Can I tell you guys something that I think is crazy? By the end of this year (we think!) D and I will have our own place in South Carolina! Eeee! Okay, granted, we’re not buying, but we won’t be an in apartment anymore (thank goodness!). I’m pretty excited about it because I’ll finally be able to sing in the shower without worrying if our neighbors hear, we’ll be one step closer to getting a little dog, and well all the other fun things that come with being semi-settled in a home!
One of those other things is finally, finally getting our own furniture and pieces we love to spruce the place up. In our apartment, our furniture was from his parents, and it was great, but I like the idea of having something we picked out together! We’ve got a whole home to fill (one where I’ll even have space for a little office!), and I thought it would be fun to share the process with you all once we get started.
Admittedly, we haven’t actually been in the house yet. We’ve got some small hoops to jump through before we get there, but I’m excited nonetheless as we have seen the floor plan, and I think it looks great. The hardest part about it all is that well, we’ll be semi-permanently settled. We know we’ll be in South Carolina for at least six more months after January, but after that we could stay for a few more months or we could be packing up and heading north (yuck!).
Do you have any advice for us? We’d love to hear it in the comments below!
Ashley says
I have absolutely loved decorating our place! I always thought it would be so expensive to decorate our home with nice pieces. But, I have found it to be on the contrary! Get creative! Find other ways of getting the look and feel you want by getting crafty with things rather than spending the money!
Kory says
You’re definitely right, Ashley! Furniture isn’t as expensive as we thought it would be, so thank goodness I think we’ll be mostly okay. I will definitely be getting creative for things like wall decor, though! :)
Katie says
So exciting, Kory! When buying new furniture, invest in the pieces that count: a sofa, kitchen table and mattress. Make sure you LOVE big ticket items. You don’t want to spend a lot of money and dislike it or see it go out of style right away. There’s also no shame in IKEA pieces. Sometimes they have what you want at the right price point and it just makes sense. I can’t wait to see your updates. Have fun!
Kory says
Thank you for sharing those tips, Katie! I’m definitely pinning everything I like so that when we get ready to buy we can compare and make sure we’re getting what we REALLY want. I’ve also found some awesome pieces from Ikea! We won’t have one over in SC, but I’m sure it’d be worth the trip to get to one.
KercIa says
ah! So exciting, Kory! I absolutely love having a place that isn’t an apartment. Granted someone else lives on the lower level of our house but it’s much more comfortable and feels more like a home. As for advice, don’t be afriad to rearrange things after a while. I’m no interior designer, so sometimes it takes a few times moving things around before I find an arrangement I love. Also remember that decorating and making a house a home takes time :) ek! So excited for you!
Kory says
Thank you for these tips, Kercia! I will definitely remember them. I totally get that point on rearranging things! I used to help my neighbors do that to their bedrooms when I was little. Almost made me want to be an interior designer :)
Jade says
I loved decorating my flat in London and I used Pinterest so much when I was doing it, especially for all the Ikea hacks I found through there!
Kory says
Ooh, Ikea hacks! I hadn’t even thought about that. I’m definitely browsing my Pinterest home decor board a ton and pinning all the pieces I like to a secret board. I’m so excited to see how everything comes together!
Porsche says
I’m currently going through the process of furnishing my apartment and I’ve had such a blast going to the different furniture stores looking for pieces. I know everyone says IKEA (and it is my favorite store) but shop around! I’ve found awesome and affordable pieces from actual furniture stores for under $1000.
Kory says
Definitely have been looking outside of Ikea! I’ve found some really great pieces at places like Rooms To Go and Ashley Furniture! They’re affordable but still nice :)
Celestine says
That’s awesome news!! Getting your own place is always an exciting thing. Nati and I have lived together for about 2 years now and let me tell you, it’s been super fun. Quick advice since you’re not 100% going to be in the space for a long time (and by long time I mean at least with a 1 year lease), wait on the heavy stuff. If there’s a chance that you’ll be moving up north shortly after, wait until you know for sure before you invest in bigger furniture like a bed, couch and dining tables. Moving furniture SUCKS lol. Definitely wait on those until you’re sure.
For when you’re sure you’re staying… definitely go timeless on furniture and keep the trendy things in the accessories department lol. You might find that you don’t love chevron as much as you did a year ago but you’re already stuck with a $300 rug.
For the designing process… treat it like it was a brand you’re helping to grow. Have a palate, mood and style that works for the both of you and that you won’t get sick of. I’m not sure if you’ve seen it, but definitely watch Emily Henderson’s Secrets From a Stylist. She does this style diagnostics thing where she combines 2 unique styles into one cohesive design :)
There’s a lot more but this comment will look like an entire blog post on its own. Sorry for the novel!!
Kory says
Haha oh I know! I just loved living with D back when we were finishing up school. I can’t wait to do it all over again :)
Thank you so much for all this wonderful advice! I never thought about having a palette and mood! I just keep looking at my home decor Pinterest board. Plus! Thankfully D is pretty much okay with whatever I pick. That makes things easier, too :)