While growing up, most of us had a single room to make our own. Or even if we shared a room with a sibling or with a dorm full of classmates, there were always spaces that we wanted to claim as our own. So, we put up posters of movie stars and pop icons that left ugly sellotape marks on our walls, and called it home. And that is exactly what ‘home’ means — a place that reflects who you are.
However, as an adult, designing your entire apartment with that same personal flair becomes a little trickier than simply slapping a glossy film poster on the wall. While the internet is great for suggestions on how to create a vibe that matches your personality, the ideas on apps like Pinterest often seem impossible to achieve. Usually, the aesthetics we pin are not within our budget or are too complex to execute, so we resign ourselves to plain and uninteresting home design.
But all of that changes now — we’ve put together some simple hacks to the art of decorating your home so it can be Pinterest ready.
Choose a colour palette
Themes are always in style — most of us spend a good amount of time picking out the perfect one for birthday parties and weekend brunches, and even for phones, blogs, and social media accounts. Why shouldn’t this be the case with our living spaces too? The easiest way to give your apartment a special theme is by choosing a colour palette that appeals to your sense of design. Once you have your palette, you can decorate your home around it, from curtains and rugs to your choice of furniture. Whether you prefer a combination of subtle pastels or an eclectic mix of bold shades, the possibilities for your apartment decor are endless, and even a basic blend of colours will bring your place much closer to being Pinterest worthy.
Paint the town red
And by town we mean your apartment, and by red we mean pretty much any colour in the spectrum. If you’re looking at interior design on a budget, buy paints and let the artist in you go crazy. Beautiful homes on Pinterest almost always feature aesthetic patterns and painted surfaces, which add a splash of character to the space. When you’re feeling ambitious with your DIY skills, try painting a single wall of the living room in a vibrant hue and watch the contrast brighten up your home. Or if a wall is too much of a task, the same can be quite easily done with shelves, bookcases, tabletops, and handles of doors and drawers. It doesn’t take a Picasso masterpiece to give your apartment a unique and artsy feel.
Incorporate a little nature
As far as interior design has come with indoor aesthetics, the beauty and magic of nature is still unparalleled. It is wonderful to have a slice of this in our homes, but the dream of a lush garden is often unrealistic to apartment owners. The solution to this comes in an array of indoor plants that can add life to any type of house. If you have space to fill, we suggest you go with a few indoor plants. You can even play around with this design idea by putting your leafy friends in unusual pots to decorate your home in a quirky sort of au naturale. And if the only thing keeping you from doing this is a serious space crunch, consider hanging blooms or intricate wall planters. With so many options for indoor greenery, there is always a way to get that fresh ambience for your home.
Invest in design details
If there is one thing that Pinterest has taught us, its that an ornamental birdcage looks classy anywhere. When it comes to the decor of your home, the popular phrase ‘it’s all in the details’ is apt because a little goes a long way. A few photographs or posters in basic frames on the wall add a distinctive style without being too much of a hassle. The same can be said for vases, figurines, dreamcatchers, windchimes, and pretty much any other decorative detail. And the best part is, you don’t have to burn a hole in your wallet to have striking design details. If you’re on a budget, just put out your collection of coasters from weekend escapades for quirky decor on plain surfaces. The personalised touch you’re looking for can come from anywhere.
So, what are you waiting for? Transform your living space into a home you never want to leave with these decorating tips, and have an apartment that is just a few photographs away from being pinned on everyone’s #apartmentgoals board.