4 Small Apartment Decorating Myths (Spoiler: You're Good At Decorating!)
Living Pretty Ep46 // 4 Small Apartment Decorating Myths (Spoiler: You're Good At Decorating!)
Let’s talk about 4 small apartment decorating myths that could be holding you back from creating your dream apartment decor!
Seriously, these myths may be tricking you into believing that you can’t afford a stylish apartment, that it’s pointless because you’ll move out eventually, or that you aren’t good at decorating (spoiler alert: you are good at it!).
So if you’re wondering how to decorate a small apartment, you’re worried about your decor budget, and want some interior decorating tips that will allow you to finally create that cozy apartment you’ve been dreaming of, watch this video to break through the mindset blocks that are holding you back!
Video Transcript ↓
I’ve made some slight edits in the transcript below so that everything makes more sense in text form. But overall, this is almost a word-for-word dictation of what I say in the video. I’m a much better writer than this, I swear, haha.
Imagine waking up every morning in an apartment that instantly fills with happiness.
I’m talking, you open your eyes, you sit up, you look around, and boom - it’s like an instant shot of joy because your apartment is just so damn pretty.
That sounds awesome right?
And your reaction to that fantasy I just shoved into your brain might be “pff sounds nice. Yeah I would love that. Too bad it’s just not how it is!”
And let me stop you right there. I can understand why you might feel like a stylish apartment is a far off fantasy that only exists within the mystical digital walls of Pinterest, and that you haven’t been deemed worthy of such sorcery.
But here’s the thing. Apartment styling is not mystical. There’s no sorcery going on here. You are perfectly capable of creating a different kind of magic in your space.
In this video I’m going to talk about 4 myths about decorating an apartment that may be the reasons why you feel like you don’t get to live that stylish apartment fantasy.
And I’m going to explain why those myths are wrong!
So by the end of this, I bet I’ll have you convinced that a lot of the things you thought were stopping you from creating your dream apartment are actually just not true. They’re myths.
And if you’re new to my channel, my name is Steffi and I’m the creator of the interior style blog Moda Misfit, and you’re watching Living Pretty, the place for apartment styling tips and small space decor inspiration.
Just because you rent your space doesn’t mean you can’t own your style, so if you want to get inspired every week, be sure to subscribe!
Also, if you live in a studio apartment and you want a free resource that will help you jumpstart your styling, I highly recommend you download my free Studio Styling 101 workbook!
Myth #1: Decorating an apartment is too expensive.
Now, first of all, this one is far too subjective to qualify as hard fact. What’s expensive to one person may be cheap to another person.
Only you get to define what’s worth your money. And if decorating your apartment isn’t worth your money to you, that’s totally fine! There are plenty of other things you can invest in that will bring you happiness. Decorating your apartment is not a requirement.
But if decorating your apartment is important to you, allow me to dispel the belief that decorating has to be expensive.
Even if you shopped exclusively at inexpensive stores like Target, Home Goods, TJ Maxx, and thrift stores, you could totally have an extremely stylish apartment.
The trick is knowing what to buy, whether it’s in those inexpensive places or not. It’s about finding the right pieces of decor for you.
I’ll tell you what’s a waste of money: buying decor - whether it’s cheap or expensive - without putting the thought behind the purchase. Buying something just because someone else told you it’s stylish, or because it’s a trend, or because you just think “eh it’s pretty, why not”.
And then you bring it home and you’re like “um why doesn’t this side table I just spent $300 dollars on look good in here?” That’s a waste of money.
Making decor decisions that don’t align with your specific needs and desires is a waste of money.
If, instead, you go into your decor shopping having done the mindset work first - figuring out your personal style, establishing what’s important to you, determining what would actually make sense within your specific space… that’s how you spend your money wisely.
My online course, Small Apartment Styling School, walks you through your decorating process step by step so that you can make those wiser purchasing decisions!
And let me tell you, Small Apartment Styling School is going to be a bit cheaper than that $400 side table you ended up hating. 😉
If you want to learn more about Small Apartment Styling School and see if it’s a good fit for you, click here!
Myth #2: Decorating an apartment is pointless because it’s temporary and I’m going to move out eventually.
So first of all, you don’t know when you’re going to move out, unless you have, like, a super solid plan. But really, we don’t know where life is going to take us!
I’ve been in this studio apartment for 4 years, and it could have been much more temporary, but life unfolded and here I am.
