When I moved into my first apartment, I moved into a place that was entirely empty – not even a refrigerator in sight. I was very excited to get to decorating my new home but also found it daunting to do so on a budget and in style. I had never furnished an entire apartment from scratch before and wasn’t sure what my interior design style truly was. I knew what I liked but I also knew that there were certain trends I needed to steer clear of (painting a wall red? Cute for a week not for a year).
I have now been living in the apartment for a little over three years and both the apartment and I have gone through several stages. The first and most important stage was to purchase the electronics and major pieces of furniture. I went to IKEA, obviously, as it was the perfect solution for budget-friendly furniture and knick-knacks for the apartment. I got everything there except my couch and my closet. The couch I found on Groupon, believe it or not, and my closet I purchased at a shop that did custom closet making at a reasonable price (I needed a closet that was super tall but fully functional within – lots of drawers and shelving).
The second stage was getting the basic textured accessories, such as towels, sheets, bath mat, welcome mat, rug and all that jazz. There were around a million things I forgot to get the first time around, so I had to go back for more once I made a serious list. Once I had the major things, I went about researching what my color palette and home décor style were. I went on Instagram and Pinterest like the true digital junkie that I am. I noticed what rooms I was more attracted to when scrolling through images and found what I thought would be a great start to the journey of my home styling.
My personal style took me down a very simplistic and bright path. I don’t like color in my house that doesn’t come from a plant or a book. My furniture is a combination of white and pale woods, and my pillows and other decorative accents are either grey, light blue, stripped, or white. I like walking into my home and have nothing scream at me like a bright color would. I add color by having dried or fresh flowers on my table, art on the walls (although I am still in the process of that… three years later and there is still nothing on the walls), and books that adorn the metal book case or white coffee table.
Everyone’s style is very different. The important thing to do is stop before starting to go on the spending spree that is furnishing and decorating a home. Take a moment (or a week) to decide what you want your house to look and feel like. There is always time to add once you have the basics, but your home will never be this bare again so take the time to really think the design through.
Healthy snacks you can easily make yourself
April 17, 2024
We get it; we need to start eating healthier. But how is anyone supposed to make it through the day
