{style inspiration} Apartment Style Three Ways, Without Buying Furniture

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of CORT. All opinions are 100% mine.

My husband is a real estate appraiser specializing in commercial properties, so he spends a lot of time touring and inspecting apartment communities. When he visits new, or newly renovated, properties, he often snaps pictures of unique design and decorating ideas that he thinks I'll like {yep, he's a keeper}. Recently he picked up a CORT Furniture Rental catalog in the lobby an apartment and brought it home to show me. I was amazed! I had no idea that furniture rental offered such stylish options, and I thought some of you might be surprised by this as well. 

I talk a lot about decorating in a way that makes your home both stylish and functional, but when you are a renter, the process can be more challenging. Especially if you know that your rental is temporary - whether that be a couple of months or a couple of years. When you are going back to grad school, relocating for a job, renting while you save up for your first home, or starting over, it often doesn't make sense to invest in buying an entire apartment worth of furniture if you know you won't be living in that space place for long. But there is another way...

During college I lived in dorms or on-campus apartments that were pre-furnished by the university, so when I started law school, the only piece of furniture I owned was a bookshelf. I did what most first-time apartment renters do, I bought a futon - the single least comfortable piece of furniture. Uggh! No amount of pillows could ever make the metal arms of my futon a cozy place to watch a movie. 

Then I went out and bought a whole apartment full of cheap, and often uncomfortable, furniture. I didn't want to spend too much since I knew I'd only be living there for three years, and because I knew that whatever I bought likely wouldn't fit the same in my next place. In my effort to save money, I even resorted to using a metal garage storage shelf unit as an entertainment center. I tried hard to pull the whole space together, but there was only so much I could do.

The good news is that there's a better way. By choosing to rent furniture you can transform your apartment into a stylish, comfortable, and inviting home with less hassle and less commitment. CORT Furniture Rental is an industry leader in furniture rental, and they have options to fit any set of circumstances, and at any budget.

Students can select a package with three full rooms of furniture for as low as $119/month, all without the inconvenience of buying, moving, setting up and then having to move, store, sell or discard furniture when graduation rolls around. You can even add houseware packages (like kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom essentials) to save you from endless and expensive shopping trips when you realize everything that is required to create a livable home.

I sure wish I'd known about this option when I was in law school! But furniture rental is not just for students! CORT Furniture Rental offers stylish options for any phase of life! You can choose from whole-home, move-in ready packages, you can shop one room at a time, or even one piece at a time. 

Of course, you know me. I love to mix and match individual pieces to create a custom look, so I was intrigued by CORT's "shop by piece" option. It covers everything from couches, chairs, and tables to rugs, lamps, and even art. 

I wanted to show you some of their uber stylish and unique pieces by designing a dream room, but I just couldn't narrow it down. Instead, I created three totally different mood boards to show you that there is nothing cookie-cutter about choosing to rent furniture. Everything pictured in these design boards is from CORT, and I love that you can search just for those items that are currently available for delivery to your zip code.

The first look I put together I call SOPHISTICATED CHIC. I am always drawn to black and white, and I love graphic patterns and abstract art, so this look is very me. I feel like every space needs a statement piece, and in this room it's the black metal domino chest. And of course, a pop of color - like the big swath of purple in the large-scale Restless framed artwork.

As I continued shopping the CORT collection, I was surprised by how many retro and vintage inspired pieces I saw. This led me to create this next mood board, which I call RETRO FUNK. I am obsessed with that orange Ara chair, and I love that detail on the doors of the Argo Media Console and the varying heights of the Allegro Cocktail Table help to add texture, layers, and dimensions, which apartment living often lacks. 

Lastly, I was wanted to put together a more masculine BACHELOR PAD inspired option, with lots of wood and leather. Brown is not normally a color I am drawn to, but this mood board brings together so many different textures and tones that I am actually really digging the monochromatic look. 

I had so much fun looking at all of the individual furniture and accessories in order to create these three different apartment styles, but if mixing and matching furniture intimidates you, or you just don't have time for all that decision making, CORT makes it easy by offering the option to choose a move-in ready package or to shop from pre-selected designer room groups.

Want a comfortable and stylish place to come home to at night with minimal effort? The move-in ready package is perfect for you. All you have to do is make a few simple selections online and then CORT's designers will choose the furniture for you and have it delivered and set up.

The move-in ready option is the most hands-off, but if you have distinct sense of personal style and want to a little more control while still keeping the process simple and easy, you can instead shop from pre-selected furniture collections. Just look at the photos of complete living room, dining room, or bedroom groupings and choose the ones that you like best. Here are a few examples that caught my eye:

This is the "Darby with Glass on Glass" living room group {everything pictured is from CORT}.

This is the "Dorian Square" dining group {everything pictured is from CORT}.


This is the "Dorian Queen" bedroom group {everything pictured is from CORT}.

​Regardless of whether you opt for the move-in ready option or choose to shop by room or for individual pieces, CORT Furniture Rental does all the heavy lifting, literally. You can schedule your delivery for as soon as 48 hours after you make you selections, and CORT will set up everything for you. And when you are ready to move, they will haul everything away. It doesn't get much easier than that!

Seeing all of these stylish furniture rental options almost makes me wish I could go back to law school to do it all over again. Almost... 

Be sure to PIN these room designs if something inspires you:

  

CORT Furniture Rental also offers furniture rental for offices and events. And if you're thinking of selling your home and worried about how you'll stage it for a quick sale, furniture rental might be just what you need! There are CORT locations all around the country, so chances are that there is one near you!