As many of my returning readers may already know, I am a sophomore at the University of Florida. Instead of living in a dorm my first year, I opted-in to live at an off-campus apartment. I got to decorate my first-ever apartment solely on my own, and it was the best thing ever. Let me introduce to you five need-to-know tips for styling your first apartment. I hope you enjoy it! 

1. Pick a Color Scheme 

Because I am a college student, many assume that my taste is not as sophisticated or as clean-cut as an older audience. Well, I am here to assure you that I am an old soul trapped in a 19-year-old's body. My living room color palette is very minimalist, with lots of greys, blues, whites, and nods of gold. This is why the gold moon mirror from the Fall 2021 Box is my favorite living room accent piece. I use it as a table centerpiece where I place my beautiful orchid on top of. Having a color scheme allows you to easily select pieces you love and know that they will fit in with your décor seamlessly. It also definitely helps that the team at Decocrated this season knows my color palette, or I like to think so because every single piece works with my apartment! Kudos to you, product development team! 

2. Don't be afraid to move things around

When my roommates and I first moved into this apartment, the living room layout was atrocious. The couch was right smack in the middle of the room and faced the door. I’m not kidding. You’d open the door to enter into this open concept living room and see people sitting on the couch staring at you. Needless to say, no one approved. The TV was also nestled up in a corner instead of up against a wall. The TV was catty-cornered from the couch which made for an uncomfortable neck cramp every time I wanted to casually watch a show. Instead of being scared to move things around, we all went at it. The new layout not only opens up the space more and is more practical and pleasing to the eye. We added touches of Fall 2021 décor pieces and my living room was complete!

3. Your kitchen is a room to decorate, too

Apartment owners tend to forget that kitchen spaces are grounds for decorating, too, simply because they are either too small to dwell over or because they just don’t know where to start. Don’t fret; I’m here to answer any kitchen queries! I love decorating kitchens because the décor pieces tend to be very creative. First off, kitchen appliances act as decorations as well! Sleek and sexy coffee machines displayed on your countertops are great décor items. That turquoise KitchenAid you barely use but love so much is another great example. Displaying your colorful cooking utensils in a sleek container is another way to show off kitchen décor while also being convenient since you don’t have to open drawers to search for what you need. Labeled jars of essentials such as sugar, snacks, etc. are some of my favorite decorations. TikTok is currently filled with these kitchen organization hack videos and I’m all for it! Kitchen towels are also great ways to decorate for the season as they can easily be swapped out to fit each new season. My apartment is rocking the fall/Halloween-inspired towels from the Fall 2021 Box, which I think are a fun and perfect pop of color!

4. Artwork is your best friend 

I don’t know about you, but my apartment has plenty of wall space that I simply just don’t know how to fill all the blank spaces. An easy fix that I have decided is the all-around winner is to hang up any pieces of art. This art doesn’t have to match each other or have a certain vibe; if you love it, display it! If you’re sticking with a certain color scheme, of course, stick with the color scheme, but I love to go antique shopping and buy art in frames that are eclectic and funky. My roommate's newest obsession is going thrifting for old vinyl records and using them as wall art. She utilizes both the actual record and the album cover to create a fun display to spice up her room. Genius!

5. Be open-minded

This is my ultimate piece of advice. Many people hate decorating because they just don’t know what would look good in their homes. To that, I say: anything! A décor item is versatile. It can become anything you want it to be. When shopping for decorations, be open-minded and creative because items can be multi-purpose and I bet they can fit somewhere in your apartment, no matter how small. For example, the wood ladder stumped me when I received my Fall 2021 Box in the mail. I didn't think there was going to be a place for it in my apartment. Oh boy, was I wrong. I currently don’t have anywhere to organize my jewelry and all of my necklaces are just stuffed into a little bag. Problem: my jewelry is all tangled and has no place to call home. Solution: hang everything on the wood ladder! To say that I am in love would be an understatement. 

That’s all for today, folks! I hope it’s feeling more like fall in your neck of the woods! Gainesville, Florida, was 62 degrees Fahrenheit this morning which made my day that much better. I hope to see some of you implementing these tips into your apartments. Share some of your apartment décor tips on social media, and Decocrated will repost!