A Lazy Girl’s Guide to Apartment Decorating

When people talk about home inspiration and apartment decorating, I am usually not the girl they talk about. I’m the spitting image of a lazy girl who thinks the bed is made so long as the sheets don’t touch the floor and shoves piles of clean laundry into the closet until they refuse to fit. I’m the girl who can’t fit her clothes in the hamper and still hasn’t unpacked the duffel bags and suitcases from weekend trips that lay strewn about the small apartment floor. I’ll admit that I’m not particularly organized or clean. It’s a bit different from your other bloggers, am I right?

That doesn’t mean I don’t love a good aesthetic. I used to joke that my room was a direct reflection of how my life was going. Messy room, messy life. However, I began to realize that I wanted a cute room, but didn’t have the time to clean it. The problem here was that I was busy (I still am) and not just “busy” in a normal sense. I leave the apartment at nearly 6 AM each morning and don’t return until 9 at night. I bring changes of clothes with me to I can go from the gym to class to work to a meeting without having to stop by my apartment. When I do stop at my apartment, it’s to eat lunch, shower, or finally sleep in my beyond comfortable bed.

However, I like to maintain even the slightest semblance of organization and overall maintain a pleasing appearance, so I’ve come up with a few tips and tricks in order to make my life seem like it’s not completely falling apart and, in general, to make my apartment feel more like a home than a temporary living space.

Too long for you? Read the bold print for a good summary!

If you’re going for the lived-in vibe (I call it messy-chic), invest in a good comforter and invest in a high-quality sheet set. I’m talking about something that looks good when it has blankets laying on the top and pillows thrown around on the bed. I recommend something with colors that are easy to match with things, which is why I picked this beautiful white and blue duvet cover and this ridiculously luxurious sheet set from CStudio Home. Plus, how cute is the pattern on this duvet cover? It’s perfect for me; it’s simple yet pretty and it reminds me of the beach. I purposely picked this bedding to give me that beachy vibe, since it’s what I’ve gone after in most of my rooms since I’ve lived alone. The blue helps me to relax and the light color of the bedding makes the room appear lighter and brighter. Both big bonuses in my book. These are also the nicest sheets I’ve ever owned, and they make a difference in my comfort level when I crawl into bed at the end of the day. If you want to fall in love with your bed again, the best investment you can make is into good sheets. Granted, I’ve never fallen out of love with my bed, but this sure does help.

Side note: You can get 20% off and free shipping at CStudio Home with the code: KIRSTEN20 until April 9th. Also, they’re Instagram is total room aesthetic goals, so go give them a look! It’ll make you want to cuddle up with your s/0 (whether that’s a pet, best friend, boyfriend, etc. and take a ‘duvet day’)

Set up lights in strategic areas in order to get the best lighting in the room. I’m a big fan of natural day light which is a bummer for a girl who lives on the second floor and has a window view of the stairwell. It’s not something I enjoy very much. However, I set up a lamp in one corner and Christmas lights around my window to get better light at night and even get a little extra during the day.

For additional privacy, hang up a sheer curtain. It keeps the looky-lous out during the day when they can’t see in, and covers up any less-than-aesthetically pleasing blinds at night. I have those plastic blinds that always get caught on things and I absolutely hated how they looked, so these curtains added a much-needed airy vibe that let in cool-toned light rays and gave me the privacy I wanted during the day. They also severely improved the appearance of the room.

Can’t paint the walls or simply too lazy to do it? Cover the walls with simple framed prints, wall tapestries, and/or any knick-nacks from friends. Tapestries are a lazy girl favorite because they cover so much of the wall with so little effort. I would give it a 9/10 on the perfect laz-girl wall decor.

Those plastic bins you can buy at Target with sliding drawers are a complete lifesaver. I currently use two of them; one has all my makeup stuff and the other holds random things that don’t necessarily have a specific place in my room. Spare notebooks, loose pens, receipts, semi-important school papers all find their way into one of these bins.

It is highly highly doubtful that you will need anything more that a desk, dresser, chair, and bed in your apartment. Keep it simple and avoid adding furniture to a room that’s probably too small for it anyway.

Use a candle or scented plug-in to give the room a more pleasant smell. Bonus points if the candle gives off a really cool light. The candle I bought from Sedona actually lights up in complete darkness and looks like a sunset. Be sure to pick something that helps you relax. If it doesn’t you’ve picked the wrong scent. I personally like scents that give off a warm smell in the autumn and winter (think cinnamon and fir trees). In the summer, I prefer a light citrusy or flowery scent. I used to like those tropical summer scents from Bath and Body Works, but I am quickly finding out that they are a bit too strong for me. It’s a bit of a bummer because I stocked up on those scented plug in refills during an after-summer sale. I do plan on getting some more in a clean laundry or lavender scent.

If you really really need additional storage (no judgement here, promise), put short, collapsable shelves or bins in your closet. I have a bin storage set that goes 2 bins high and 2 bins wide. It definitely helps with organizing things like underwear, socks, swimsuits, and sports bras. I’ve grown quite a collection.

Get a laundry bin that looks somewhat aesthetically pleasing, just in case it has to be out in the room (I keep mine in my closet). Get a laundry bin with a lid, so your dirty laundry doesn’t look you in the eye every day.

So there you go, a quick round up of how I keep my room and my life together. It’s not perfect, but it’s a system that tends to work. Just remember to put your dirty clothes into a bin, fold clothes right out of the laundry, and at the very least, you can always hide things under the bed. It’s ok, no one is perfect.

Disclaimer: I was gifted this bedding in order to put together a post of this nature. However, since receiving the duvet cover and sheet set, it’s clear to me how high-quality these items are. I have not been happier with a bedding set and highly recommend CStudio products for your home. All items are made with high quality material at an affordable price. All opinions expressed are my own.

Shop my room picks:

CStudio Home Sundial Duvet Cover
CStudio Home Organic Sheet Set