type of Essential Sectional you choose, the sofa is an impressive balance of firm and plush, with fill cushions that invite you to sink into it. The $1,800+ price tag may be a bit high, but you’ll likely never have to think about buying another couch for years, and Sabai promises it’s built to withstand a decade of constant use.
Read more: Sabai Sectional Review
Pros
- Multi-purpose use
- Affordable
Cons
- Hard to clean
Versatility and affordability make Novogratz’s Magnolia Lift-Top Coffee Table an excellent coffee table choice for your living room. The engineered wood is laminated with a walnut finish for a sophisticated look that adds a touch of regality to any living space. But, it’s its lift top that seals the deal. It easily lifts up and forward to not only create an extra desk for work or eating when you don’t want to do so at your dining table but also offers three compartments for storage. Blankets for guests that want to sleep over, the remotes you wish to keep from the abyss of the creases in your sofa cushions, and any other mid-sized items you wish to have in arm’s reach can fit.
Pros
- Crystal clear picture
Cons
- Expensive
The 4K box beams whoooa-inducing images, whether you’re streaming Marvel or Madden. Bonus: You can voice-control the thing with Alexa or Google Action. Who needs theaters any- more?
Pros
- Cloud-like softness
Cons
- Strains easily
Before you scoff at the nearly $1,000 price tag for BenchMade Modern’s elegant 5’ x 8’ Portola Rug, walk on it, lay on it, and look at it. The wool and viscose hybrid rug feels like walking on a firm cloud that is easy to maintain if you happen to spill your drink on it while yelling at your TV or dancing with guests after one too many glasses of red wine after dinner. The main draw is the abstract taupe and grey design beautiful enough to hang on a wall. You likely won’t need or want to replace this rug, so look at it as a gift from your past self to your future self if and when you move into your next humble abode.
Pros
- Impressive bass
- Great for parties
Cons
- Expensive
These bookshelf blasters are loud, thanks to cerametallic woofers that ba-boom with minimal distortion and impressive bass. They’re the ultimate party boom box.
Pros
- Modern look with multi-purpose use
Cons
- Harder to assemble than it seems
The Oraa side table has a metal tray top perfect for keeping your wine glass in arm’s reach and a faux linen storage basket to keep all the clutter you can’t find a place for at the moment.
Pros
- Temperature control for constant cooling
- Targeted pain relief great for recovery sleep
Cons
- Firmness is too soft
If you invest in your sleep, your body will always thank you. Molecule’s Hybrid mattress actively works to make sure you’re always comfortable while sleeping instead of just stacking lumps of foam onto one another. Its AirTEC™ eliminates the tiresome search for the coolest part of the bed by ensuring enough airflow throughout the foam to keep every inch of the mattress comfortably cool. The bed adjusts to however you wish to sleep at any point in time and targets pressure points on your body to relieve pain. This is one of those mattresses you don’t give away anytime soon.
Pros
- Lightweight and breathable fabric that feels soft on the skin
Cons
- Uncomfortable pilling of fitted sheets after washing
Every night you could be ensconced in the lightweight luxury of a presidential hotel suite for household fitted sheet prices with Brooklinen’s Heathered Cashmere Core Sheet Set. The set comes with two fitted sheets, a fat sheet, and two pillowcases with sizes ranging from Full to California King. If you toss in an extra $220-$400 for the All-Season Down Comforter, you’ll get a soft hypoallergenic comforter that’ll keep you cozy and cool all year round.
Read more: Best Cotton Sheets
Pros
- Easy to assemble
- Soft headboard good added comfort for resting your head
Cons
- Headboard is a bit wobbly
Get your mattress off the floor and into a proper bed frame that provides stability and a clean look that lets the world know an actual adult sleeps here. ZINUS Debi Upholstered Platform Bed Frame comes with a foam cushioned that softens any blow your head may accidentally make against it and a wood slat foundation that’ll ensure your bed remains sturdy regardless of what you do in your bed.
Pros
- Sleek design
- Spacious holder can fit multiple items comfortably
Cons
- Charging station requires precise placement of phone to work
Not only is the Courant Catch:3 Catchall Tray essential for any work-from-home office, but it also doubles as imperative for anyone who comes home and tosses their keys and phone wherever is closest. Made with pebble-grain Italian leather, the tray wirelessly charges your compatible phone relatively quickly and has a section big enough to hold your keys, small jewelry, and accessories. Courant Catch:3 Catchall Tray comes in five colors— saddle, black, ash, cortado, and bone— giving you styling options to compliment your particular aesthetic.
Pros
- Affordable price for
For a fair price, this nightstand does everything you need it to do for your room: store what you may need at a moment’s notice close to you and look good while doing it.
