IN CASE YOU MISSED IT, Sara and I both moved to Dallas! It’s a very exciting time for of us– brand new city, new places to explore, new people to meet, new experiences and lots of adventure. While there is so much excitement surrounding this amazing opportunity, of course there is that tad bit of feeling out of place when you don’t know many people and you are getting accustomed to your new surroundings. To adjust to this transitional period of time, we have been doing our fair share of decorating to create a space that feels homey to give some semblance of normalcy in all the change. For us– this is one of the more fun parts about moving into a new space because we LOVE decor! For us, decor is another form of self expression that we love to use and of course can’t wait to start blogging about. Creating a space that feels homey entails a lot of planning, coordinating and imagination to achieve the look you are going for, which is why we have been taking note of the most helpful tips, finds, and hacks during our move so that we can help by sharing them with y’all!
Prior to this year, I would have never referred to myself as a minimalist, quite honestly, I would have considered myself as FAR from a minimalist. That was until I went to pack up my last apartment, before moving to Dallas, and felt like the move took ten times longer than anticipated and was way more miserable than other moves had been. This may have been slightly due to the fact that I was still recovering from a foot injury but this was still particularly frustrating because I had already made many moves throughout my twenties and felt like, if anything, it should be easier with each move, but this was far from the case. I realized that was mostly due to all of the CLUTTER in my apartment– most of which was made up of clothes and decorative pieces that I had stored away and forgotten about since I first moved into that apartment. So after packing up, good willing more than half my wardrobe, I began thinking ahead to my move and told myself that a new place and a fresh start would be the perfect time to adopt a new style– one that consisted of less clutter, more organization, and was practical — especially for a twenty something such as myself who has the tendency to move around quite a bit! So after having made the move and begun the decorating process, I have some helpful tips for those looking to also adopt this simple style, that will help guide your shopping and planning process to create that minimalist style!
Five Starter Tips:
1. Focus on color, rather than the decorative pieces, at first, to create a homey space. Colors are so influential when it comes to our moods and our overall impression of our space. Do a quick color therapy search on google and you’ll see what we mean and if you weren’t aware of the power of color– familiarize yourself with which colors will best help create the vibe you want in your living room, bedroom, kitchen, etc.
2. Stick to a simple color palette throughout your home, especially if it is a smaller space! That doesn’t mean that the living room, kitchen and bedroom need to all be one color, we just mean that having a color palette of a few different colors that go well together can allow for some variety but still maintain simplicity around your home/apartment.
3. When in doubt less is more. This goes without saying, especially for a boho minimalist individual!
Tip- Add in a bright monochromatic floral arrangement to add that little pop of color that will help achieve variety while still maintaining that minimalist look!
But this can be especially hard to stick to when you see all those #decorgoal homes that are under boho chic and have tons of detail and tons of decorative pieces. While they always look so amazing, those #decorgoals may be best left to your Pinterest board rather than trying to replicate in your own home. Start out by focusing on color and then add in the fewest, must have decorative pieces that are either meaningful or achieve that vibe you are desiring. This is important to keep in mind when you are shopping and may spot that adorable decorative piece that happens to be on sale, to stop and think about whether it’ll add to the theme of a room or if it’ll just add to cluttering your space with impulsive buys! The best part is that if the space feels too spacey- you can then add in some more. But to save space, time and money– go for less to start out with.
4. When in doubt go with white. Especially if you aren’t totally certain of what style you will want to maintain in the room you are decorating, you can’t go wrong with buying basics in white. This is particularly true for those who have a tendency to get bored easily and may switch the theme of their room, because as we know most anything will then match those white linens, sheets, duvet cover, and pillows you already have. And for those painting, I think that choosing white is underrated because it allows you to make countless color changes to that room and it will always keep your space simple and bright!
5. Take advantage of storage spaces that come with your home! I used to think I would just buy another accent table, basket, storage bin, shoe rack, whatever else that I could find to contain my belongings. But after having committed to a minimalist style, I realized that those storage containers allowed me to not only hold on to unnecessary, under- utilized items that should have been donated but they also added to a cluttered feel taking up a foot here and there, which when you live in a small space, quickly adds up. I now make sure that all things are stored away– by taking advantage of all the closet space, built in drawers, and forcing myself to keep these built in spaces as organized as possible to effectively utilize all storage space. This is such a subtle thing but can make a world of difference to you creating that ultimate boho minimalist look you are after!
