Stop Doing THIS To Your Small Apartment Decor
You MUST STOP doing this ONE THING with your small apartment decor if you want your space to be stylish AND reflect your authentic personality!
If you’ve been wondering about the decor trends of 2021 and you’ve been wanting to find your interior design style for your apartment aesthetic, this one problem could be a big thing standing in your way. And trust me, ~supposedly~ bad interior design trends are the least of your worries here.
So if you’ve been trying to figure out how to decorate your apartment and need some interior styling tips, this video will help you overcome a very common roadblock that could be the thing that’s keeping you from making your small apartment style feel like YOUR space - rather than someone else’s!
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.
There is something that I think a lot of my fellow apartment dwellers do with their decor, and I want to tell you to stop it.
It’s really a style faux pas in my book, and we really need to stop it.
Here it is:
I want you to stop listening to decor YouTube videos that tell you to stop doing things you love with your decor. Stop it!
I recently discovered just how many of these kinds of videos are out there (just type in “stop decorating” into YouTube and they’ll come up) where a decor YouTuber lists out a bunch of things they think you should stop doing with your home decor.
You’ve seen them, you’ve maybe been entertained by them, you’ve hate-watched them, and maybe you’ve even felt a little shamed by them because something you love about your own interior decor made their dreaded list.
And in this video, I’m going to relieve you of any sort of pressure to fit into a tiny box based on the opinions of YouTubers or decor magazines who have decided to create negative content for clicks (let’s face it, shame and fear-mongering perform very well on the internet) and instead, start to embrace your authentic personal style and express yourself through your decor without fear and self-doubt.
And if you’re new to my channel, my name is Steffi and I’m the creator of the interior style blog Moda Misfit as well as the online course Small Apartment Styling School.
And you’re watching Living Pretty, the place for apartment styling tips! So if you want to get inspired with me every week, be sure to subscribe!
Also, have you downloaded my free Apartment Styling Handbook yet?
It's a bite-sized roadmap for decorating your apartment so that you can create a space you love - without feeling like you're stumbling alone in the dark. Because sometimes you just want someone to tell you what to do to decorate your apartment, right?
So download the FREE Apartment Styling Handbook for some extra help!
Matching accent colors
Edison bulbs
Heavy textures
All white kitchens
Herringbone hardwood floors
Barn doors
Painted arch accent walls
Gray living rooms
Maximalism
Farmhouse
Shabby chic
Lots of pillows on the sofa
Mason jars
Tufting
…That was a list of things that, according to some of my fellow decor YouTubers, people shouldn’t be doing with their home decor. 😏
Tell me in the comments, do you have any of these things in your apartment? Or do you simply like any of these things?
And I’m curious - how does it make you feel when you hear someone say that these things are ugly and you should stop liking them? Tell me below!
So first of all, I actually really understand where these YouTubers, or decor bloggers, or decor magazines are coming from when they create content with titles like “Stop Doing These Decor Trends in Your Home” or “10 Decor Styles That Are Out So Stop Doing Them”. I really get it.
They have content to create.
I know how hard this is, and how much work goes into a single YouTube video or blog article. I’m rooting for my fellow YouTubers and bloggers, even the ones who make videos I don’t necessarily agree with! At the end of the day, we’re all just trying to create fun videos.
And these negative-leaning videos can be entertaining. They can be kind of fun and pretty harmless. You may even agree with some of their negative opinions.
But I don’t want you and your decor to be held back by these types of videos.
And I know from my interactions with you in the comments and on Instagram that some of you do take these things to heart. Because you’re trying to figure out your style (you may have enough self-doubt already about your interior styling!) and then a YouTube video with thousands - if not millions - of views pops up and has you second-guessing your style even further.
There are all kinds of reasons why videos like this get made, none of which have anything to do with you or even with the reality of interior styling.
Maybe the YouTuber just needed to vent about styles they hate and get it out of their system.
Keep in mind that people who feel the need to drag other people and their personal taste down are not usually the happiest of people and it’s a reflection on them, not you.
Or maybe it’s totally lighthearted and it’s part of the YouTuber’s personality to spill the tea on things - and maybe that’s why some people love them.
That’s valid! Still, it has nothing to do with you.
Or maybe these YouTubers really do think their narrow view of interior style really is the only way. But their ego has nothing to do with you and your style choices.
