New Year's Resolution: Decorate My Apartment

I realized recently that the minimalist "dcor" in my apartment, or really my total lack of dcor, is a little bit inexcusable, given what my job is. It's not lack of funds or lack of skill that has kept my place bare, but fear of commitment. It's easier to move if you don't have many belongings. But, in the way that good relationships tend to improve over time, I have come to love my apartment. I'm not moving out. The advantages outweigh the drawbacks, and I will happily renew my lease for another year.

I read about budget decorating day in and day out, and I have some really good ideas for making my house more stylish. Here they are, in no specific order:

Create book storage:

This one should be free. I have my eyes peeled for a used ladder. I've been kicking myself for not taking the one that I saw sitting on the sidewalk by the dumpster recently. I want to lean a tall ladder against the wall and use it as a book shelf.

Make a DIY chandelier:

I don't want to spend more than $30 on supplies for this. What I'd like to do is craft a glass bubble chandelier that I can attach to the hanging light bulb that came with my apartment. Forget about doing anything mechanical - I don't want to even touch the dust of messing with my apartment's wiring. The light "fixture," if you can call it that, seems to have detached itself from the ceiling. I want to reaffix it to the ceiling, and attach a glass bubble arrangement around the light bulb.

Create a removable accent wall:

I'm renting, so wallpaper or paint are out of the question. I doubt that vinyl wall decals will stick to my walls, so I'm thinking removable double-sided tape and paper. If I can find contact paper that won't strip my paint, I might try that.

Hang art:

Framed prints are fine for me. There are two options: one is to hang a series of small framed pieces, another is to hang a large framed piece.

Make hanging pots and pans storage:

Every useful home decorating blog seems to have posted articles about peg-board pots and pans storage recently. It's actually something that would work well in my apartment, and will be easy to remove when I exit.

Make matching slip covers for my chairs and couch:

I have a blue couch and blue curtains. I'm thinking of making slipcovers in different shades of blue so it's not too matchy-matchy.

Make my bedroom feel more like a bedroom and less like a loft:

My bed is up on a loft. I appreciate living in a studio where it's possible to have separate living and sleeping spaces. I think it's time to actually take advantage of the separate spaces.

Check out my "before" pictures above. Post your decorating suggestions below. My place is basically a blank slate.

Posted by: Chaya Goodman