The Art of Styling on a Budget
Styling is one of the last steps of interior design and often gets overlooked from the average apartment renter! Making a room look complete is all about adding the finishing touches through styling. Without styling the room and finding composition within the space, the room will forever look 90% done and not give you that wow factor that you are seeking. Let's be real; we are all trying to achieve that polished apartment that makes you feel like the adult you kind of are. While you are building up your apartment piece by piece, styling can be overlooked. Since it is the last step of the process and you may get caught up in how you are going to fit that couch through the doorway. It was a problem when I moved into my first Chicago apartment… Since it is the last step in the design process, you will probably want to find some budget-friendly pieces as you will likely have spent the bulk of your money on larger pieces such as furniture, as you should have!
Styling on a budget can be straightforward and cheap if you follow the right steps. Styling can be done with stuff that you have laying around the house already. Styling is about composition, essentially balancing things out to create something visually appealing to your eye. I have been doing this since moving into my freshman dorm, so no need to have that "perfect" apartment layout to achieve the right look you are seeking!
Utilize Books
You probably already have books that you own, from textbooks to quick reads they are probably somewhere in your apartment. Gather them up and find ones that look nice displayed. One trick is to pull the sleeve off of a hardcover book. They look so much better without a glossy beat up sleeve on them. Pick out the books that go with the color scheme that you are going with! In the picture above, my lamp is sitting on three green architecture textbooks! I don't use them anymore, and they are the perfect color for my room!
Display your favorite shoes or purses
Do you have a killer pair of heels that are hiding in the back of your closet? Is your designer handbag hanging on a hook behind your door? Pull all of those out and display them! Think of your space as a high-end store that displays items on shelves and tables.
Stick to your color scheme
While picking items to style, make sure that they go with the colors that you went with in your apartment. This will keep things cohesive and really tie your furniture with the rest of your room.
Frame favorite quotes or photographs
Ikea or TJ Maxx frames are my favorites for small little frames that can be added to your space. I also like to include some of my favorite quotes to motivate me through my space, or photographs of some of my favorite place or people. This will personalize your space and truly make it your own!
Display anything you love
You do not need to keep only to the things that I have listed above. If you have something that you love and want to display, go right ahead! For me, you can see that I had quite the nail polish collection that went with my color scheme. Instead of hiding them, I displayed them on the shelf to give visual interests to the nightstand.
Less is more
The more you add, the harder it is to find balance. When you look at your favorite pins of interiors, there is probably one thing that they have in common, they are not cluttered. When styling a bookcase or nightstand, make sure to include items that you love.
Find balance in scale
The last step to finalize your styling is to find the balance in all the items that you selected. If you have all of one size item all next to each other on a shelf, it will lack visual interest. Instead place a large item in the back, while layer a few smaller items in front, while varying left and right on the shelf. This will help you find a composition. Do not be afraid of playing around with this for a few days, shifting items around from different shelves to tables. I do not think that there is a "right" way to display things!