Apartment decor is more than just a matter of finding pretty pictures to hang over your sofa. It s a reflection of your needs, tastes, and budget, and it s what helps make your apartment feel like home to you.

By contrast, other renters aren t as enthusiastic or at least prefer to wait until they ve lived in their rental for a while before taking steps to decorate it.

Regardless of how you may feel about decorating your apartment, here are some top considerations to think about to help make the experience as positive as possible:

Don t assume that you ve got no restrictions when it comes to decorating your apartment. Take time to review your lease and also consider asking landlords about policies and expectations before you commit to a rental you like. Also, if you re the type who cares very much about the ability to decorate your rental after you move in, consider trying to get this information before you even decide to fill out an application, so you don t waste your time.

Although you can t increase the square footage of your apartment, you can take steps to make your apartment look and feel bigger.

By following certain apartment decor techniques and tricks, you can give visitors the appearance of a larger apartment. Plus, as the apartment s occupant, you ll feel like you live in a more spacious rental, which will add to your enjoyment of apartment living.

Rugs can be great for decorative purposes. But there are actually many reasons why adding a rug to your apartment may be a good idea, and so it s important to keep all of them in mind to give you ideas as you furnish and decorate your apartment.

Whether the rooms in your apartment are large or small, they all have walls with enough space to hang framed photographs, paintings, and other examples of wall decor. Wall decor is a large part of what makes your apartment look and feel like it s yours. Plus, wall decor often has one or more secondary purposes, other than just being decorative.

Thanks to the Fair Housing Act s (FHA) ban on religious discrimination, a landlord cannot bar you from displaying items of religious significance in your apartment. Nor can a landlord place restrictions on the number or type of such items.

Apartment decor conflicts are more likely to arise when it comes to, not surprisingly, religion and politics:

• Religion. Holiday decor isn t something that s often thought of when selecting a roommate, and it s not typically included as a clause in a roommate agreement. But if you and a roommate have different religious backgrounds or simply have conflicting views of how your apartment should be decorated for the holidays, you may be able to compromise.