Going into my junior year of college, I decided to live the more glamorous life of apartment housing. With that came my room and plenty of space to decorate. After months of planning and my room finally coming together on move-in day, I realized I developed an obsession for interior design. Here are the top 5 things I did to create my dream college apartment!
1. Just Keep Scrolling
Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, repeat! These three apps are the masterminds behind not only my room but my style. Pinterest and TikTok specifically helped me find an overflow of inspiration to use as a starting point. Making Pinterest boards was a savior in gathering both room pictures as well as pictures that captured the mood (which I eventually wound up printing and framing). On YouTube, I made the bold choice in getting my inspiration from Architectural Digest celebrity home videos. Despite still being in college, it never hurts to put yourself in the interior design mindset that you are moving into a multi-million dollar penthouse in NYC!
2. Set The Mood Boards
Creating mood boards for your room makeover can be as simple as opening a word document and filling it with pictures. This is your opportunity to be as creative and extra as you desire. Once I found my favorite pictures and aesthetics, I cut, paste and crop until I created a vision that set the mood for how I was going to start shopping.
3. A Picture is Worth a Thousand… Dollars
I have recently discovered that my new favorite way to decorate any room is with pictures. Whether you are framing them as a statement piece or adding them to a wall collage, pictures are both an affordable and chic way to showcase your interests and personality. Pro tip: Target Photos almost always have sales on their prints and make for very high-quality purchases!
4. Fill Those Spaces
Whether you are going for a minimalist look or something more colorful and crazy (like me), never leave a room with dead space. I felt this rule mainly applied when I was decorating my hallway. Although it is just a hallway, it is still the first thing people see when they come to my room and I wanted it to make an impression. My favorite ways to decorate this area is with wall decor, key/bag hooks, console tables or plants. My decision to do a wall of Vogue covers came from both my obsession with Vogue and inspiration from TikTok, and it has since become one of my favorite parts.
5. Decor, Decor, Decor!
Accent decor is probably the most exciting part of interior design, so why not save the best for last. Using throw pillows, magazines, coffee table books, neon signs, mirrors, etc., are all great ways to highlight your personality in a chic way. Most of my favorite finds were from Amazon because I always found exactly what I was looking for. However, it never hurts to bargain shop at places such as TJ Maxx to get new ideas and feel re-inspired.
Although it was months in the making, I couldn’t feel more at home in my new apartment (even miles away from my hometown). Being in quarantine for the past months, I can honestly say planning my college apartment was the highlight. It helped me get in touch with my creative side and encouraged me to explore new mediums of styling.
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