What's one thing I can get/do to make my first "adult" apartment a bit nicer?

consider a rug

Seconding the electric tea kettle, basic toolkit, and vacuum. Also you'll want a good mop, the tornado ones are really efficient. Sweep first, then mop. If you keep shoes on a shoe rack then you won't have to worry about cleaning as much/often

If you don't live in an arid or semi-arid climate, a dehumidifier is a must; 60% humidity and above will mold things faster in your kitchen, promote mildew, and just feel hotter in general.

Having plenty of chairs and table space is important. 5-gallon buckets are cheap storage and double-purpose as bottom-tier stools, but stackable chairs are better, and can be condensed to the space of just 1 or 2 chairs. If you find yourself keeping everything on the table, you probably need shelves. (In a pinch, you can use cinder blocks and 1x6 dimensional lumber for shelving, and still pull off a DIY aesthetic.)

Make sure your bed rises far enough off the ground that you can put storage totes or shoeboxes underneath it. Bed risers can help with this but a higher frame is best.

A space heater is a good idea to "heat people, not rooms". For yourself and for guests during the winter, put extra blankets on a couch and chairs.

House plants, rugs, lamps and wall art go a long way towards making stuff look more adult-like and "complete".

As far as amenities go, a space heater is pretty meh and they cause a fair amount of house fires. Don't recommend it. Someone said heating blanket which I will second if you're trying to save cash.

Rice cookers are great, but honestly rice isn't that hard in a pot so I would prioritize other stuff first.

Bidets are life changing, and they help save on toilet paper which is nice.

The French press is a really cheap purchase for making coffee and quite versatile.

• houseplant

Space Heater

Try a heated blanket. You can warm yourself directly, without having to heat the whole room.

Oh and if you have a place to compost, use a coffee canister for food scraps. Food in the compost, rinse off anything with food residue. If you have this, plus a nearby place to recycle stuff, your trash won't stink, and you won't go through as many trash bags.

Bidet is god-tier. Get one -- even a cheapo cold only one is good, but if you have a few hundred saved, Costco often has sales on a pretty solid Toto model that's pretty no-fuss. I had a Tushy once, and getting the hot water from the bathroom sink was a pain.

Also, learn how to use drywall anchors for hanging shelves and shit -- you can buy a 4 dollar tube of spackle when you move out and patch any holes yourself.

Bidet definitely. I refuse to poop anywhere else now.

Peg boards are really handy for hanging pots and pans and save you a lot of cabinet space

Similarly installing small shelves in the kitchen area for spices frees up counter space.

Ricer cooker with a steam tray on top, just remember you'll need more water when cooking rice and steaming something at the same time. I love cooking tamales and steam baos from in mine

Non meme answer, as a line cook:

• Get a good kitchen knife. If a YouTuber has sponsored it, it's probably overpriced (and honestly, quality varies from bad to just above average). A Chinese caidao/vegetable cleaver is versatile and durable, although possibly a bit intimidating because it's larger than Japanese/French knives. A Shi Ba Zi Zuo will be fine for domestic use for years, very affordable, holds its edge quite well, kind of heavy but unlikely to be strenuous unless you're dicing vegetables for hours on end, and even so weight helps with cutting. Holding it is slightly different to a western pinch grip but should be easy to adjust, huge blade surface area allows for it to rest on your knuckles if you wish usage shown here. You can use it as a bench scraper as well. Get a paring knife for things that require a bit more dexterity and you're set.

• Get a biiiig chopping board. Just as large as you can reasonably clean in your sink.

Cold brew coffee maker

get yourself a french press, it can do hot and cold!

One of the main steps from "livable" to "cute" is rugs and throw blankets for your furniture. They're good for decoration, but they also keep you warm. You can thrift them.

Go to a second hand store or a yard sale or the like. Pick of some cheap pieces of art that look nice to you. Don't worry about tacky or classy, just whatever you vibe with. My wall is filled with an eclectic assortment of random pieces and if it's all random, it goes well together.

Also an electric kettle is really useful, but if you're fresh from college you might already have one.

what are those snaking showerheads, like the detachable ones? Those are nice

Art is huge, but cannot recommend throw rug enough.

Stuff that looks ugly in a thrift store comes alive when put against apartment carpet or vinyl flooring. Absorbs sounds too.

sex swing

I'd agree with all of your suggestions, except maybe the cold brew maker. I've found using a french press works pretty much just as well and you can make hot coffee in it too!
The real curveball, that honestly might be unnecessary, is a new shower head. My last place had an awful one, it would push out a ton of water really haphazardly. The QoL upgrade when I finally (after 1.5 years of suffering) bought and installed my own was kind of upsetting. I got better pressure, better coverage, and the hot water lasted longer since it was using less. For $20 and a few minutes of install my life got so much better. And if you have the ceiling space, I think an extender isn't a bad idea either: you can sort of get the "waterfall" effect without splurging on a high end showerhead.

House plants if you have any natural light.

This is a bit more of a commitment but I really liked keeping a fishtank in my first apartment that didn't get enough natural light for pants in the living room.

