A lot of big life changes have happened since I last talked to you all. I finished my junior year of college, began my dream apprenticeship at Better Homes and Gardens as their editorial apprentice, and, oh yeah, I GOT MARRIED! Yes, you read that right; I’m a wife. It still feels surreal to say that.
Anyway, in between all of these big changes, my husband (still weird) and I moved into our first apartment together. While my husband couldn’t care less about decor as long as the couch is comfy and there’s a spot for his monitor, I took it as a challenge to turn this one-bedroom apartment into a home.
What We’re Working With:
- 1 Bed
- 1 Bath
- 700 Square Feet
- 12 Blank Walls
The Vision:
Because this was the first apartment I wasn’t sharing with roommates, I was so excited to figure out what my style is. In my previous apartment, I was only able to decorate my bedroom. That wasn’t much space to explore my personal style. But with a whole apartment (all 700 square feet of it) to play with, I felt like I could finally figure out my decor style.
I knew I wanted the apartment to feel cozy and lived-in, like a place where you could spend slow mornings sipping coffee and winter nights watching movies under piles of blankets. I wanted the apartment to feel like (warm and inviting– think a big bear hug), but I wasn’t sure what that would look like.
This apartment would be home to so many moments, big and small, that my husband and I would look back on fondly from our first year of marriage– Disney movie date nights, eating dinners together, getting ready in the mornings and kissing each other goodbye for the first time. This apartment will be the backdrop to our first year of marriage, the home to all of our firsts. Even if it’s only 700 square feet, I wanted to love the apartment and to be able to say it was not only our first place together, but it was our first home.
I’m proud to say, I think my goal of making a cozy, little home out of a one-bedroom apartment was accomplished. I ended up with a mixture of eclectic and bohemian styles and plenty of color (which I love). I like to say, “Nothing in the apartment matches, but it all goes together.” Here are a few simple ways I incorporated my personal style and made my apartment feel like home xx…
1) Photos
I knew I wanted to do some sort of gallery wall in the living room, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to take up a whole wall. With the rug and bookshelf bringing lots of color and pattern, I didn’t want to do anything too crazy with the walls. I decided on doing this corner gallery wall that frames the TV. I mixed wooden and gold frames and filled them with wedding photos and prints from Society6 and Pinterest. Adding photos to any space makes it automatically feel homier and more personal. This little corner of our living room has quickly become my favorite spot in our home.
2) Add a Rug
An area rug was one of the first items I purchased for this apartment because I wanted everything else to build off of it. From the Persian pattern to the warm red and pink tones, the rug has grounded the living space and made it feel separate from the kitchen and dining area. It brings warmth and an automatic cozy feel to the room. Plus, I bought the matching runner for the kitchen so the two areas have a cohesive style.
3) Install Curtains
There’s one feature that is key to the quintessential, college apartment– the plastic, Venetian blinds. And if there is one way to not make an apartment feel like a home, it’s to keep these blinds exposed. Adding a curtain rod and curtains made the biggest change in our apartment hands down. Our living room and bedroom windows went from dingy and cheap-looking to warm and homey.
Installing curtains may seem like a daunting task, but the process is simple for renters. Using two maximum-strength Command Hooks, place your curtains and rod above your window. When it comes time to take the curtains down, remove the Command Hooks gently to not peel any paint.
4) Little Details
It’s through the small details in a home that you can truly show off your personality. Through figurines, books, or wall decor, it’s the little details that round out a home and make it feel lived in. One of my favorite small touches is this match holder boot. Do I use it to actually light matches? No. But does it bring me joy and add a personal touch to my side table? Yes.
It’s these small nods to your interests and quirks that spark conversation and make each home unique. So, don’t hold back! Add what brings you joy, and don’t worry about it having to perfectly match the rest of your home.
5) Live Life In It
It sounds cliche, but a home is made by the people who are in it. A space isn’t doesn’t become a home by adding curtains or throw pillows, but by the people that occupy the space. A home is made by slumber parties and morning cups of coffee. It’s made by giggles that turn into belly laughs and dancing to Taylor Swift in the kitchen; by binging cheesy sitcoms in the living room and learning how to cook a real meal in the kitchen; by full dishwashers due to dinner parties and floors littered with footprints and leaves. It might not be glamorous or what you see in the magazines, but it’s home.