And honestly, I’m not really even saying that decor YouTubers should stop making videos like these. Again, they’re pretty harmless.
I’m saying that you, the viewer, should see them for what they are: potentially fun and entertaining, lighthearted, maybe a little catty and snobby... but pretty benign. Do not take them as be-all-end-all rulebooks for your apartment styling.
If you listen to these negative YouTubers, you’ll likely end up with a boring, model homey vibe in your space, and I don’t think anyone wants that. Your personality and personal taste is what will give your apartment an interesting and stylish aesthetic.
I want you to approach your decorating process fully aligned with what YOU love, the styles YOU gravitate toward, and create a space that feels like YOUR home.
And you won’t be able to do that if you put stock into videos that tell you not to pursue what makes you happy. Because that’s basically what they’re doing, is giving you a list of things you may potentially love, and telling you not to do them.
These are supposedly decor trends to avoid…
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So then what are you left with if you follow what these YouTubers say? You’re left with an apartment that isn’t a reflection of you. A hollow, soulless space that abides by someone else’s arbitrary rulebook.
I mean, if you paint your walls gray and then a few months later someone says gray is out, what are you supposed to do? Go through the hassle of repainting your walls?
Or maybe you did paint one of those cute arch accents on your wall - are you supposed to paint over it just because some random YouTuber said so? Those arches are hard to do!
Watch YouTube videos for decor tips, ideas, inspiration, entertainment… but don’t take us YouTubers too seriously.
And sure, there are some decor tips and interior styling principles that will help you create an aesthetically pleasing space. There are things to avoid - like clutter and harsh overhead lighting - and styling tactics that’ll help you arrange your furniture in a way that flows and choose a color palette that feels good.
But these tips and tactics are tools, not rules. They’re here to help you, not hinder you from pursuing the looks you love.
My whole mission with my videos is to leave you feeling empowered to express who you are through your interior styling. Because the most stylish thing you could possibly do with your space is to be yourself.
And you may be thinking, "My apartment will never look good because I'm just bad at decorating!" And I bet videos that tell you not to decorate in the ways you love aren’t helping your confidence in your styling abilities.
But I’m here to tell you that you ARE good at decorating! Because you're a creative person - all humans are - with a distinct lived experience and point of view. That inherently makes you stylish.
Now, figuring out how to put your natural style into action in your space? I'll admit, that's the tough part. But you're totally capable!
My approach to interior styling is rooted in making personality-driven choices that reflect the individual person.
And that results in an apartment that is not only pretty and stylish, but also super cool looking. Because your personality is what brings the cool factor into a space!
So if you’re following all these decor YouTuber rules - which are not only misguided but also contradict each other - how can you create a cool, unique, personality-centered space that you love coming home to every day?
Just keep all this in mind as you decorate your apartment. You don’t have to listen to anyone. I know that you already know this, but I feel like sometimes we need to be reminded.
Create YOUR dream apartment. Not someone else’s. And know that interior styling - or any art form - doesn’t exist in a tiny box that someone else created.
And if you’re not sure how to create that dream apartment and you're still wondering things like,
“How do I discover my personal style so that I can make these good choices for my decorating?”
“How do I become more confident in my interior styling choices?”
“How do I mix styles?”
“How do I actually arrange things in my apartment?”
Then I got you covered…
If you're wanting to dive deeper into learning about how to style your apartment step by step, that's where my online course Small Apartment Styling School comes in!
Small Apartment Styling School basically holds your hand through your styling process and tells you exactly what to do step-by-step, so by the end of the course you feel like you know your style, you know what to buy, and you know how to place it in your apartment with confidence.
Imagine living in an apartment that actually boosts your mood everyday and makes you feel welcome, and makes you feel a sense of belonging and being at home.
Just because you rent your space doesn't mean you can't own your style, and Small Apartment Styling School helps you do that!
My current students have been a raving about how helpful the course was for decorating their apartments and I am so proud of what they've achieved just after the couple months of being enrolled in the course!
Small Apartment Styling School will help you decorate your apartment step by step, including:
Figuring out your personal style
Choosing a color palette
Mixing different interior styles
Learning about the different interior styles that are out there and which ones might be a good fit for you
Arranging and accessorizing your apartment room by room - living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom.
All of this and more is in Small Apartment Styling School, so if you want to learn more and join the waitlist for the next time it opens for enrollment, click here!
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.