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We all scroll through the beautiful Insta feeds filled with these gorgeous homes, perfect decorating and immaculate style – how do people actually live in places like that!? (and afford it!?)
A lot of the time those photos are perfectly curated specifically for a photoshoot – sometimes they really are just sets and not lived in homes. And sometimes people are just loaded enough to have that nice of a home (kudos to them!)
But the rest of us over here (ahem us twenty-somethings) can’t quite afford those lavish homes, uber expensive furniture and the ability to actually paint the walls (hello renter probs). After all, many of us are just now getting out on our own for the first time!
Being young and still working on rising up to a solid income, I totally get not being able to afford all the gorgeous home decor items your heart desires. And not being able to afford a 4 bedroom brand new house – it’s just not realistic coming right out of college or high school.
I still love to host and live in a nice home though! I love to gather everyone over and I want them to feel comfortable in my space.
So though I can’t have super fancy furniture and art, and I live in an apartment, I’ve come up with some budget friendly hacks to make our home seem much nicer than it actually is.
So tune in until the bottom of this post to learn some super easy tips that are easy on the wallet and brings you from broke college student to lavish adult (but with still the broke college student budget).
How To Make Your Home Seem Way Nicer Than It Really Is
And On A Budget – Girls Gotta Eat Still
Put Everything In Jars
This may seem super basic, but pouring stuff into a jar creates a much more cohesive look than the random bottles and packages with bright colors that everything seems to come in.
This applies to all of your baking supplies (flour,sugar, etc.), especially if you have no pantry and they have to be out on the counter or in the open somewhere.
Buy glass soap dispensers for your bathrooms and kitchen and they will always look better than the bright colored random plastic ones from the store. Plus you can buy the cheaper soap refills but no one will know cause it’s in a fancy bottle!
Need to organize your bathroom counter? Jars, jars, jars. Q-tips and cotton rounds look much better in jars than their packages, and even makeup brushes can be stored in a jar for a neater look as well.
Desk space? You guessed it. Pencils and pens in a jar! Frees up more desk space to get your work done.
All White Everything
When it comes to your daily dishes as well as serving dishes, white is the way to go. This way you know they’ll always match each other, especially if you’re hosting and using many dishes at once.
Ours are similar to the ones below (ours are from the Canvas Collection from Canadian Tire up here in Canada!) and we love them! I love how the square look makes it seem fancier as well lol.
Going with a full set is also a great idea because then you get a whole lot of dishes all at once – which means cheaper per dish!
But even if you decide to grab some serving dishes later, what’s great about white dishes is that no matter what they tend to match each other! I’d suggest going with all the same shape for better odds of them matching (do you like square or round better!?)
I know Walmart has got a great selection of white serving dishes (like this serving platter!) and I have a few from there that you wouldn’t even be able to tell that they aren’t from the same set as our main dishes.
Decorate Yo Walls
Another thing I noticed that we never really did until after a few years of being on our own was decorate the walls. It seems to come with age to get comfortable with the type of decor pieces you like for your walls (and I’m not talking magazine posters like we all had on our walls back in middle school).
These home decor hacks are great budget friendly options for adding some decor to your space. Adding photos, mirrors, shelves or clocks can really bring a space together and show that you have some design sense, giving the illusion of a nicer, more personalized space!
No Slobs Here
A big tip that is so easy for everyone to do is just to keep your house clean and tidy.
Nothing shows your age more than having dishes strewn about, empty beer cans on every surface and instant noodles wrappers everywhere – clean up after yo damn self.
Not only do your guests feel way more comfortable in a tidy space, it will give the illusion of a nicer place. Fold blankets instead of having them thrown about, wipe down surfaces to avoid any stickiness, tuck the chairs under the table and clear the clutter.
Having an organized space will not only help you live and navigate in your home better, it will make your home appear bigger, brighter and overall nicer.
Start with purging the unwanted items and organize from there! After you have a set organization system (hello KonMari), it’s much easier to keep up with a tidy space.
Add A Rug! Then Add Another!
We’re in our fourth apartment together and this is the first place we’ve ever purchased a rug! And then that turned into purchasing three more!
I love how rugs can cozy up a space – especially if you have laminate or hardwood floor everywhere! They give a much comfier vibe, especially for the living room area where your couch is.
Adding a rug can also divide a space up better to give open concept areas more division to where your living area, dining area and kitchen are. Switching up rug shape, such as choosing circular over rectangular can also give the space a cool, unique vibe.
I love the look, texture and vibe a rug can give to your space to change it up and make it seem that much nicer and sophisticated.
There are so many ways you can make your home more appealing and nice – without breaking the bank. These tips are simple and quick to add the adult-like vibe your always seeking in your mid-twenties to gain some “grownup” points.
How do you make your home seem much nicer than it really is!?