Starting Out: Decorating Your Apartment

             When you're in your 20's and starting out in a new apartment, chances are you're not going to have a lot left over in the budget for decorating. Unless of course you're one of those young people who gets everything handed to you, in which case I hate you. Kidding! (Kind of) But yes, while starting your first real job, making it through school and/or paying off the massive debt you've accumulated whilst in school, decorating is not going to be your number one priority. However, you still want your apartment to look nice and presentable and have a homey feel to it. This is what I've been trying to achieve since moving into my apartment with my boyfriend, and I've picked up a few tricks on how to do it without having to spend too much. Not everything is going to match right away, and some furniture may not go with others, but you do the best you can!

Everything in this photo are things that we've picked up over the years, with the occasional new item we've bought for our apartment. If you have an island area like we do, it is essential that you pick up some bar stools, as they make the biggest difference. I believe these were about $30-$40 each from Canadian Tire. They're comfortable, really sturdy and are a great way to add more seating options to your apartment.

I never thought I'd be one to buy fake flowers, but I LOVE these! These cost $10.00 altogether from the Dollar Store. It's a great way to always have seasonal looking flowers without constantly having to repurchase. Just fill the vase up with water and it's hard to tell the difference between real and fake!

Let me just say, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this dog. This is the Bulldog Decorative Figure from Urban Outfitters, which I got on sale for $27.99 from their website. Unfortunately he's no longer available, but I think he's such a cute addition to our apartment. He's quite heavy, and has little grips on the bottoms of his feet. This dog was originally $59.99, so I couldn't complain about the price.

This is another recent purchase from St. Lawrence Market. This was from one of the souvenir stores on the first floor, and was the only one there. I wasn't originally going to buy it, as it was on for $34.99 and the very top was broken off. However, I managed to bargain down the store owner to $20.00 and he fixed the top for me. 

The best thing about this by far, is that it's a tea light holder! Once I realized that I couldn't just let it go. (That may look like dust around the edges, but it's not!)

This is the Bonjour Multi Hook in silver from the Urban Outfitter's website as well, which hangs by our doorway as a key holder! It really couldn't be much of anything else as it is quite small, but it's a nice touch as you walk in the doorway. This was not expensive at all, I purchased it for $12.00 at regular price.

There are all kinds of prints going on with our dining table, but that's okay! We actually got the table and chairs for free from someone who was getting rid of them in our building, so that was a bonus. However, the top was fairly scuffed up, so we purchased a tablecloth from Homesense to just throw over it for now. The elephant LED light was about $10 on sale from Pier 1 Imports in Guelph, and the seat covers were $12 each from IKEA. IKEA will become your new best friend when you're starting out in your apartment.

Last but not least, at any given time you will find about 5-10 items from Bath and Body Works in our apartment. This is the Birdhouse Mini Candle holder, which you can't get anymore. I need to go purchase a fall one! I have 3 Wallflowers in our apartment to keep it smelling fresh, and numerous soaps. You can always get amazing deals at Bath and Body works, and it's a great way to find little decorative details for your apartment. 

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND! xx