Photo via Remodelista

As you guys know, Neal and I moved into our first apartment together this past week!

(My friends on the Ask Jess email list already know this, because I usually share way too much information over our little Friday AM coffee sessions, but for the rest of you: I’ve been itching to share the big news for months!)

Because this is my first “grown up” apartment, admittedly, I was really nervous about decorating it. (Nervous would actually be an understatement.) I’ve never had to test my interior design skills before. What if I was terrible at it? There are so many decisions to make at once!

For example: Neal and I went to Target last week and I was so overwhelmed I couldn’t even bring myself to pick out water glasses.




WATER GLASSES. Who cares about water glasses? Clearly I do.

Then, we decided bath towels might be an easier thing to pull the trigger on.

Nope. Upon picking up a plush white Nate Berkus towel in aisle 10, I burst into tears. For years (literally, years,  you guys) I’ve dreamed of having nice bath towels. Like, the kind that all match, are super thick and fluffy. The kind you can hand in a neatly folded stack to a house guest with pride. Now it came down to the moment I was buying them–do I want to get them from Target? What if I can get better, cheaper ones on Amazon? Wayfair? The options were endless. It was too much to handle.

If I couldn’t even pick out a bath towel, how the hell was I going to furnish an entire apartment?

Thankfully, I have my friend, Donna. (Remember her house here?) Donna owns a very successful interior design company here in Chicago, and luckily, she was willing to share her tips with us! Read below for Donna’s apartment decorating 101!

Grab a pen and paper, you’re going to want to take notes:

Decorating your apartment is just like putting an outfit together!

Start with the main pieces as staples: sofa, chairs, cocktail table, dining table, etc. Then add in the second layer of art, rugs, and lighting. After that, accessorize! It’s like icing a cake. Be sure to mix in different textures and materials. 
 Don’t be afraid to blend different metallics (all the cool kids are doing it). Donna’s favorite textures: fur, mohair, sisal, and silk.

Find an inspiration piece

Your inspiration piece could be a patterned rug, bold piece of framed art, or a fabric you love. Then build the rest off of that!

Layer your lighting

Be sure to have overhead lighting if possible for ambient lighting, task lighting where needed, and accent lighting to set the mood of the room. I love dimmers so I have options with my lighting and can change it up as needed.

The three times color rule

If you have a color you’re trying to work into your home, repeat it three times within the room and it will likely make sense. Your mind will connect the items and accept the color. “There’s a lot of psychology in design!” as Donna says.

Dining Room table shapes

Generally rounds work best in rooms that are almost square. If you have a more pronounced rectangular space, then a table that’s a rectangle will make more sense.

 

Televisions

wall mount if at all possible and find a cool piece of furniture to sit underneath and house the components. We rarely select actual television consoles as I find regular chests and consoles far more interesting. Measure your components to be sure they’ll fit in the interior of the cabinet. Then have someone handy cut the back with grommet holes for cords to run through and venting so the components don’t overheat.

NO MATCHING SETS!

Do not buy matching sets of furniture! Can you tell Donna and I are passionate about this one? You want your home to look collected and interesting, like it effortlessly happened over time. Donna says, “every time an interior of ours looks too perfect, I throw in an old reclaimed bench or vintage brass sculpture!”

Add some whimsey

“It’s the opposite of predictability!” says Donna. Throw in a peace-sign hand, a skull tic tac toe set, or a snake letter opener on top of your bar cart. These fun accents become conversation starters and keep your rooms from being too “nice”. (Tip: If you’re in Chicago–Donna and I both LOVE Randolph Street Market for finding those one-of-a- kind treasures!)

Don’t ignore the ceilings.

One of Donna’s trademarks is making this forgotten element dramatic–she uses wallpaper, accent paint colors, and millwork on the ceiling to make the room truly unforgettable.

Go all-in on color

Repeat after me…”I will not be afraid of color”. (Jess’ note: okay, admittedly, I’m still working on this one. Coming from the girl that just paid someone to paint her walls white.)

Donna recommends: if you’re going to go with color, don’t wimp out and do an accent wall! Do all the walls and commit to it! Whatever you do, don’t judge the color until it’s done. She says, “my favorite room colors looked HORRIBLE going up. Once the room is completed, the true color shines. Well, unless you got it wrong.”

 

What other design tips would you like to know? Should we have Donna back here soon? If you’re interested in learning more about her services, check out her website here!