I always suggest a decent sized rug/runner. Not only do they help tie together a room/hallway/entrance/etc in general, but they also help dampen noise. For example, when I moved into my current apartment - even with all my furniture and a bunch of stuff on the walls, walking around barefoot would echo really badly and god forbid I turned the AC on because the fan noise would echo. A rug and matching runner I got from the thrift store for $50 solved that and as a bonus, I can walk around barefoot without my feet getting cold from the hardwood

Space heater? I'd like to keep the temp largely down during the winter to save money while warming up the part of the place I'm in

I fell for this meme but it neglects to account for the fact that furniture & flooring has thermal mass and gets cold as shit when it isn't being heated. It also takes a very very long time to heat up (again because of the thermal mass). Just turning on the heater so the apartment & all its furniture was always a comfortable temp without me wearing a toque & fingerless gloves & slippers & always being covered in blankets & drinking hot water was probably the greatest possible improvement to my happiness & comfort for the money spent.

Rice cooker

Hell yeah, get a nice one like a Zojirushi if possible

Cold brew coffee maker

Loose-leaf tea equipment is very cheap if you're into that and are looking for a more moderate caffeine hit

seltzer water thingy

Airstream is an israeli company btw

Instant pot > rice cooker. It cooks rice and does a ton of other things, totally worth splashing a little extra cash for.

Houseplants are great, pothos are easy care and can be hung in wall mounted pots. Also consider a window bird feeder if that's an option where you live so you can see the wildlife.

Baskets for fruit and fridge trays for veggies can help keep things organized and help you remember stuff before it goes bad.

Coasters are always nice.

On the maintenance front, try to have stuff that you can use to avoid a maintenance call, snakes for drains, a channel lock for loose plumbing fittings, sink and toilet plungers if not already present are inexpensive options. Check your heaters and window seals for dust and mold respectively when you move in because they're commonly missed cleaning steps (also under the fridge and stove, ew).

Edit: sneaking in a couple more things - glass pint jars are great for food storage and as water glasses and for small-batch pickled veggies if that's your thing. I like throwing in some chopped bok choy and cherry peppers to top stir fries and salads.

Shelf liners are great and can make cleaning up when moving out easier.

Easy to care for plants, like golden porthos, ZZ plants, etc. Or, even tasteful fake plants for those no light areas like bathrooms without windows.

I second buying thrift store art, keep in mind, you might buy a few that you end up not showing/displaying, ok to redonate.

Also, two huge things to help keep your place neat is to make sure every item has a home, and more cabinet/covered storage is good, for example, buy furniture that has drawers, like beside tables, coffee tables with drawers, couch side tables with drawers, etc.

I have large magnet marker board on my fridge that I use all the time, you could also get a nice wall corkboard, or even paint a wall with "black slate" paint so that you can write on it with chalk. Also good to have a filebox with hanging folders and use it to keep papers organized, and have a system for your mail so it isn't sitting around.

Congrats on your new place 🛖 I'd like to suggest lamps if you don't have them. Both table and floor. Overhead lighting sucks eggs. Speaking of, if you like them, hard boiled eggs are the the easiest yummiest snack to keep on hand. Let's see. Throw rugs. Ottoman. Putting a towel under your cutting board keeps it from sliding. Meet your neighbors and bake them some cookies if they seem nice.

Get some art. Doesn't have to be expensive, just buy some prints off etsy or some shit.

Idk your sexual orientation, but if you wanna have a special someone over it def impresses them if you actually have some nice stuff on the walls. Bare walls/college dorm posters of the Godfather are a bit of a turn off I've learned.

Clean everywhere you can think, you’d have no idea how much grime is hiding on walls and inside cabinets from past people. Some reusable rags, hot water and a little dish soap in a spray bottle works in 95% of cases.

Get some plants and paintings, and use warm lighting from windows and lamps over ceiling lights.

If you don’t have pots and pans already, get stainless steel. They’re more versatile than nonstick and you don’t have to worry about carcinogens. Tremontina is a good brand. Also get some knives and a good knife sharpener, and multiple cutting boards to separate meats and veg.

Try to thrift pretty much everything. The only thing I’m iffy on is the aforementioned cookware.

Watch that feng shui guy on YouTube. He’s got good analysis on furniture placement and home decor.

If you have white walls get a cheap amazon projector or two. You can do all sorts of cool visual art on them or use it with friends. You can modify them to be extremely quiet too if you know how to strip and twist wires. The bulbs on these are cheap and they typically are low power.

I echo all the art-on-the-walls suggestions. even blank canvases can be something if you think you might later paint on them. but there's plenty of secondhand shit for the walls all over. you can also hang fabric on walls to create warmth and patterns. I like hanging fabric on doorways and in hallways too, to pass through, because I am a weirdo and like to articulate the visual field to define spaces. people usually furrow their brow at it unless they are also weird like me and then they sort of laugh when they pass through.

also, depending on the floor situation, rugs are cool. usually one at the entry door(s), one in the bathroom, one for the kitchen, and something for the living area.

