6 Steps for Decorating on a Newly-Wed Budget

Since at the end of this month marks one year since we signed the lease, I thought I’d show off our apartment! It started out just like any apartment- plain, dated, small…you get it right? So my goal was to  make it appear more modern, chic, and clean.

It was’t much and needed some serious updating.

Consistency 

If there is one thing I have learned from scouring Pinterest, is that if you want your home to feel clean and collected, it is consistency. Your “style” needs to reflect in each room and for whatever look you are going for, you need to keep with it throughout.

Since furniture typically take up a lot of your decor, I feel it is important that it matches a theme. That theme could be that they are all from a matching set, matching colors, patterns and details, etc.

Decide on a base

Being on a newly-wed budget, Derek and I had to find a lot of miss-matched pieces from thrift stores. If you’re in the same boat, you don’t have to just toss your theme aside! You still need a base to work with- I recommend a neutral color that you can add accents to later.

Paint away!

To make my style work, I chose a color and painted everything that could be painted! My color of choice was white since it works so easily with other colors. Here are some of our furniture items I’ve painted to match my theme!

Painted table and chairs

Painted bedside table

Painted (and DIYed) behind-the-couch table

Painted dresser

Linens

Don’t stop with just painting though! Keep your theme flowing from room to room by choosing your linens to match your style as well!

Since I chose white for my base I also decided to extend it to our bedding, towels, and shower curtain! You can choose to add in some accent colors in these areas to add some fun if you want. I chose white for an extra crisp and fresh look.

White bedding

White (sheer) shower curtain and white towels

Accents

Time to accessorize! Now that I had a base established, I could now do so freely. Remember to make sure your accents play along with each other and your general style. For my accents I chose gold, plants, and geometric designs. Most of which are gathered onto a tray in each room (I love trays they make decorating so easy, guys!)

Work with what you got! -notice the cinder block;)

Wall art

Wall art is still important even if you are a newly wed! There are some pretty cool ways to fill your walls these days! You can hit the thrift stores for some frames to hang a gallery wall, an antique window,… I also discovered that you can get giant photos through ordering engineering prints from Staples for super cheap!

My own photo turned into a giant print!

It has taken me a year to really establish a solid style in our apartment that flows, but once I figured out the look I was going for, it all came together very quickly and much easier!