I have had quite a few requests for ideas on decorating creatively. This one is for the girl with the studio apartment or the quaint starter home. No matter what stage of life you’re in it’s so important to create a space for yourself (or your family) that gives you all of those warm and fuzzy feelings. There’s no place like home, right?! Oakley agrees! 😉
When Eli and I first started renting an apartment, I had to get really creative about the space we had. I think this is where my true passion for design and decorating blossomed into what it is today. It took a lot of trial and error to figure out what worked for us and what made our spaces look the best. I came up with a few little tips and tricks that I have used that have made a huge impact on our apartment and home. These are budget-friendly ideas that can be applied no matter where you live! 🙌🏼
Mirrors
I love using mirrors on the walls of smaller rooms in our home. They have such an incredible way of opening up a space and making the room appear bigger than it is. This is perfect for anyone out there living in an apartment like we were only a few months ago. During my antiquing adventures over the past couple of years, I have picked up a few mirrors that we are still using/loving today. You can never really go wrong with a mirror on a wall you are trying to spruce up. They never go out of style 👌🏼💃🏻
Light Curtains
I know mostly everything I own is “light” in color, but I learned pretty quickly that the color of your curtains really alters the look and feel of a room. I really only suggest super dark curtains if you are working with a lot of space. They tend to close in the room and make it feel smaller than it is. I did a whole blog post a few months ago on these super affordable DIY drop cloth curtains (here) and they are perfect for bringing structure to your space without making it feel tiny. Love these!
Paint
If you aren’t renting, pick up the paint can! It is amazing the difference that a single coat of paint can make on a room. Lighten it up and let the room breathe. A $30 paint can from your local home improvement store can alter the whole feel of a space. We used a light grey color in our dining room and I love the subtle contrast it has against the ceiling while still bringing lots of brightness to the room. Never underestimate the power of paint, ladies!
Command Strips
Crazy confession time. I actually think it’s my dream in life to have an unlimited supply of command strips….🤣🤞🏼 I buy these in the bunches because I love changing up the decor in our home but hate putting holes in our walls. I am not good with permanent decisions, clearly! Unless it is something super-duper heavy like our headboard (here), we hang everything in our home using these. We used command strips to hang these three photos in our master bedroom! So easy and no dry wall patching. These will be your best friend and your landlord’s, too.
I hope this was helpful if you are looking to easily freshen up a space without making major cosmetic changes. These are just a few of the tips that I have learned along the way in helping to make the most of the spaces we live in. Thank you all for checking out the blog today. I appreciate all of the support here so very much.
xo,
sarah jane
Leave a Reply