A few months ago, I moved into my dream apartment here in New York City. This apartment is the first time I’ve rented a space completely on my own with no help from my parents. I’m growing up, yall!
At first when I moved in, I was really intimidated by the idea of interior decorating. I was convinced that I didn’t have the talent for home decor. I reached out to a bunch of decorators to help me, but no one I contacted was the right fit.
I’m learning in life, that if something isn’t coming together smoothly, it means I need to take a pause and revisit my approach.
I sat in a semi-furnished apartment for MONTHS and then it finally hit me… maybe I should be the one to decorate my space! I know what I like and more importantly, I know how I want my home to feel.
As a Cancerian (June 26th), my living space is like my crab shell. I want to feel safe and cozy! So, maybe my new apartment would feel most like home if I had a hand in decorating it myself.
Related: How I Moved into my Dream Apartment
Instead of stressing about having a “pinterest perfect” space, I decided to just have fun and see what I could do on my own. I’m pleased with how it’s all coming together so far (I’m not done).
The other day, I tried to shoot an apartment progress tour for you, but it was such a gloomy day that we decided to wait for better lighting.
In the meantime, I’ll share a few hacks I use to decorate my small apartment on a budget.
Here are my top 4 Budget Friendly Home Decor Hacks.
Choose a Strong Accent Color
At first I thought I was going to buy a pink velvet sofa like this as the centerpiece of my space. But lately I’ve had more of a minimalist vibe going, so I chose to get nuetral large pieces and then play with different tones of pink as an accent color throughout my apartment.
This saved me money, because instead of spending $1,000+ on a single pink moment, I could spend $40 on a blush pillow or a few hundred dollars on these pink velvet barstools!
These Pink Velvet Bar Stools come in a set of two. I had a friend put them together and he was able to assemble all four stools without any tools. (and for those of you wondering who “he” is… he’s just a friend and mind your business! lol)
My friend rolled his eyes that I didn’t have a toolbox, so I bought one of these pink toolbox sets on amazon which came in handy the next time he put together this shoe storage cabinet for my entryway. More on that in a future post.
This grey and white area rug is my favorite find so far, it features high-low ogee design and it comes in a few different size and colors. The print feels grown up, but fun and it feels great on bare feet (I’m have a “no shoes” home).
What’s in this picture:
- Pink Velvet Stools
- Grey and White Rug delivered to me by the wonderful team at VCNY Home
- Gold Magazine Rack
- Pink Vase. My friend Carly gave me this vase years ago, so I have no idea where she got it. I did find one I liked here.
- Pink Kettle: I bought a silver kettle but the whistle drove me insane so I took it back and got this one, the whistle is so calm and perfect. Does anyone else care about things like that?
- Kate Spade Hand Towels: The ones pictured are sold out, but I also bought these and these are similar to what I have
- Kitchen Rug
Click the arrow below for my next hack…
Bedroom
Hi Cece,
I admire your transparency. Your apartment is beautiful and reflects you. I would love to see what you have done with your bathroom.
B
The apartment is coming along nicely. Ohh I’d love to see the bedroom next. Congrats on getting your own space. Enjoy this time in your life!
I love the lemon greenhouse! I actually recently got a small tattoo of a lemon on my arm. Mostly, because I like lemons. But also, life has unfortunately handed me some big “lemons” lately, and I like the reminder that it is up to me to determine how I react/recover/let them impact my overall life (whether I “make lemonade”). Even if you haven’t had “lemons” lately, I think it’s a good message!
Anyway, keep the budget tips coming!