First apartments live somewhere between the barely-controlled secondhand chaos of college and the fully realized intersection of taste, achievement, and experience that will be your dream home. In the meantime, the single best way to embrace this evolution and transition is to explore what technology can add to your living space. And yeah, tech is just plain fun.
You’ll have two conflicting urges: you’re eager to express yourself, to make your mark on your first “real” place of your own, but you also have that nagging, inconvenient critical voice that tells you to prove that you can be responsible and frugal (within reason, of course).
Luckily, one of the virtues of tech is that you can splurge AND be laudably pragmatic at the same time. And there are five specific areas that provide you with opportunities to do both.
The Home Theater
Don’t be inhibited (or tempted) by the thought of a sprawling electronic octopus of entertainment, the whole living room mess of big screen TV, surround sound, audio and video components, game consoles, et cetera. In reality, all you need is two items: an HDTV with a decent-sized screen and decent-quality speakers, and something to deliver content to it. Why not streamline that equation even further, by choosing a “smart TV” that has apps and Internet connectivity built in.
Set Top Box (STB)
If you’ve already got a “dumb” TV, full media center functionality is one step away. If you have the tech skills and enjoy getting your hands dirty, putting together a DIY HTPC will give you all of the video, audio, and Internet power you could ever desire. If you want a ready-to-go solution, consider a single-box solution such as Apple TV or Roku; but for the most versatility, I recommend an XBox 360. In addition to providing gaming options that the others lack, your console can integrate very nicely with a PC-based Windows Media Center for full streaming capabilities. And despite the gamer gear stigma, it’s actually a pretty stylish and sleek little box.
Kitchen Essentials
The joys of tech don’t stop in the living room. In fact, when it comes to technological enhancements, your new apartment will enhance your lifestyle more with a cutting-edge boost to your cuisine prep and daily kitchen essentials. Turn to KitchenAid, the reigning champions of retro-modern, for a smoothie-friendly blender. Trust high-tech innovators LG to deliver a unique 2-in-1 microwave baker. And who better than trendy and dependable Cuisinart for a flexible, full-featured, programmable brewing system?
Housekeeping
Ugh. Well, the privilege of your new apartment means that you can indulge your prerogative to procrastinate on the chores if you so choose, but you know that you’re going to get sick of dirty dishes, unmade beds, and muddy footprints before too long. Although automating some duties will have to wait for the not-too-distant-future, you can always call Rosie the Robot Maid the iRobot Roomba to tend to your floors. And if the iRobot violates any of the three laws of housekeeping, the Hoover Flair will still add the right amount of cutting-edge style and engineering to your human-powered clean-up endeavors.
Power Management
Yep, sounds boring. Except that it doesn’t have to be. Keep your dull old phone charger in your bag for emergencies, but keep your mobile all juiced up with a dock that provides double duty; as stylish speakers, for bedroom audio/alarm clock duties, for example. And if you’re really interested in turning blah needs into high tech scores, using a smart power strip that monitors and manages electricity consumption will gain you green points, responsibility points, and frugality points all at once. For those with more crafty inclinations, take a look at some of Apartment Therapy’s creative DIY solutions to the charging station dilemma.
Your first apartment says a lot of things about you. Will it be your utilitarian base of operations, an essential stop on your social circle’s regular route, your R&R retreat from the required and the mundane, or a nuanced work of personal expression? Chances are, it will be a little of all of these, and more. A few well-considered tech additions will allow you to get the most out of all of these needs, and make the perfect transitional environment between your college digs and your future dream home.
Dwayne Thomas is a tech enthusiast and staff writer for cabletv.com. He welcomes your feedback on Twitter @DwayneThomas15.