If you've just moved into an apartment and have a limited budget, you can still achieve a sophisticated feel to your space. Here's how:

1. Buy wood furniture pieces with the same color wood stains.

Wooden furniture can come in a variety of stains, and it's important that you choose pieces that mesh well together. The easiest way to do this would be to decide on whether you prefer a dark look that might exude more seriousness or a lighter, more airy look to your room. Once you've decided, choose furniture that fits within this look. Otherwise, your room might look like you've just shopped at various garage sales and discount shops to pick up whatever was on sale.

Even better is buying furniture in a set. Many larger furniture stores offer different styles of pieces. For example, if you match your corner table to your dining table, and possibly even to a bookcase, you'll get a really cohesive look. Even if you're choosing the cheapest furniture at the store, the fact that all of your pieces match will make your space feel more expensive.

2. Choose one item to splurge on.

Treat yourself to one splurge item. You can get other items on sale or secondhand to save some money, but you'll feel so satisfied knowing that you were able to buy one dream piece for your space. Since the biggest judge of your own room will be yourself, it will be easier to appreciate your furnishings if your room has just one big ticket item.

A great piece to splurge on is a couch or cozy chair, since with these larger pieces, price does make a difference in workmanship. You'll likely be spending a lot of time on either type of furniture, so go shopping at several stores and sit on hundreds of couches or chairs in order to pick the piece that fits you perfectly. The mid-to-high range pieces will be constructed with solid wood, have high quality stitching to keep fabric in place, and use fabric or leather that is designed to last for generations.

When you eventually move out of the apartment, this splurge item will be the piece that you will be sure to take with you as you move throughout your life. For more information about living room furniture, contact North Carolina Furniture & Mattress or a similar company.

3. Paint your walls.

Most apartments come with stark, bland walls in some version of white. While this may appeal to most renters and can easily be touched up by landlords, plain white walls don't add a lot of vibrancy to your space.

Instead, choose a color with gray tones. It can be any shade of gray or even be a blue or green with gray tones. When you put your new color up on the walls, your space will be instantly transformed into an intimate, warm, sophisticated place, and your apartment will feel truly like a home rather than just another place that someone is renting.

If your landlord has any concerns with your painting, assure him or her that you will return the color to white upon ending your lease. You can even write up a separate contract to ensure your compliance.

These three tips can help you create a sophisticated feel in your apartment, and in no time, you'll be ready to have people over to celebrate your new place.