"Why should I spend money on decorative pieces if I am only living there temporarily? I am going to keep it simple." That's what I thought the first time I moved out of my parent's house into my UC Berkeley dormitory. That thought lasted about 1 week and then I ran to Target (the only department store nearby, Berkeley is very much anti-mainstream, I have no idea how Target snuck in) and filled my cart with nothing but decorative pieces. I realized quickly that home is my safe zone and since I no longer can find comfort in my mom's warmly decorated family room, I have to start making my own space feel like home. At least for me, your room, whether you're living there for a year or four, should feel like home, otherwise you never feel at ease.
When I moved to New York City to start dental school, I knew that I wouldn't be able to visit my parent's house as often as I would like. Decorating my apartment became a priority. Not only is home decor fun, but it makes you feel like you belong somewhere you love and that's important to me. Now that I am in residency and have really turned my condo into a cozy little home for me to enjoy. I find myself studying more at home, cooking more and enjoying the thought of "coming home" at the end of a long day. Plus, I can really bring our my creativity and personality in my home decor and I love that aspect of it.
My biggest advice when it comes to home decor is BE PATIENT. I moved to Boston late June to start my residency July 1st. I had one week before residency to "settle in" and I was incredibly stressed because I wanted to unpack, explore Boston AND decorate. It was completely unrealistic (and unnecessary)! Home decor is only fun when it's an extra project you can enjoy on weekends or during down time. I came to that conclusion after going through the hassle of renting a large truck, driving to Home Goods, settling for a black dresser because I was in a hurry to just finish decorating even though I wanted a mirrored one, driving back home, getting it inside my apartment after walking up two flights of stairs, HATING it, renting the car again, getting back down two flights of stairs, driving all the way back to Home Goods and just returning it. WOW. That was a waste of time. All because I thought I needed to have it all done in a week. So I stopped that madness and took it easy. I kept going back and forth to stores like Home Goods (absolutely my favorite place to find decorative wonders), Marshall's, Pier 1 Imports and lots and lots of online shopping from Overstock.com, Wayfair.com and Pottery Barn. The result was adding pieces I really loved every now and then to make my place a home.
It took me 3 months to finally find a decorative piece to place on top of my cabinet in the kitchen. This piece was an important decorative piece because it's directly in front of the door and the first thing you see when you walk into my apartment. it's also right next to my living room so it's really a central piece. I chose this stunning white vase and paired it with long stemmed Delphinum flowers. It adds a gorgeous contrast to the exposed brick wall which I love.
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