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If I was moving into my first apartment…

Let’s kick off with a little backstory about my love for decorating small spaces… it’s been a favorite topic of mine to cover for years! I’ve written numerous blog posts about my past college dorm rooms and how I’ve decorated them. over time — here’s a look back on all four of my college dorms if you want to start there!

I then transitioned out from dorm life to live in an apartment in Philadelphia with two of my girlfriends, and honestly a lot of the tips that I picked up while decorating dorm rooms held true for my first apartment. To read about all of those, take a look at my post on my top five tips to take your dorm room to the next level, as well my full Q&A on my best dorm room hacks!

So when it came time to do this year’s blog post on dorm room decorating, I wanted to make sure it was applicable to a new apartment (or even your bedroom at home) as well! Sadly, my days of decorating a Bachelorette pad are behind me 😊 as I’ll be living with Johnny in my next apartment (more on that next week, promise!) but I still had so much fun picking out the girly dorm/apartment décor you’ll find in this post.

I full heartedly believe that your dorm, apartment, or bedroom should be an oasis and a happy place that represents YOU and sparks JOY whenever you’re in it. So my formula for my ideal apartment is pretty straightforward— simple organizing solutions, pops of blush pink, and gold as the ultimate neutral. 😊

These product recommendations reflect exactly that, and I hope you love them as much as I do! I’m living vicariously through everyone who is decorating a girly apartment (AKA my sister, who you can follow along with on @color_over_clutter). If you want to see the items I’ve been saving for my next apartment, just head on over to my “Apartment” tab (those will be more applicable if you’re looking for a more neutral/blue/green color scheme that’s more guy-friendly).

All in all, my best tip is to make your dorm or first apartment personal and true to you. Take the extra time to print out photos and fill beautiful frames with them, surround yourself with your favorite books and pieces of art, and don’t be afraid to go above the norm (a bar cart in a dorm room?! yes, please.) xx

All of my dorm & apartment picks…