My New Apartment
/I’m not sure if it’s the only child in me or what, but living on my own has always been more appealing to me than living with a roommate.
No offense, of course, to the people I’ve lived with in the past. You’re all great, but there is just something about coming home to a space that is 100% mine that just feels so nice. The whole place is a blank canvas for me to do whatever I want, and it doesn’t matter if anyone else likes it because it’s all mine.
This is the first time in my life that I have had 100% free range over how I decorate. Growing up, my parents were pretty lenient, don’t get me wrong - I literally had lime green walls for a good chunk of my childhood, for goodness sake.
I’m not 100% sure how to describe my style, but if I had to narrow it down, I would probably say that I’m a bit eclectic with bohemian influences - in other words, very trendy. I have a Pinterest board filled with decor ideas, but obviously, it’s a bit difficult to build my “dream home” in a rental (not to mention I’m ballin’ on a budget, and everything on my Pinterest is, well…costly). That being said, a bulk of the things I used to decorate are from thrift stores in my area, were gifted to me from friends or family, or were purchased from my home away from home, Target (pssst…I also inked some dupes for some of my favorite things below the images).
Let’s start with my living room. I don’t have a ton of space, so I tried organizing my furniture in a way that would keep the rooms open and free-flowing. I felt like it was too crowded with a coffee table, so I used ottomans instead - this way, guests can still kick their feet up if they want. My goals was to make the space feel relaxed and cozy, and I accomplish this by almost haphazardly tossing pillows and blankets in their places and avoiding straight lines when hanging paintings. I want it to look lived in, but tidy, so as to make my guests feel more at home.
Books are laid on their sides or set upright to create levels on my shelves, and are also placed in random places throughout the living space. I love reading and writing (obviously), so using books as decor seemed fit. I got, like, 25 copies of reader’s digest from Goodwill, and when I took the covers off, was pleased to find that they were super colorful and fun - so, naturally, I bought throw pillows to match the colors of the books. I think that it was a fun, almost subtle way, to bring pops of color into my otherwise very neutral living room palette.
I decided to keep my kitchen fairly simple, with fewer pops of color than in my living room. I got a few strange knick-knacks from Salvation Army, which are, by far, my favorite part. I have a ton of cabinet space and a gigantic walk-in pantry, but not very much counter space. I also felt like there was too much open space in the center, but didn’t want a standard dining room table. To solve this issue, I commissioned my bicep-having angel of a boyfriend to build me a kitchen island. We got the cabinets from a Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and he created a top sturdy enough for me to cut my vegetables on it while I’m cooking. He also made the back overhang a bit more than the front, so I could put two barstools under it. This now doubles as the perfect area to not only prepare food, but eat it when it’s done (it will not be pictured at the moment because the finishing touches are still being added).
I was so totally in love with the design of my living room that I was worried about the design of my bedroom. My bedroom has always been my sanctuary, and I wanted it to stay that way. I kept it neutral and borderline-bohemian, with a few touches of eclecticism and industrialism. I hung my curtains higher than my window and also got a large ceiling-to-bed tapestry, which makes the room feel bigger. I like the light in my room to be gentle and warm, so I almost never use the ceiling light. Instead, I use hanging Edison lights and small lamps. This is really great at night especially, as it helps me wind down before bed.
After I had the whole thing designed and decorated the way I wanted, I thought about how I wanted it to smell (because my home is meant to be a full-blown sensory experience, apparently). I tend to gravitate towards warm & borderline masculine scents year round, even though those are more popular in the fall/winter months. I picked candles with notes of java, bourbon, vetiver, and palo santo. To balance out the warmth a bit, I placed essential oil diffusers in the living space and my bedroom. I like to use grapefruit with lemon in the living area, and lavender with peppermint in my bedroom. These smell very clean and crisp, and brighten up the rooms during the day.
I use all of those scents in my living room and kitchen, but I use exclusively palo santo in my room. The scent transition from my living room to my bedroom makes the one bedroom apartment feel bigger in a way, and also lets my brain know that I am entering my “sleep space”. I use my room for sleeping only, a tactic taught to me by my therapist. All writing, eating, movie watching, and so on, are done in my living room and kitchen. My anxiety tends to get worse before bed, so having a space separate from literally everything else has helped to trick my brain into subconsciously knowing when it is bedtime, and has lessened my pre-bedtime anxiety by quite a bit.
So, welcome to my crib! I’m really happy with the way it turned out, and am excited to continue to add more to the space the longer I’m here. I feel so at home here, and I am very thankful to have a home of my own. Thank you Jesus.