Novogratz understands quality and affordability better than a lot of brands, and its Kelly 3-in-1 Media/Dresser Combo is proof. Similar to its Magnolia Lift-Top Coffee Table, the Kelly 3-in-1 Media/Dresser Combo offers a multi-functional workspace option for the work-for-home crowd with a sub-$400 price tag to help not break the bank. The TV stand could easily be used as a space for an external monitor for your work computer. With the small bookcase, sturdy dresser drawers, and small pockets of space under the TV stand, this is an essential purchase to ensure your living room doesn’t become a mess of documents and clothes while working from home.
Whether you’re mounting your TV or not, a good entertainment counsel goes a long way, and Karidel’s Color Theory 63″ Media Cabinet takes it even further. Inspired by a mid-century modern drawer design from 1955, it pairs the American Walnut style with either blue or yellow accents and also Natural Oak with grey accents, which would pair well with the walnut finish of Novogratz’s Magnolia Lift-Top Coffee Table. Not only will it give your living room a splash of modernist cool, but there are also enough drawers and cabinets for all the electronics you have at your disposal.
Pros
- Sturdy drawers with ample space
Cons
- Heavy size that may be hard to move around for some
For all of the important identification documents you need to store efficiently, bills you want to make sure you get to, and the miscellaneous papers that seem to sprout from nowhere, a dependable file cabinet is essential. Laura Davidson Furniture’s Stockpile Curve File Cabinet is a beautiful three-drawer cabinet that comes in a rainbow of 19 different colors with enough space to fit any documents you may need to keep safe and organized. This is a perfect addition to any work-from-home setup.
Pros
- Dual action washing and vacuum suction to clean wet and dry messes.
- Intuitive mobile app
Cons
- Less effective on non-hardwood floors
Washing and vacuuming floors have always been separate tasks, but the Tineco FLOOR ONE S3 Smart Wet Dry Vacuum Cleaner combines both into one intelligent household appliance powerhouse. The cordless and lightweight vacuum cleaner can detect the type of mess is cleaning and adjust its suction power and water flow accordingly. Your apartment deserves a thorough cleaning and you deserve to be able to do it without splitting your time between a vacuum and a mop.
Pros
- Easy assembly
- Durable and soft cushioning for comfortable back support
Cons
- Noticeable wear and tear over time
Do your back a favor during those long work-from-home sessions with the soft and stylish SOHO II Padded Management Chair. The leatherette seat and back cushions offer great back support. The chair supports 400 lbs, so you can lean back as much as you want without the fear of ending up on the floor with a broken chair. It takes less than 10 minutes to assemble and adds a professional touch to your home office.
Pros
- Customizable temperature control
- Up to 1. 5 hours of battery life
Cons
- Bluetooth connectivity can spotty
We’ve all had a cup of coffee in the morning that goes from piping hot to ice cold without us knowing because of the hectic work day. The Ember Mug² allows you to not only keep your drink warm but also allows you to use the Ember mobile app to set the perfect temperature.
Pros
- Simple and easy to use
- Powerful blending
Cons
- Noise insulation is subpar, so blending is loud.
The Vitamix ONE is a powerful, straightforward 32 oz blender perfect for starting your day with a delicious smoothie and spicing up your dinners with delicious sauces. Its affordability is matched by the simplicity of its use.
For those nights when you want to catch up on the best Oscar movies you can stream or the days you want to have friends over to check out March Madness, you need a TV that is versatile in its viewing options and vivid enough not to have to strain your eyes figuring out what’s happening on the screen. For under $600, the Sony X75K is the best bang-for-your-buck TV on the market that’ll make bingeing seamless and look stunning while doing it. The 4K resolution is crystal clear, and it comes with Google TV, which organizes all of your streaming apps in one sleek interface.
Unlike competing budget TV options from Samsung, X75K’s Google TV integration ensures your streaming app of choice will likely be available, reducing any headaches that may come from having to cast the content you wish to watch from a separate device. However, Google TV’s casting capabilities are second to none if you wish to cast, making the X75K the TV of your streaming dreams. In addition, the Sony X75K comes in sizes ranging from as low as 32” to as big as 85”.
Keith Nelson is a writer by fate and journalist by passion, who has connected dots to form the bigger picture for Men’s Health, Vibe Magazine, LEVEL MAG, REVOLT TV, Complex, Grammys.com, Red Bull, Okayplayer, and Mic, to name a few.
Christian is the Style and Reviews Director at Men’s Health and Women’s Health, where he oversees shopping and style content for both brands. He started his magazine career as an accessories assistant at Vogue, and has since held editorial roles at Tatler Asia and The Manual. When he’s not online shopping, you can find him on long walks with his two corgis.
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