But even if you’re destined to live in your current apartment for just a year, that doesn’t mean that you’re any less worthy of living in a space that makes you happy every day.
Your apartment may be temporary, but you’re not! I mean, I guess we’re all temporary in an existential sense, but in this context, you know what I mean.
You’re a human being who will outlive your lease.
Do you want to live in the now and make it the best that it can be?
Or do you want to mentally skip ahead into the future when you’re in your next temporary situation? And the next one?
How many temporary situations will it take until you invest in making your current one count?
Also, keep in mind, you get to keep your decor. You can take it from apartment to apartment. You don’t have to start from square one every time you move.
This is where making thoughtful, aligned decisions about what you buy becomes very beneficial.
If you do the mindset and planning work that I lay out in Small Apartment Styling School and in my YouTube videos, you’re more likely to buy things that you’ll genuinely want to bring across many apartments.
I’ve been gathering my decor since my Freshman year dorm room at NYU in 2006. Some of it is in this very apartment!
So no, it’s not a waste. Apartment decorating is far less temporary than you think.
Myth #3: You think you’re not good at decorating.
Well that’s just not true!
It may not come easy to you. You may have to push yourself a little. But I can tell you right now that you can be good at decorating.
Because you are a human. And humans are inherently creative. We are built to create!
And part of that instinctual creativity is enhancing our environment. It goes back to cave paintings. We’ve been decorating our homes since the dawn of humankind!
You have it in you to enhance your environment. Everything you need is already in your brain. It’s just a matter of uncovering the style that you instinctually have.
And I’ll admit, that’s often not that easy to uncover, which is why so many people just throw up their hands and say “welp I guess I’m just not good at this”.
It’s not that you’re not good at this. It’s that you haven’t dug deep enough into yourself and figured out your style vision.
How are you supposed to make confident styling decisions when you’re not even sure what you want? That’s the missing link that’s fooling you into believing that you’re just not good at this.
And if you’re not sure how to get started on uncovering your style and what actions you should take when you do, I recommend starting with this video of mine - it walks you through the first 3 steps you should take when styling your apartment.
The first step in that video goes into the inner work I’m talking about that will give you more clarity on what you want from your style!
Myth #4: It’s way too much work.
I’m not gonna lie to you. Decorating is a lot of work. But is it too much work? Given the fact that the end result - at least ideally - is an apartment that gives you joy and comfort every day, I don’t think it’s too much work!
Now, again, you may decide that decorating your apartment just isn’t worth the work to you. If your apartment’s visual appeal doesn’t really affect your happiness, then I’d say maybe don’t do the work.
But if you’re someone who does find a lot of contentment in being in a pretty space that welcomes you in and reflects who you are, then it is worth the work.
I think the hardest thing people face is not knowing the exact actions they should take in order to get the result they want from their space.
Like, what’s the first thing I should do? Then what after that? What do I actually do to make this happen?
That’s where something like Small Apartment Styling School can really help, because it gives you that roadmap to follow!
There are even literal action steps listed at the end of each of the 23 lessons in the course, so that you walk away knowing exactly what to do after each lesson.
I think if you just take, like, a half hour to sit down and plan out the action steps you think you need to take, you may find that it actually feels like a little less work. Because you’ll have it all on paper and it’s no longer some invisible monster you can’t define.
And the next time you’re feeling like decorating your apartment is just too much work, take a pause and think about the end result.
Think about the light at the end of the tunnel, which is a beautiful apartment that you’re proud of and puts you in a good mood every day.
Then try to lessen the overwhelm by coming up with a plan. It can be a loose plan, it can be a simple to-do list.
This is how you take control over your headspace and do the work without it feeling like too much work!
So those were 4 common myths about decorating an apartment!
If you’re feeling that desire to create your dream space, I hope this video helped you reframe some things in your mind so that you can move forward without being burdened by those limiting beliefs.
Because like I always say, good interior styling starts with the brilliant thing between your ears, not with the pretty things you can buy.
Your mind is your most powerful interior styling tool.
Tell me in the comments below, what’s an apartment styling myth you’ve heard? Or maybe a belief you used to hold onto that was getting in your way? Let me know!
For daily glimpses into my studio apartment life, you can follow me on Instagram @moda.misfit!
And for regular doses of apartment styling tips and small space decor inspiration, subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the bell to be notified when a new video goes up every week.