My daughter Kylie just graduated from the University of Missouri. How time flies!
But before her senior year, she lived in her VERY first apartment. Somehow, those words, “first apartment,” caused me to pause.
It sounded so… grown up. Real life. She was on her own.
And as much as I thought I was ready for it, I’m had a hard time accepting that the cute little blonde-haired blue-eyed baby who found her way into my heart, was a grown woman with her first apartment!
Can someone cue Cher and her song “If I could turn back time?”
Okay, so let’s not get all sappy and emotional… let’s find the silver lining! And for a first apartment, that meant… ROOM MAKEOVER AND SHOPPING!
Just click the underlined text to learn more about the products we chose to decorate with!
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A Bare And Empty Space
Let’s start with the fact that we had a blank canvas to work with in Kylie’s bedroom.
I mean… a bed. A dresser. A desk. THAT’S IT!
Just wait until you see the final reveal! But first, let me show you a few of the items that helped us with our makeover madness!
Bedroom Basics With A Twist
Kylie’s apartment was on the first floor and her bedroom didn’t have any windows.
I may be dating myself here, but anyone remember Laverne and Shirley’s apartment? Schlameel… Schlamazel!
With no natural light, we wanted to make sure she had plenty of light options, so here’s what we picked.
From one of my favorite items, the happy light by Verilux to mimic sunlight while Kylie studies, to a slim floor lamp with shelves.
We even found a way to create a celestial sky at night to help her relax with the sky lite by Bliss. These options really helped to brighten her room!
I also made sure she had some flameless candles to add a little glow. I really like this set of flameless candles because the candles illuminate from top to bottom.
Sometimes I prefer the warmth of a glowing candle to the look of a flame, don’t you?
Let’s Have Fun With Pictures And Collages
Kylie and I found the cutest collection of wall hangings too.
The items look is youthful, with a touch of vintage and boho mixed in. They’re VERY Kylie!
We picked similar prints for her walls and created a fun collage look that you’ll see further down in the blog.
This is such an affordable way to create a mood in a small space!
Kylie also wanted the art work to feel a bit eclectic, so we added in this pretty mirror to break things up a bit.
It added such a cute touch!
We Found Bedding Basics, Boho Style
Kylie loves to decorate her bed in layers. And layers. And more layers!
From a collection of pillows to soft and cozy throws, here are some of the things we used to create her “cocoon!”
While the first pillow isn’t available, there are plenty that are similar.
We had fun mixing and matching textures within the same color palette. And when we started putting them on the bed, it all looked so good!
I also added some cozy throws to her room that really made her little place feel like “home.”
Golden orange throw blanket
I love the way the warm tones of the rusty orange throw seemed right at home with the cooler color of the velvet UGG throw (the color, called succulent is a DREAM!).
And to anchor all of these sun washed, muted earthy tones, we found this Tuscan Taupe Quilt and Sham set on CLEARANCE!
How I love a bargain!!
It’s Time For Kylie’s Bedroom Reveal!
So are you ready to see how all of these things, along with a few more fun finds, all came together?
Let’s remember how this room looked when we arrived at her apartment…
AND NOW FOR THE AFTER!!!!!
Doesn’t it feel cozy and cute??
Check Out These Accents For Small Spaces
I love some of the extras we found to finish off Kylie’s room We discovered some cute rugs that really added some personality to her room.
Including this tiger rug… the perfect design since the Mizzou mascot is a tiger!!
And I thought this chenille, neutral colored pouf was perfect for her small apartment.
There was room to add a decor touch in the bedroom, but if she has people over, you know, to STUDY (ha!) it can be extra seating too.
Who doesn’t love a good pouf??
We tried to maximize space in the bedroom by putting her bed against the wall, so these cute, nesting tables tucked right in as a nightstand.
Kylie wanted to leave the area over the head of her bed empty… she wanted to add string lights there…
Oh! And speaking of lights! Remember the sky lite by bliss I mentioned earlier?
Kylie can gaze up to a celestial night sky when she goes to be each night! And don’t those battery-operated flameless candles look pretty too?
More First Apartment Must Haves
Kylie also needed to learn how to cook when she was living in her first apartment.
So, I made sure she had a few tried and true essentials that offered nice quality, but on a budget.
I found this really affordable T-Fal cookware set with everything a starter cook would need…
A few skillets, some saucepans, a steamer and a stockpot.
What would a college apartment be without a Keurig Coffee Maker?
And don’t you just love the mug? It’s not available anymore, but there are a bunch of cute mugs HERE!
And for those late night, just add water meals, Kylie asked for a tea kettle to heat up water.
But, she said, let’s find one that makes me happy when I see it. She chose this Red tea kettle for a POP of color in the kitchen.
Kylie also loved the Rise and Shine rug… it was a fun little touch to finish up her kitchen!
Have Fun In Your First Apartment Kylie!
We sure had a lot of fun finding things for Kylie’s first apartment.
She’ll was living with her friend, Maria, who she roomed with in the dorms their freshman year.
They’re both graduated with a degree in Journalism, so they spent time a lot of time together, both in class and in their apartment.
I’m so proud of the young woman Kylie has become. And I’m excited to see where her journey in life takes her.
For now, I just hope she remembers to run the dishwasher, take out the trash and keep her room clean. 🙂
And of course, I hope she has fun living in her first apartment.
From Kylie’s first “home” to yours,
Jill
