If you’ve ever seen glimpses into my apartment via social media, then you know that pink pretty much runs the show. My best friend and I have pretty much nailed the girly apartment style, and it wasn’t until very recently that we started to realize we’ve grown out of what we used to consider our perfectly decorated apartment.
Of course, Pinterest and social media has played a huge role in influencing our new style with all of the dreamy white and gold home interiors circulating everywhere, but it’s so hard to change things up when you’re just a renter! (AKA: those white marble countertops and white walls with white crown molding and beautiful backsplash? Yeah…not gonna happen just yet).
Instead of giving up, we decided to get creative and cover up! See what I did there???? Just keep reading.
Our old pillow cases were bold; I’m talking hot pink, orange, kelly green, navy, and white. All together. Not only were they a mixture of colors, but they were also a mixture of different (intense) patterns.
In San Diego, we were OBSESSED with the look of everything we had acquired. We had a gallery wall with kate spade inspired prints (which is still surviving in our current apartment in LA, but it’s on my list of projects), a ton of colors happening, a collision of patterns, and candles galore. The amount of candles aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, but they’re all getting a major face lift, much like everything else in this post!
We changed what we could to white (think: candles, flowers, vases…the small details) and stuck with patterns and prints that made us feel much more calm, and a bit more grown up.
Our focal point and inspiration for the room was this beautiful Painted Ferns print from Minted (size reference: this is the 30″ x 40″ print in the white frame from Minted). It’s the perfect piece to tie in the overall calming feeling of the room, and it’s not too distracting.
Next came pillows! Did you know H&M has one of the best home sections of all time? They have some major style steals, and the quality is great (especially in relation to the low price point). Ive linked pillows at the end of this post! H&M is also super easy about returns, so you don’t have any risk with ordering online. We got these pink velvet pillow cases from there. It was such a refreshing switch from hot pink to light pink. They don’t feel as intense, and they’re the perfect color to break up the black and whites, and also mesh nicely with the palm print.
The fur pillow cases were a huge win from Ikea. I’d been looking for pillow cases like this for what seemed like years with no luck, so I was jumping for joy when I finally located these in the maze that is Ikea.
Palm print is continuing it’s major moment in the spotlight; I found these palm print pillow cases on Etsy (linked below!) and knew that I had to jump at them! Especially when I found one that would cover one of the crazy patterened pillows we had in a funky size. It was a great money saver to be able to pop the old patterned pillows into a new cover instead of getting rid of and re-buying brand new pillow inserts. If you can do this with your current pillows that you’re looking to revamp, I highly recommend it! If you are unable to combine the old with the new, H&M has cheap pillow inserts, but no one beats Ikea with the low prices…so if you have a location near you, get the inserts in store to avoid shipping costs & higher prices!
Unfortunately, one of the key pieces of furniture in the apartment needs some major love (quick story for you: my dad found this incredible vintage arm chair for me and I instantly fell in love with the chair…the fabric? Not so much. It’s a grimey neon green/yellow flower print, and as cool as it sounds, it’s just not. I got the bright idea to find a reupholstery hack on pinterest and went with it. One can of neon pink fabric spray paint and a trial run on the back of the chair later, I have a ruined vintage chair, with a Pinterest FAIL, and still no cute color happening on it. So to say that it needs some reupholstery love is a major understatement). One day, I WILL get this chair reupholstered, and I will covet it even more than I do now. But as long as I am a young 20-something individual living in overpriced LA, working my way up the fashion industry ladder, this gem is getting a different kind of lovin’ with a much lower price tag.
The best hack for reupholstery is just covering up what you don’t want seen! We threw this white blanket over the chair (which used to be a hot pink blanket…just one more thing that we changed to white to calm down the room!) and it does the trick. It’s comfortable, washable, and goes with any pillow we want to put on top of it. Voila! Magic.
One of the key details of our living room that we’re most proud of is the foliage that is popping up. Our apartment style went from a cool 8 to a solid 10 when we got that beauty of a plant in the corner. It’s from Ikea so it wasn’t very expensive, and it’s a champ indoors. The white pot is perfect for the clean look we’re going for and is also from Ikea! I also try to grab a new bouquet of hydrangeas (soon to be peonies hopefully!) from Trader Joe’s every time I go because they’re only $5! It’s such a fun little thing to wake up to every morning to start your day on the right foot.
During the holidays, this bar cart was very decked out with glitter and ribbons; come January, it was time for something more refreshing. All I did was take down some of the festive details, and add this faux plant from Hobby Lobby! It was just the touch that I was looking for, and I love looking at it every time I go through the front door. The new mule mugs were also a fun touch!
Last but not least, the details. Aside from the major furniture pieces, the things that really transform an apartment to a home are the little things. It took me a while to find items to place in this book shelf we have from Target, but after I realized I didn’t need ALL my fashion books in my room, and had way too many Elle Magazines for my bed side tables, it all came together! Now, we have an array of colorful books, collected magazines, and little decorative pieces like this gold diamond accent piece and what used to be a candle. My favorite is the new glass dish that my mom got me for Christmas that reads “Creme de la Creme,” so dang cute and perfect for our teeny tiny table!
If you have any apartment hack questions, send me an email! I’m now working on my bedroom…so stay tuned for a bedroom reveal in the coming months!
Fern Print, c/o Minted
