Ever since I found out about Tumblr and was exposed to the aesthetics of the world, I’ve been striving to have that aesthetically pleasing “Tumblr” living space – or I guess it’s now referred to as VSCO (whatever that is). As much as I’d love to completely go HGTV on my living space, I cannot afford to do that. So, instead, I’ve been slowly collecting things that fit my aesthetic views of the world from places like Hobby Lobby and Five Below – both of which are very dangerous stores for me to go in. I have finally reached that aesthetic that I’ve been dreaming of with my dorm room and I actually found it took very little to make it that way. The best part was that I didn’t spend a wad either! So, I will share a few tips to help your living space become an aesthetically pleasing dream to your eyes.
Succulents (real or fake)
Succulents have become one of my obsessions. I can’t tell you how many fake ones I have. I have three at my dorm and three or four at home. There’s just something about them that really livens up a space. It makes it look like less of a cinderblock jail cell as far as student housing is concerned. I’ve gotten them from several places and they weren’t really that expensive. Target, Gordman’s, and Michael’s have been my saving graces as far as succulents are concerned. Gordman’s is the place that I’ve gotten most. They even had a Green Bay Packer one, so it was almost obligatory that I had to buy it. Depending on size and location of where you get them, they can range in price from $1.99 – $9.99.
White Twinkle Lights
These are usually to put around the perimeter of the room. Walmart always has these and they’re $2.50 for a 10 foot string. I put these around every single dorm room that I’ve been in because of how dim the lighting was. I even transferred it to my room at home. I’m slowly trying to convince my parents to replace most of the lighting in our house with them, but I haven’t completely sold them yet. There’s so many benefits to them – three of them being that they’re bright, they’re cheap, and they had a cute element to the room.
Clothes Pin Picture Display w/ Fairy Lights
I don’t know what they’re actually called, but I found these at Target last year and I thought they would be so cute, so I bought them. They were a little expensive for the length of wire you get, but at the same time, you can put a lot of pictures on it. I don’t know exactly how much they are elsewhere, but at Target they are $3.99.
Small Flag Banners
They’re small, but they’re cute. They’re also simple, but have the ability to make a room look complete and decorated. So if you have wall space that you need to fill up but don’t want something big and gaudy, I would definitely reccommend these. Not only that, but you can find some pretty fun sayings. At Target and Five Below, I believe that both my small one and my medium sized one were $1.00 – $1.99, both of which are pretty affordable.
Lightboxes
While most people put motivational quotes on here, I prefer putting sarcastic and funny things. You can get these just about anywhere nowadays. When I was looking for one, they were rare. I’m such a hipster. Anyway, they’re fun and cute and give off some pretty bright light. They look great on a window sill too. At Walmart, mine was $9.99 and if you want extra letters, numbers, or symbols, those would cost you $2.99 at the lowest.
Funko Pop
Okay, now, you don’t necessarily have to have a Golden Girls Funko or a Golden Girls coloring book, but for my personal aesthetic, it works great. My little Sophia stands proudly on my bookshelf next to my succulents. They’re not cheap, but they’re not overly expensive, depending on where you go. Hot Topic is the cheapest that I’ve found at $12.50, but then again, I don’t frequently buy them.
It may sound like completely redecorating your living space and getting aesthetic things would be expensive, but it’s really not. Because of places like Target, Five Below, and Gordman’s that have quality home sections, people on a tight budget are able to afford some sort of decoration to make their space feel comfortable and like it should be featured on HGTV without paying the insane price of hiring renovators and interior designers.