Making Your Apartment Decor Feel Like Home (Without the Interior Design Budget)
By Maren — Home cook energy. Not chef energy. Let's make something good with what you've got. ·
August in Minneapolis is that weird, fleeting time where the air starts to smell like autumn, but the sun is still hanging around just long enough to make you feel like you haven't wasted your summer. I’ve spent the last few weeks moving some things around in my own place—mostly because I needed to make room for a new bulk bag of flour for Gary, my sourdough starter.
As a middle school teacher, my apartment is my sanctuary. After a day of hearing “Maren, can I go to the bathroom?” forty times, I need a space that exhales the second I walk through the door. But look, I know the struggle. We aren’t all living in those perfectly curated, beige-on-beige Pinterest houses. Most of us are working with rental-grade lighting, weirdly shaped living rooms, and a budget that’s better spent on groceries than fancy throw pillows.
Here is how I make my apartment feel like me without losing my mind or my savings account.
Lighting is Everything (Seriously, Turn Off the Big Light)
If there is one rule of home decor, it is this: do not use your overhead ceiling light. Ever. In my apartment, the big light is strictly for when I’ve dropped a contact lens or I’m deep-cleaning the baseboards.
To make a space feel cozy, you need layers of light at eye level. I’m talking about thrifted floor lamps, a little amber-hued table lamp on the kitchen counter, and—my personal favorite—string lights. I have a strand of warm-white fairy lights draped over my grandmother’s old hutch. When the sun goes down, it makes the whole room feel like a hug. You don’t need an expensive designer lamp; go to an estate sale, find something with a weird base, and slap a smart bulb in it so you can dim it. It changes the entire vibe of the room for under twenty bucks.
Lean Into the "Clutter" (But Make It Useful)
I’m a firm believer that a home should look lived in. If your kitchen counters are empty, are you even cooking? My grandmother taught me that a kitchen is a workspace, not a museum.
Instead of trying to hide everything away in cabinets, I lean into the stuff I use every day. My cast iron skillets are out on the stove or hanging on the wall. My jars of grains and flours are on open shelving. It sounds messy, but when the items you use daily are beautiful—or at least have a history—they become decor. Don’t hide your favorite wooden spoon or that weird, hand-painted mug you bought on a road trip. If it brings you joy when you touch it, give it a home on your counter. It makes your space feel like it actually belongs to you, not a model home.
Textiles are the Ultimate Rental Hack
If your apartment has ugly carpet or floors you hate, cover them up. If your walls are that standard-issue, depressing rental white, bring in color through textiles. I’m a sucker for a vintage quilt draped over the back of the sofa. It adds texture, it adds history, and it’s actually useful when you’re watching a movie on a chilly Minnesota night.
Don’t feel like you need to buy a matching set of anything. My place is a mix of things I’ve inherited, things I’ve found at garage sales, and the occasional Target find. The lack of “matchiness” is exactly what makes it feel personal.
Bring the Outside In (Even in a Tiny Space)
I’m not great at keeping plants alive—I’m much better at keeping sourdough alive—but I’ve learned that a little bit of green makes a huge difference. If you’re like me and have a history of killing ferns, start with a snake plant or a pothos. They are basically invincible.
Beyond plants, bring in natural elements. A wooden bowl filled with fresh apples on the table, a stack of old books, or even just a vase of wildflowers you picked on a walk. It reminds you that life is happening inside these walls. It’s not just about aesthetics; it’s about making your apartment feel like a place that supports your life, not just holds your stuff.
The “Maren” Philosophy: It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect
At the end of the day, your home is just the backdrop for your life. It’s where you’re going to feed your friends, where you’re going to nurse a cold, and where you’re going to fold your laundry. Don’t get so caught up in making it “Instagrammable” that you forget to actually enjoy it.
If you have a corner that makes you happy, a chair that’s perfect for reading, and a kitchen that’s stocked enough to make a decent meal, you’ve won. You’re doing great.
How are you making your space feel like you this month? Are you a plant parent, or do you stick to the cozy textiles like me? Let me know in the comments—I’m always looking for more ways to make my corner of Minneapolis feel a little more like home. And hey, if you need a sourdough tip while you’re decorating, you know where to find me.