Does your room have a focal point? This can be anything which you would normally use to form a furniture grouping. It can be a fireplace, a window with a great view or the only place the TV can be hooked up. If you dont have a focal point, it is easy to create one; anything that draws the eye such as a picture, wall hanging, architectural detail. It can also be a grouping; a collection of plants or pictures on the wall. If your room has more than one focal point, a TV and a fireplace, for example, it will be necessary to weight one to make it the primary focal point. You can do this with color, accessories or lighting; whatever you need to do to make one thing stand out and the other retreat to the background. Focal points do not have to be on the wall. It is quite all right in a living room area to group your furniture around a central cocktail table or ottoman.

Because you are renting, there is a good chance that you will eventually move on to a different or larger place to live. Coordinating the whole home will mean that later you can reassemble the components of your home in a different way.

In choosing a color scheme you will want to consider several things. Is the room used in the daytime or night (natural or artificial light)? Are your rooms large or small? In new buildings particularly, are the floors covered in beige carpeting and are the walls all apartment white? Do you have the option of painting them?

A 3-color scheme is usually the easiest to work with if you are lacking experience. Monochromatic rooms, although very beautiful when done correctly, require a very good eye for color. If you doubt this, go to a paint store and see how many colors of beige are available. For those who dont have a good sense of which colors work well together, choose a color you really love, and then track down a color wheel. This will help you choose your other 2 colors.

Contrasting colors give a bolder look, complementary colors a calmer one. Intense colors are more exciting, soft colors more relaxing. You can also choose your colors from a favorite painting, a piece of tapestry, pottery or china. If you have upholstered pieces which you either cant or dont want to replace, they have to be considered part of your color scheme. Once you have chosen your palette, use it for the entire apartment. This doesnt mean every room must be the same. If you keep your colors throughout you give yourself the flexibility of moving chairs and cushions from one room to the next. Assign a dominant color to each room. For instance, if your scheme is pale blue, pale green and lavender, choose one of those colors for the dominant color in each room and accessorize with the other two. You will still have the freedom to move things about, but your space will be more interesting to live in.

Unifying your home by color is important, but you can further a sense of flow by using a theme or style. Travel, nature, music or dance, flowers; anything you collect or find really interesting and attractive can be used throughout your home. A style can be a type of furniture; Country Pine, or Victorian, Colonial, Modern or Retro. It can also be a certain look; country, contemporary or Japanese, for example. If you choose a definite design style use it throughout your home. If you decided on an eclectic mix of furniture styles, your colors will be your unifier.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of this series which will cover instant fixes for your apartment decor.

Contributions for this article provided by ON THE GO 4 U design consultant, Suzanne Copenhaver.