“Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live…” that’s how the legendary Coco Chanel thinks of fashion and we totally agree. Fashion is not just in the clothes or accessories you wear but should also be reflected in your habitat. So if you are looking for ways to make your apartment as fashionable and stylish as you are, here are some tips.
We believe that your home should reflect your personality. So here are some tips to decorate your apartment according to your style.
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Pretty Vintage
If you love thrift-shopping and vintage shopping for clothes and accessories, then you’re gonna enjoy doing the same for home decor. What to look for?
Vintage Mirrors and Frames
1. Choose different sizes and shapes. The more intricate details, the better.
2. Clean up and spray-paint in gold or white color to unify all your frames. Go white if you have a dark-colored wall paint. GOld will go well with light-colored walls but will also be stunning in dark chocolate brown and black walls.
Mirrored Trays
1. You’ll find a lot of these in antique stores. Look for varying sizes and shapes.
2. These trays don’t have to be painted to keep that vintage feel. Just clean them up and place decorative things like candles, mini bottles or better yet, your jewelry and beauty products!
Decorative Elements
There are various decorative pieces that you will find in thrift shops, vintage and antique shops, home stores and even online. Modcloth has cute stuff like Paris-inspired tea cups or bird dish soap among others. You will also find other stores offering gold piggy banks, a bottle opener that looks like an antique key to a castle, and many more. Find something that speaks to you or reflects your personality. Here are a few examples.
1. Birds or other animal shapes – if you are fond of birds, they are a great accent to any side table, coffee table or even your desk. They are also nice to put in your vanity or on top of your mirrored trays to hold bracelets or just as decoration. If you found one that’s not in the color you like or has chipped paint, you can easily buy a can of spray paint to update it.
2. Trees – they are beautiful decorative elements but at the same time will nicely hold your rings, earrings and even your bracelets. You can also put them in your console table right next to your main door so you can put your keys when you come home.
3. Retro bottles and more – if you love retro and vintage, another great way to decorate your home is by getting those retro soda bottles. You can paint them with rainbow colors or leave as is and line them up on your desk, kitchen counter or bar, and even in the bathroom. You can put your pens, scissors, pencils if using for your home desk. You can put flowers if using in the kitchen. You can also put tooth brush, razors, other toiletries and decorative flowers if using in the bathroom.
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Contemporary Sleek
Updating a room or your whole apartment to look sleek and modern is not so hard to do. It’s all about clean lines and taking out the curves. While contemporary and sleek furniture can be expensive, there are a ton of DIY’s projects that you can do on a budget.
1. Update a table or desk – if you have an old piece of wood that’s chipping and been worn out too much, you can easily transform it to look like a piece of modern furniture. Sand the surface and paint with either black or white. And to transform the overall look, if it has drawers or cabinets, buy chrome or satin nickel pulls or knobs that feature sleek lines to make your desk more modern. Now if it has old ugly legs, you can check out home stores like Ikea and get those chrome finish solid steel legs to make it more like a new desk! This can be easily done to all your tables!
2. Silver and sleek decor – whether lamps, light fixture or decorative elements in the table, look for pieces that have clean lines or monochromatic in color. Doesn’t mean that if you’re going contemporary, you have to buy new decor. You can still reuse some of your pieces and add in some from your local thrift store. To make them modern, paint them in chrome finish. You can also go for all white or black decor to make it more modern. But you’re probably wondering, if it’s going to be all silver, white and black, that’s going to be too dull and will feel cold. Don’t worry, that’s the next tip.
3. Putting warmth and color to your contemporary home – contemporary furniture and decor can be too cold to look at. The colors are pretty monochromatic and some may find it too stiff. That’s where plants and fabric come in. Add color to your living area by adding flowers and greens in small pots or vases. You can also add color in your drapes, throws and pillows. Just choose prints that are cleaner to keep the contemporary look going on.
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Modern Glam
You’ve probably noticed that lucite, acrylics, glass and all things clear and shiny are very hot in the interior decorating department. You don’t have to go with big furniture if you’re on a budget, decorative elements that you can put on your desk, end tables, or consoles will do just fine.
1. Organizers – there are a ton of acrylic and lucite organizers out there that can double as decor for your desk. I found a couple of them at Container Store but you can check your local office stores or home stores. They are shiny and clear which will help you easily find what you’re looking for. What’s even better? You can easily change the color scheme by changing the colors of your pens, pencils, pins, clips, folders and papers!
2. Light Fixture – chandeliers may seem too traditional and old, but modern and glamourous homes are actually making use of them now! Black chandeliers are very popular in modern and glam homes. The black color makes chandeliers modern-looking. Another modern kind of chandelier is those that have shades. But if you’re on an apartment-budget, and don’t want to commit just yet, you can go with something cheaper like a faux-chandelier= care of Urban Outfitters.
3. Damask and Animal Prints – have you noticed that damask prints are everywhere? Specifically in black and white? They are no longer used just for wedding themes. What’s great is that even retail stores are now selling them and you can easily get a damask-print lamp for $14 or kitchen towels in that print for less than $10. Even bathroom towels, rugs and shower curtains are clad in damask prints. Another print that’s pretty big right now are animal prints. Zebra rugs are so hot at the moment. But if you can’t afford to buy one at the moment, go to your local fabric store, buy a zebra-print fabric, get a nice and big photo frame and frame the fabric! Now, you have a piece of art to hang in your wall! You can also do the same with damask print fabric or other modern prints.
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These are just a few tips that you can do on your own. You can also mix vintage and modern depending on your style. Now are you ready to transform your apartment to look like yourself? We hope you find these tips helpful and don’t forget to share with us your past projects too! Enjoy!
by
Cris Zaragoza (Fashion Juice)
