New apartment, new decor.

I am obsessed with decorating. I've never really had a place that I know I'm setting roots down for a year (except home but of course, that doesn't count), so this was my first real bedroom/apartment where I knew I'd invest time and energy into making it feel as cozy as possible.  I was going to keep putting off decorating till I started getting paychecks, but then I realized that I was coming home to a space that I didn't enjoy spending time in. So, I pulled it together, and decided that I was going to go ahead and start making this space mine, no matter what.

To start off, I have a narrow bedroom, so that really limited the kind of layouts I could do. I had a bed, bookshelf and shoe rack, and I knew I wanted a desk later. Twenty million layouts later, this is what I found really works - while also giving me space to walk around.

I have a formula for decorating (six bedrooms later)- and fairylights are a necessity in EVERY room. I've tried to do the whole Pinterest-perfect, clean, minimalist look. But I end up having too much I want to put on the walls, and I feel more at home when it looks like it's actually my room. Being notoriously messy in my youth, I have no idea where or when I started getting neater, but I am glad it happened. I've also developed a love for mismatched furniture - I think it adds character.  I was incredibly lucky to but this desk off my neighbors, and it's the perfect size for me to work on. My tiny bookshelf and bed help open up the room. I know a lot of people in NYC have queen beds, but they either have much larger rooms or don't mind having a lot less space in their bedrooms. I love putting art up on the walls, and having knick-knacks and boxes that are both adorable and functional. I can't even call my room one thing in terms of a theme - it's like a vintage, bohemian, cozy reading nook (?). But basically I want it to be a place where I can relax, create and feel at home.
I left my room messyish, so that it's a more honest post - I did pick up stuff from the floor though!
And some tips:

• My advice to anyone redecorating on a budget, go slowly. And always ask around - you never know who is getting rid of their furniture for really cheap or free! 
• Make little drawings of how you can set your room up before you go around buying furniture!
• For small apartments, always look at multipurpose - can my bookshelf be a vanity? Can my bed have storage underneath? It'll save you tonnes of space and clutter!
• Don't feel like you need your room to constantly look like one thing - it can change as many times as you need it to. 
• Bring pieces of your own art/posters/vases/stuffed toys - anything from home. It really adds a personal touch. 
• Don't get bogged down by over-Pinteresting - your room needs to look like YOUR room. Don't let those perfectly curated images intimidate you (they certainly did that to me at the start of my decorating. Then I realized I was on a budget).
• Try to have fewer surfaces - this will discourage you from putting stuff on those surfaces and cluttering your environment.
• Look on Craigslist, in Goodwill and even on the street for furniture - you never know what you'll find!
• It is NOT expensive to make a room your own - I of course have long term plans for this space, but you can make something out of anything! It doesn't matter that you don't have the perfect vanity - Mine is made out of a discarded medicine cabinet (which means inside that mirrored door is shelving with space for my makeup - what a win!) perched on my bookshelf!

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