Moving beyond milk crates, boxes and dorm posters can be a daunting decorating task for the novice. But several African-American designers and interior decorators have advice for new apartment dwellers who are design-challenged.

First-time decorators should not pull out the credit card and attempt to fill an entire apartment in one day, says interior designer Denys Davis, who is co-author with fellow designer Shame Algotsson of The Spirit of African Design.

"It will look empty for a while," Davis says, but Algotsson adds, "When you walk into an apartment or a house, it shouldn't just be a visual impact, but also a tactile impact--sitting down on a velvet sofa, the impact of the linen or the throw rugs. Most people can't afford to buy all those things all at once. It takes time to develop a great space."

The first major purchase, designers say, should be a good bed. Buy the best basics you can afford--which will take the bulk of your money--and then branch out and fill in with accessories. The second is a good sofa, and then a table. Consider the function first. You need some place to sleep, sit and eat.

When Ronald Mims moved back to Detroit, the computer consultant took Davis' advice to heart. The first piece of furniture he purchased was a bed. "I spend 30 percent of my life there," he says. Mims left a lot of his furniture back in New York and had to start over once he moved to Detroit. "I had a lot of hand-me-downs that I didn't want to bring here," he says.

The type of bed you buy depends on whether you are moving away from home or staying in your hometown, Davis says. "If you're moving away from home and will be having people coming to visit, you need a sofa bed."

After getting the bed, add a comfortable armchair and a sturdy kitchen table. "It should be something you can live with for the first three to five years," Algotsson says. She advises new apartment dwellers to do a little research first. "Ask yourself: How am I going to use this space? Will it be strictly for sleeping and entertaining, or is this someplace I want to display pieces I collect? The function is very important and whether comfort or style is a factor," she says.

She also recommends pieces that are multifunctional. "You should buy things like a big table that can also act as a desk," she says. "It can be a dining room/home office/entertainment center. If you're limited in budget, you're probably limited in space, so think of sofas, tables and things you can fold up and put away or convert and make into something else."

Budget is a big factor in any decorating plan, designers add. Where will you shop for your apartment? Since most people decorating their first apartment have limited means, how can you get the most style for your money? "Second-hand pieces can be even better than brand-new furniture if you look carefully," Algotsson says. But don't take that as the green light for just plain cheap. "Just because something is less expensive doesn't mean it has to fall apart in a year," she says. "You can shop at second-hand shops, go to auctions, flea markets. You can find such treasures there--pieces you could never afford to buy new."

Budgeting is nothing new to the newly married. A bigger challenge for couples is combining personal styles to create a living space that reflects their personal tastes.

Avery and Anita Theresa Goodrich are a recently married couple combining their decorating styles in a new apartment. "I have a more traditional style, while he's more modern or artdeco," she laughs. "We're blending styles, and I'm starting to sway from the traditional style. We want pieces that are very transitional, that will carry us from this apartment to our first home."

Goodrich, a Chicago attorney, and his wife, who works for a title insurance company, both love art, specifically African, Oriental and Mexican artwork. "We want choice pieces, and it's an investment," says Goodrich. "So you have to shop around to find what you want. It takes time," he adds.

Cheryle Williams Dent and Kim Bressant-Kibwe agree that you have to be prepared to invest a great deal of time and "sweat equity" to make a beautiful home. They are co-owners of African Home, Inc., a New York-based design firm focusing on decorating with an African flair.
  Be bold and imaginative to put your personality into your home. Designers agree that beautiful furniture, no matter how new, doesn't necessarily make a wonderful room. To put some vroom in your living room, be innovative and bold with colors, by far the easiest and least expensive way to change the look of a space, according to designers.

However, many people, particularly the novice, are afraid of color. But painting shouldn't be intimidating. Follow the colors that are already comfortable for you. Experiment with tonal variations of the colors you love, the tans, the browns and the rusts. "Paint is something you can paint over. I tell my customers--paint is not permanent, " says Bressant-Kibwe.

If tackling a wall with color is too intimidating, the designers recommend accenting woodwork and trim with a different color, or painting the ceiling a different color. Generally, the darker the colors, the more dramatic the room. Color can spruce up a space by accenting furniture with colorful pillows, designers say. Sofas and chairs can be renewed by simply adding new pillows or recovering old ones. An authentic kente fabric can also accent a large piece of furniture.

Another way to add color to a room is by investing in rugs and artwork. "Those are investments that go with you wherever you go." She emphasizes good, framed artwork. "I have seen people who have a beautiful home and have the audacity to use a staple-gun to staple posters to the wall," Bressant-Kibwe says. Designers suggest purchasing a variety of prints and framing them yourself to save decorating dollars, but don't stop at prints. You can also frame such items as maps, postcards and old sheet music, designers suggest.

"Basically if you keep things around because they have value, they're usually quite lovely to look at as well," Algotsson says.

Making an apartment a home doesn't take much money, but it does take a very essential ingredient--personal attention. By using imagination, verve, color and style, you can have a very beautiful and very personal living space.

"You don't have to have a lot in room, but if you have a couple of nice paintings, a sofa, a rug and lamp, then boom--you're finished," Bressant-Kibwe concludes.