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I have been preparing for my first “big girl apartment” since the beginning of college. Once I got out of the dorms and into my college apartment, it didn’t really feel like that adult apartment, mostly because I didn’t have a ton of creative license to choose my own furniture or build a unique layout. WELL NOW, I had all the freedom in the world to create a space that I’m happy to come home to after a long day.
This post has been so heckin’ highly requested. I swear as soon as I said I was moving to NYC y’all immediately said please talk about buying things for your apartment. That being said, it has been so hard not to prematurely write this post. I wanted to make sure I was pretty close to the completed room before I started posting about it. And then I thought about it some more—I will never ever really be done decorating and rearranging.
Decorating and apartment shopping is a marathon and not a sprint. I want to make sure I’m picking out things that I truly want and not so I can “finish” my room for the sake of posting about it. Luckily, I was able to find a lot of really great pieces pretty quickly and my room is coming together pretty nicely. You’ll be able to watch a room tour on our Youtube channel once I make more money to pay for the final decorative touches!
What other apartment and affordable living posts would y’all like to see on the blog in the next few months? Hannah and I are building our editorial calendar and want to make sure we’re giving the people what they want! Sound off in the comments to let us know! Now, let’s get to it.
My Mood Board
I had no real idea of what I wanted to do with my room before I got here other than I wanted IKEA furniture because that’s what I could afford. White furniture with a simple design and mostly neutral elements were all I was really concentrating on. Since I didn’t have a closet in my room, I knew I’d be using clothing racks for my closet and didn’t want to clash with distracting colors.
This was my mood board and planning prior to moving!
My Bed, Comforter, + Decorative Pillows
One of my favorite parts of my room is my comfy bed. [Warning: I’ll say every part of my room is my favorite]. I am currently sleeping on a Lull mattress and it’s so comfy. After 4 years of less-than-stellar dorm mattresses, it’s so nice to have a little memory foam in my life. If you’re in the market for a new mattress, you can use my link to get $100 off.
I searched long and hard for a white mattress that wasn’t plain, but also didn’t play with color and opted for a fun embroidered pattern or texture. When I came across this polka-dotted comforter, I knew I needed it in my life. Apparently, Macy’s was super enthusiastic about sending it to me; I got two of the same exact comforter. I have no need for this comforter, so if you want it, I’ll ship it to you. You can also find it here in various other colors and it’s on SALE.
Decorative pillows and throws are two of those things that you don’t want to justify spending a ton of money on and I refuse to buy things at full price especially when I know you can get great steals at places like HomeGoods and T.J. Maxx. I ended up shopping at Macy’s during their really big home decor sale and got major discounts on their Oxford Collection. The striped square pillow and decorative throw are both from that collection. The throw AND the pillow are both $16 right now [61% off]. 10/10 would recommend. My other two pillows were also on sale online at World Market; you can get the geometric square pillow here for $20 and the lumbar pillow here.
My Clothing Racks + Accessory Area
Okay, so if I actually had to choose my favorite part of my room it would definitely be my clothing racks. I think it’s a super clever way to make a room more interesting. Also, I don’t have a closet. HUGE thank you to Morgan Yates for the heads up about these awesome IRIS Clothing Racks. It comes in three different variations. I got one of each. You can find the one with the column of shelves here, the standard clothing rack here, and the top shelved one here. They seem to be super sturdy and hold a ton of clothes and shoes.
I decided that I wanted to use the column of shelves for a mix of practical and decorative purposes. I picked out this square letter board because I am a blogger. The quote captures my personality pretty well too. My jewelry also finds its home here along with my jeans [stacked in an ombre fashion, of course] and my shoes line the bottom of all the racks.
When my mom came to visit me, she purchased a Neverfull from Louis Vuitton. She also wanted to keep the box but had no way of bringing it home with her. Now, I get to pretend like I’m living the life of someone who could afford such a luxurious item by displaying it on the top shelf of one of the clothing racks. I also brought my She Believed She Could So She Did canvas from HomeGoods and put it up in the empty space behind the door to my room. I also hang all my handbags, belts, and hats in this area too.
The Artwork
I blew up Instagram stories when my prints came in because I am so happy with them!! Desenio is literally incredible. There are so many options that are super on trend and match a variety of color schemes and vibes. I wanted something that fit me personally but also continued the neutral, earthy but clean vibes I have going on in the room already.
I picked out the disassembled vintage camera because obviously, I love photography. The CHIC print is basically an homage to how I want my style to evolve while I’m living in NYC. And then, I thought the Meet Me In New York print was just too cute to pass up. They just added a ton more so go look now! The two big frames are from IKEA and then my smaller frame is kind of old from HomeGoods.
My Nightstand + Desk + Mirror
The area of my room that arguably needs the most work is my vanity-meets-workspace meets bedside area. I have no idea what this is going to look like in the coming months, but I am excited to start playing around with different ideas. My chair is from Amazon and I love it. It’s sturdy and oh so comfy. My lamp is old from Target, but there are so many cute ones online right now. My mug is from Anthropologie and the candle is from Bath and Body Works in the scent Cinnamon Spiced Vanilla.
I just used some plain Mason Jars to hold my make up brushes and the plastic containers are from AtHome. They were super cheap and perfect for the amount of makeup that I have now. My mirror is from Ikea and is linked down below with the rest of the links to all my furniture.
My Furniture!
IKEA furniture may be a complete pain in the ass to put together, but it’s affordable and pretty sturdy. Not to mention, it goes solidly with the vibes for my room. Here’s everything that I picked up for my room:
- My Bed Frame
- My Nightstand
- Hemnes 8-Drawer Dresser [the dresser from hell to put together but perfect for my room]
- MICKE Desk
- Hovet Mirror
- 50cmx70cm Frames
1200 words of decorative wonder later… We have my room update. I am super happy with how everything is turning out and I can’t wait to share with y’all the final touches! Questions, comments, concerns? You can drop them down below or submit them to the #AskGab form and I’ll answer them in my next What’s the Roast post!
keep on keepin’ on,
