First Apartment: Analysis

I was super passionate about decorating my first apartment, and my roommates basically let me do whatever I wanted as long as I paid for it. Most of the items I brought I had used in my dorm rooms, but a lot of it was new. My mom took it as an opportunity to minimize her home, and I snagged a huge amount of free and cheap stuff. Many new pieces I acquired for free after move-out at the dorm. A decent amount of girls ditched their decor and furniture, everything in almost mint condition. In the weeks leading up to school I would scour the local Goodwill looking for little things that would "make"each room. If I had define the theme of this apartment, I would probably say "Southern Cottage Cozy".

LIVING ROOM

I really loved hanging things from the ceiling to add height and dimension to the room.

You can see the many items I brought from my last living situation. Lots of knick knacks to fill up the empty space.

My first television. Up till then I just had Netflix on my laptop.

EATING NOOK

First eating area. The placemats are my roommate's from France.

This was my take on a "Bar." All three of us were under 21 when we moved in together. It was basically just for show.

KITCHEN

First kitchen! Lots of cooking mistakes done here. I would only really use it on the weekends and Friday nights because I paid for a meal plan through my fraternity.

BEDROOM

The bedroom came with a full bed, chest of drawers, and a built-in desk. I moved the drawers into the walk-in closet, and just rearranged my room with the remaining furniture in mind.

This was my largest desk to date. As you can see I prioritized desk space for supplies since there were no actual drawers (that is a pull out for a keyboard).

A close-up of the decor I had on my desk.

My first real bedside table! The piece was free, and so was that lamp (it actually was broken, but the light itself worked). I like how I used the mirror as a tray. I think my stationery was in the yellow box.

Looking back I was extremely lucky to have this apartment. It is the cheapest apartment I ever lived in, it was furnished (which meant I really didn't have to move big stuff in or out) and it was conveniently located in town. After living in NYC for four years, I am literally drooling at the total amount of space we had, and the private bathroom, and the walk-in closet....