The core of your home consists of the walls, windows, roof, floors, and the tools you use to decorate this space. I’ve watched many of my friends move into their first young professional apartments with their sole tool being an Allen wrench that came with their first IKEA purchase (I remember mine fondly).
But enough is enough! How can your apartment, condo, or house become a home without the essential tools? Will photos and tapestries forever be held up with thumb tacks or tape as in your college days? How can you be a “real person” without being able to measure dimensions for furniture, or as you align gallery walls by “eyeballing it”?
It’s time to take a stand with these 8 tools of the trade.
- Measuring Tape
The measuring tape is the key to making interior design dreams become a reality in your home. Without it, you won’t know how long your curtains or curtain rod should be, whether a shelf juts out too much into a space, or if an area will be adequately or awkwardly covered. Get it and dream with it.
- The IKEA Fixa Toolkit
It is no secret that I think IKEA stores are the happiest place on earth, or, as my boss put it, would resign immediately if there was a corporate opening that fit my experiences (it’s worth noting that I already speak Swedish and easily have Swedish residency as a citizen…), but this kit is worth the acclaim. It’s the first item I bought on my first IKEA trip shopping as a young professional for her first real apartment, and it’s a steal. A full toolkit, the FIXA costs only $7.99 and arms you for when the Allen wrench is not enough, or something non-IKEA needs your attention. I like to keep an Allen wrench in there as well, as they have a habit of disappearing.
- A Compact Power Screwdriver
I will sing the praises of the IKEA FIXA all day, but the ability to switch between a manual and electric screwdriver allows you to have an extra strong screwdriver and makeshift drill all in one. This one from Black & Decker is small enough to easily tuck into a drawer.
- A Level
Don’t let a single frame or tapestry in your home go uneven by adding a level to your toolkit.
- Pencil & Eraser
While a level will evenly hang your art according to gravity, it won’t hang it evenly with the item next to it or at the proper height. Using your measuring tape, plot out the distance from the ceiling, neighboring art, and other reference points, lightly mark your walls with pencil for the desired position, hang your treasures, and then erase the marks from the walls. Your hanging items will be mathematically masterful!
- W2-40
Highly resistant sliding glass door? Squeaky hinges? Make your home easier on the arms and ears by oiling up door tracks, hardware, and other problem areas with this multipurpose feat of chemical engineering.
- Knife
You never know what you’re going to need to carve out in your home, and I like this short blade knife (that I have no purpose for in my cutlery collection) for a high level of control. Most recently, I used this knife to carve out holes in plastic planters so extra water could drain out.
- Various Nails, Screws, and Anchors
I never know when creativity might strike, so I like to keep an extensive collection of screws, drywall anchors, and small, thin, multipurpose nails at home for easy access. These nails are particularly versatile- I’ve used them for everything from mounting decorative fabrics, securing frames in an aligned position, hanging records, threading outdoor lighting, and tossing up last-minute lanterns before a party.
Photo: Nikon 3200, 135mm lens
anchored & adrift 