Apartment Decor on a PA Budget: How to Make Your Space Iconic (Without Being Broke)
By Sienna — Spontaneous, playful, a little chaotic. Life's an adventure and I'm dragging you along. ·
Look, I know what you’re thinking. “Sienna, you live in a studio in Silver Lake where the floorboards groan if I look at them too hard. How are you the person to talk to about interior design?”
Fair point. But here’s the thing: my apartment is the only place in LA that’s actually mine. When I moved here at 19 with $800 to my name and a suitcase that smelled like my childhood bedroom, I didn’t have a decorating budget. I had a ‘don’t starve to death’ budget. But I’ve learned that you don't need a West Elm credit card to make a space feel like a sanctuary. You just need to be a little bit of a scavenger and a whole lot of weird.
My apartment is basically a collage of my life: polaroids from sets, thrifted lamps that might be haunted, and plants I’m desperately trying to keep alive. Let’s make your space feel like an adventure, shall we?
Stop Buying Matching Sets
If I walk into your place and everything is from the same ‘Complete Bedroom Collection’ at a big-box store, I’m going to assume you’re an NPC. Seriously, stop it. Matching furniture is the death of personality.
My rule? If it looks like a showroom, it’s boring. I found my coffee table on the sidewalk in Echo Park (Gerald—my Civic—barely survived the trunk closure, but we made it). It’s scratched, it’s teak, and it has more character than most people I meet at casting calls. Mix textures. If you have a sleek, modern desk, put a velvet, thrifted chair with it. If your rug is neutral, go absolutely feral with the throw pillows. Your apartment should look like you collected it over a lifetime of travel, even if you’ve only traveled as far as the nearest flea market.
Lighting is Your Best Friend (Seriously, Kill the Big Light)
If you are still using the primary overhead fluorescent light in your apartment, we need to have an intervention. Overhead lighting is for surgical procedures and DMV appointments, not for living your life.
Spend your money on lamps. Hit up the Goodwill bins or check Facebook Marketplace for those weird 70s brass floor lamps. Throw some warm-toned bulbs in there—I’m talking 2700K temperature, people. It makes everything look soft, expensive, and moody. If you have a small space, a well-placed lamp in the corner can actually make the room feel bigger because it draws the eye away from the center of the room. It’s a total PA production trick—we call it 'shaping the light' to hide the mess.
The 'Gallery Wall' Doesn't Have to Be Expensive
You see those perfectly curated, beige-on-beige gallery walls on Pinterest and think you need a degree in art history to pull it off. Wrong. My gallery wall is literally just a mix of things I love: a concert poster from a show I snuck into, a framed sketch my brother Cole did, and some weird postcards I found at a stationery shop in Tokyo.
Use Command strips. I’m an apartment renter, and I’m terrified of losing my security deposit, so I don’t use nails unless I absolutely have to. Mix frames—some wood, some gold, some black. Don’t measure them out with a ruler; it looks better when it’s slightly chaotic and overlapping. The goal is to make it look like you didn’t try too hard. If it feels curated, it feels stiff. If it feels like a collection of memories, it feels like home.
Textiles Are the Ultimate Cheat Code
When you’re broke and living in a rental with beige carpet or scuffed wood floors, the quickest way to change the vibe is through textiles. I’m talking rugs, blankets, and curtains.
I found a massive, colorful rug at a garage sale that covers up about 60% of my ugly apartment flooring, and it immediately changed the room from ‘dorm room’ to ‘bohemian loft.’ Don’t be afraid of color. We live in such a ‘clean girl aesthetic’ world right now, but honestly? It’s boring. Buy the patterned blanket. Hang some fabric tapestries on the wall if you have a massive blank space you can’t paint. It absorbs sound, too, which is a major win if your neighbors are as loud as mine.
Embrace the 'Chaotic Good' of Houseplants
I’m not a botanist, and I’ve definitely killed a fern or two in my time. But plants make a room breathe. Don't go for the ones that need 12 hours of direct sun and a humidifier—you’re too busy for that. Get yourself a Pothos or a Snake Plant. They’re basically indestructible.
I put my plants in weird containers. One is in an old vintage teapot I found at a thrift store. Another is in a ceramic bowl I got from a yard sale. It adds a layer of ‘oh, this old thing?’ nonchalance that I absolutely live for.
Make It Yours, Even If It’s Temporary
At the end of the day, apartment decor isn’t about impressing your landlord or your Instagram followers. It’s about walking through your front door after a 14-hour shift on set and feeling like you’ve arrived somewhere that knows your name.
My place is messy. It’s got laundry chairs and stacks of scripts everywhere. But it’s mine. It’s got my energy, my brother’s art, and my thrifted treasures. Stop waiting to ‘save up’ for the perfect furniture. Start building your space with what you have right now. Go find a weird lamp, stick some photos on the wall, and stop using the ceiling light. Your life is an adventure—your apartment should be the base camp.
What’s the one piece in your apartment that has the best story behind it? Or are you currently living in a space that feels a little too 'beige'? Hit me up in the comments—I want to see what you’re working with, and maybe I can help you style that weird corner you don't know what to do with!