Where should I buy hippie decorations for my new apartment? I want to buy it all online. I want it to look very relaxed and chill while still being full of cool things.
Salvation Army, Goodwill, tag sales, dumpsters (serious). Don't overpay for stuff you can make. Don't over do with things you don't need. Have fun with it. Home is where you make it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwbUCI9bEvA"]Home is where you make it - YouTube
thrift stores are cheaper and more fun than online shopping, and you can decorate with the knowledge that you're recycling instead of using new goods! also if you live anywhere where you can escape to nature... I use natural items for decoration a lot. I have a magazine holder that is actually a piece of wood I found in a river. I have several wall decorations that are just cool looking sticks or dried flowers and leaves.
What do you see happening in your space? Gathering of a couple friends? Big parties? Hanging out mostly alone reading or crafting? I read apartment therapy a lot, and used a few ideas. Look at pinterest, as people put up lists with images. Start with some image of what you want, then see how that plays out. For example, I work some from home and have contract gigs around town. Basically at home I do paperwork. I rarely have more that four people over at a time. Typically, I'd make a dinner or snacks. If I were starting in an apartment, the basics would be two futons (one as a bed. You might want a real bed), bookshelves as needed, a chair or two for guests, table for living room, either a coffee table or side tables, shoe shelf next to the door, small chair/stool for guests to remove shoes, a table and at least two chairs for dining, side table for bedroom, something for folded clothing. An area rug, especially if I had hard floors. I use a tablet and when my netbook is needed my dining table suffices. You might want a desk and chair. I have had lots of bookshelves in the past, but again, starting new, I'd find or build shelves that go halfway up the walls, allowing for books, some items for display, CDs, audio equipment (and I would seek small equipment). Likely I'd have doors over one or two sections for camera gear and other things that are not gorgeous but rather are useful. Craigslist is great for starting out. Just pay lots of attention to smells in furniture. I air out anything from a secondhand store to freshen the scent as much as possible. Now, decor: is it just you? If so, yay, this part is simple! Think about what you want to see in your space. Do you want a fun party vibe? A hookah lounge vibe? Surf shack? Ski chalet? Urban? Forest? Beach? Desert? What textures hit your mind? What colors? I love being in homes that honor the past while being the genesis of the future. Family photos, travel souvenirs along with a dream collage of what. You want to do next. Lighting matters! World market (dot com) has lighting at a lot of price points. I have lots of paper lanterns. I love LED candles. No fire dangers. Having islands of light in the evening is nice. Art. Do you or any of your friends paint, photograph, weave, batik, tie dye, sculpt, make ceramics? Do you have something now that you love and could make part of a grouping? I have a glass plate with an LED candle, pine ones, driftwood, many rocks and stones and some shells (I've lived in the Rockies and now I'm close to the ocean). I paid about $8 for the plate and candle and collected the rest. I also have a bouquet of turkey feathers in a wood vase. Cost-$2. Most of my walls have my own paintings. I've sold one off the wall! When I tire of them, I take a hi res photo for my archives and give it away, or if it just isn't all that, gesso over and paint again. Have fun with the new place!
another thing about thrift store finds....don't disregard something just because it isn't in the best of shape or it doesn't suit your style. I'm reupholstering a couch myself (well, hopefully. if it turns out to be too difficult I'm just going to make a slipcover for it), my kitchen chairs are wooden chairs that looked like crap when I first got them and I painted them a bright color and added some cushions and now they're the highlight of my kitchen....my dresser cost me $30 bucks and I painted it and distressed it so now it looks antique, and i'm in the process of painting and distressing my coffee table. There are all kinds of paint kits you can buy to get the distressed look, or various other looks too. Posters are always good for cheap wall decorations, and you can add a cheap poster frame to class it up a little. Check ebay for cheap art reproductions too. Rugs can be kind of expensive if you're decorating on a budget....try making a rag rug out of scrap material, they look pretty awesome. OH! and Freecycle.org is awesome
You can't go wrong with the cinder block and 2x6 bookshelves. Or steal some milk crates and make shelves out of those too. Stay Brown, Rev J
