How to Make Your Apartment Unique

Let me start this post off by saying that decorating is SO personal. Everyone has different tastes, different budgets and a different space to work with.
For me, I have a very farmhouse meets modern meets boho vibe in my apartment. I am a college student so I can't spend a ton and I live in an older apartment. With all of that being said, there are some pieces that I have that I think anyone could benefit from! In my opinion, these pieces will also make your apartment completely unique.

My roommate last year was a senior so she wasn't interested in decorating the common areas, which meant I had free reign to do whatever I wanted in terms of decorating! Since I had to start from literal scratch, I learned quickly that one of the keys to decorating is to pick a couple basic colors and then build on top of those. For me, I knew moving in that I was going to have a white sofa, a black coffee table and a black cow hide rug. I also knew that I could reach a doctors office look if I kept it so neutral. So here are some tips/additions that will make your apartment completely unique to you & are budget friendly!

1) Plants

Plants are such an easy and inexpensive way to bring life and color to your space. I have plants all over the living room and in my room. By using plants, you are also able to incorporate your style by how you display them. If you wanted to add even more color, you could put the plants ins some colorful pots.

For me, I chose to put my larger plant in a basket that I found at Target over a year ago that I absolutely adore! (Tip: Make sure you buy one of the plastic "plant plates" at Home Depot, Lowes etc. to catch the water that drips out of your plant so your basket doesn't get ruined!)
The smaller plants I have are in simple, white plant holders that I found for literally $3 each on a random garden website. I also have another plant in a simple black pot that I found on Amazon for $8!

2) Large Pieces

This took me a while to get the hang of because I am naturally drawn to dainty things. My mom has always told me the bigger the better and she's really right. If you have a large wall and something small on it, its not going to look right. 

In order to fill the space above my TV I opted for an African JuJu hat [similar]. Now, all of my friends made fun of me for how in love with this thing I was/am but I'm telling you it is SO unique and adds such an unexpected element to your space. It is pretty expensive, but I'm telling you its worth the price.

For an awkward wall in my bedroom, I hung a Restoration Hardware Baby Moroccan Wedding Blanket Tapestry. This fills the space perfectly and again, is really unexpected. It is made beautifully and is something that can transition to a lot of different spaces.

*Tip* If you are unsure if you chose the right size for your space take a photo of it and see how it looks. You'll be able to gauge if you need to get something bigger or smaller.

3) Pillows

Pillows are an inexpensive way (depending on where you buy them) to instantly change up a room and add lots of color and texture. I found the pillows on my couch at TJ Maxx and World Market for under $40. HomeGoods has AMAZING options for pillows too, there just isn't one in Tuscaloosa!

4) Texture 

I for real love the whole Moroccan wedding blanket trend. I think it is SO cool and instantly adds a lot to your space. My RH tapestry is Moroccan inspired, so is one of the pillows on my couch and so is the basket I have next to a chair in my living room.

World Market is a great place to find Moroccan inspired pieces for great prices and Targets OpalHouse line has a ton of Moroccan wedding blanket inspired pieces.

If the moroccan wedding blanket trend isn't your thing, I totally understand! I just think when decorating it is super important to incorporate some texture, whether that be a knitted throw blanket, something with ruffles or even a shag rug, texture will help break up your space in the best way!

5) Older Items

Three of my favorite things in my apartment are things that have been in my family for years. One of them is the coffee table in my living room, which was actually the table my mom pulled up on when she was a baby! It's been in my family forever and has been all sorts of colors. This summer, my stepdad spray painted it black so it would go with the hide. 

I also have a chair in my living room that I have loved since I was a little girl. Over Christmas, my mom sent it back with me and I love it! It was actually re-covered with a Martha Stewart quilt from K Mart that my mom bought when I was little. Every time I look at it it makes me think of her and smile. 

Under a window in the breakfast area there is a trunk that was the coffee table in our family room in the house I grew up in. I have loved this trunk for years and am so glad that I get to have it in my apartment! You could do lots of things to style a trunk like this, but my mom had sent me some of these French pillows and I thought that they would be perfect on top of the trunk to add an unexpected touch.

I hope that these 5 tips help you when decorating your space! However, remember that decorating takes a lot of time, so be patient, no house is decorated overnight.  I'm still finding things for spaces in my apartment that I thought were "done". Also remember that you don't have to spend a ton to make your place look like your personal style. Places like Target, HomeGoods, World Market etc have amazing pieces for great prices.

I hope that you guys found these tips helpful! My mom has always told me that if you pick pieces that you love, everything will go together and that's exactly what I did & I think my apartment turned out pretty cute because of it! Also remember that decorating takes time and money, so be patient...it'll be worth it when your space is filled with pieces you hunted for and absolutely love.

Love from Dixie,



Abbey