I agree with plants. Definitely at least some succulents. You can leave a cactus in the bathroom and never water it because it'll absorb moisture from steam.

Warm coloured lamps, adjustable, or non adjustable but placed so your lighting can always match the mood.

Nice pair of speakers, if that's your thing.

Disagree with what people are saying about art. Yes, get some art, but don't rush it. Buy what really appeals to you. Don't just get random shit for the sake of filling your walls.

Manual food processor. Chops and onion (or anything else) in 2 seconds. Doesn't need to be plugged in. Costs 10 quid. Cleans out as easily as cleaning a bowl.

Couple fridge magnets?

The entire works of Lenin. No but seriously, a nice wooden bookshelf with a nicely assorted set of books.

General bric a brac. I now buy really tacky mini sculptures of British Wildlife whenever I see them in charity shops, and I put them all over the house.

Homemade stuff, if you like crafts. I made a funny weed box, where it looks like Agent Cooper from twin peaks is handing you a blunt.

A toaster!

Have you considered using a bunch of empty liquor bottles as decoration? An empty bottle of Jameson on a mantle or on a windowsill has a je ne sais quoi that well put together apartments rarely have.

Doubly so if you don't actually drink.

Next time I move into my own place, I am aiming to have a framed picture of Josip Tito next to an empty bottle of Tito's Handmade Vodka somewhere visible but not prominent as an irl visual gag.

Some art on the walls is a nice touch.

• A nice fan
• Reusable soap dispensers (Can also save you money in the long term)
• Shower organizers
• A nicer bagged vacuum
• In sink sponge holder
• Lamps for indirect lighting

Cold brew coffee maker

I just use a French press to make cold brew and it works super well, with the benefit of being able to make hot coffee too.

A high quality chefs knife is a game changer in the kitchen. You don’t need a whole block of knives or anything, just a good 7-9 inch knife. Also a knife sharpener, I just use a little pull-through one from Amazon and it works well enough. A good sharp knife is so much easier to use and safer than a dull one.

Bathroom trashcans with lids.

Bookshelves, books and other things on those shelves

If you don't have pets then indoor plants are good fun. A fair bit if upkeep but look really nice, really liked mine made the place feel more alive.

Couldn't hurt to have a first aid kit

Anyway time for our indoor plants vs outdoor plants struggle sesh

rice cooker was one of the best purchases i've ever made, it's the easiest way to make food when im very depressive since i can just turn it on and leave it for an hour or so. and rice is hella yummy and cheap and i eat it all the time

a peace lily

decent knives, small toolbag with some basics like a multi-bit screwdriver, alan wrenches, pliers, possibly a hammer, possibly an adjustable wrench. if you have the money/space it might be worth it to get a cordless drill or impact driver. Makes putting together (and taking apart) furniture easier.

I love me some household gadgets, but the one thing that (to me anyway) makes a place feel more lived in is "stuff". What I mean by this is things that fill in empty space. A coffee table book, art on the wall, a guitar case in the corner, a hanging plant, etc. Just stuff. It doesn't have to be nice stuff, or fancy stuff, it just has to be stuff you like looking at. Little tokens of things. Don't go out and buy a bunch of stuff all at once but honestly go find like a flea market or a local art shop or just pick up something kitchy from a coffee shop or whatever, I don't know what you've got around you. Just grab something, anything that has literally no value whatsoever except "I like to look at this thing." And then put that thing somewhere. And then once in a while go do that again. Eventually you've got stuff everywhere and it's all stuff you like looking at and other people like seeing. I'm not saying to cover your house in kitch or clutter or anything but you can always tell a lot about someone by the "stuff" they have. You see people's homes that have nice furniture and things but plain white walls and nothing on any of the furniture and it just looks weird and empty and sterile. Not for me.

In terms of like, more practical things? Definitely a laundry key, I love mine. A cold brew coffee maker is just a jar with a spigot on the bottom and a filter...I also love mine but don't get anything too fancy there. I also love my rice cooker if you eat a lot of rice highly recommend, again it doesn't need to be fancy. I'd buy the space heater once you know you need it, maybe your place is well insulated and you don't need it or maybe not.

My one major piece of advice for everyone moving in anywhere is ALWAYS BUY A PLUNGER BEFORE YOU NEED A PLUNGER. It's much nicer to have one on hand when the toilet starts to overflow instead of needing to go out and get one after it has already made a giant fucking mess everywhere. I think this advice applies to lots of things though. It's nice to have spares of stuff that is like critical. Have an extra towel, an extra set of sheets, things like that, just in case something goes wrong in the laundry or something like that.

Are you renting or did you buy something?

Anyway I have lots of opinions on this apparently so hopefully this was helpful.

Get some plants. Having some green living things in the house feels nice. Even if you don't have a green thumb, something like a peace lily is dead simple to care for.

hygrometer / humidifier / dehumidifier

If you're into it plants can make really nice cheap decorations and add a feel of life to the place.