How to Make Your Space More Personal (Surround Yourself with You)
Anyone can copy a Pinterest design scheme: DIY lace curtains, distressed coffee table, pitchers masquerading as vases. Creating a space that truly evokes your individual personality is a much harder task. But considering you probably spend the majority of your time at home—especially if your squad tends to hang at your place—it’s a worthwhile pursuit. Here are a handful of ways you can put a personal touch on your apartment without resorting to Pinterest cliches.
- Refer to your wardrobe for inspiration. If you don’t really know what your interior design style is, crack open your closet. Whatever you see there can serve as a springboard for your apartment’s decor. If you’re into bold floral prints and loud colors, that can translate directly into flowery throw pillows and a new neon slipcover for your comfy chair. If your fashion tastes trend more toward the traditional, encompassing mostly neutral tones and classic silhouettes, you may want to consider incorporating natural elements and earth tones into your apartment.
- Go hard with your favorite color. If you can’t really come up with a cohesive design approach based on your closet, you should at least be able to find a pattern when it comes to color. This is your apartment, so feel free to go overboard with your favorite hue. Incorporate it throughout your entire home, from the flowers on your kitchen table to the throw blankets designated for snuggling in the living room.
- Showcase stuff that means something. If you’ve been collecting perfume bottles since you were little, or if you somehow earned the reputation as an owl-lover and ended up with a million bird-themed knickknacks, this is your opportunity to make the most of your collection. Find a cool bookcase or set of shelves (preferably in that favorite color) and proudly display these items. Even if you don’t have a cohesive collection, you can still create a vignette on the coffee table or bookshelves consisting of a hodgepodge of sentimental items, given that you arrange them artfully.
- Express yourself through art. If you want to embellish your walls with more traditional art, don’t just pick prints because they’re on trend. Find pieces that actually speak to you or showcase one of your passions. Scour thrift stores, antique shops, and boutiques near you for the perfect wall hangings, don’t just settle for the first generic print you find at a big-box home store. Bonus points if you DIY your works of art at a paint-and-sip class or on your own.
- Decorate like you own. When you’re renting, it’s easy to skimp on decorating. After all, everything that goes up on the walls must come down before you move. But for all you know, you could be in this apartment for five years, maybe longer. So take some time to really set in and put your personal stamp on the place. Even if you end up moving within a year or two, at least you’ll get a few good Insta snaps out of your place first.
5 Ways to Make Your Apartment Feel Like Your Home [Filter Butler]
How to Translate Your Personal Style to a Room [Apartment Therapy]
How to Make Your Home Feel More Like You [Houzz]