New Apartment Decorating: Moving In + New Decor + Styling!
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Join me in the chaos of moving into my new apartment and starting to decorate it!
Heads up - this video gets a bit emotional midway through, because honestly… this move hasn’t been easy for me. As exciting and positive as moving into a new apartment can be, it usually means you’re leaving something behind. There’s loss, there’s fear, there’s pain. Some life change is happening, which is why you’re moving in the first place. So why avoid accurately portraying the emotion of that?
I realized as I was shooting this video that I couldn’t pretend to be the bubbly, sparkly, ever-positive YouTuber girl. Like, “Look at my new apartment! Everything is fine! I promise! Do you see that I’m fine?? HAHA * screaming inside *”
I just… didn’t have the energy to keep that up, haha. Anyway, aside from the raw emotional stuff, this moving vlog is actually fun, I swear! 😅 I bring you along for the moving in and organizing experience, show you the progress as it happens, unbox some new decor, and do some initial styling that I’m excited for you to see.
So come along with me as I move in and start my new apartment decorating journey - the good, the bad, and the pretty.
My Apartment Moving Tips
Here are a few main takeaways from the video that could help you out the next time you move into a new apartment. It’s the tl;dw (too long, didn’t watch), if you will. 🙃
Apartment Moving Tip #1: Embrace the Chaos
Understand that moving is inherently chaotic, and there’s really no way to avoid it. I found that it felt better to accept that reality and to flow with the chaos, instead of against it.
The second you start moving, it can feel like you’ve opened a pandora’s box of cardboard boxes, heavy lifting, logistics, and emotional baggage. But remember, this chaos is only temporary and a natural part of transitioning into a new apartment. With each box unpacked, you're one step closer to your dream apartment.
Just take it one grain of chaos at a time. * deep breath *
Apartment Moving Tip #2: Focus on Decluttering Before Styling
Moving into a new apartment means that your life will be cluttered with tons of stuff for a certain amount of time. And I personally find that it’s impossible to feel creative and to visualize my styling when I’m surrounded by clutter.
So take care of the clutter first. Just laser focus on that and don’t even bother with any decorating. Not only will this give you a clean canvas to work with once you begin making styling choices, but it will simply make the moving process less overwhelming by focusing on one thing at a time. And that first thing should be eliminating all that move-in clutter so your creative mind can be free!
Apartment Moving Tip #3: Style Gradually
You don’t have to achieve perfection in your apartment decor immediately. This may seem obvious, but when I was in the thick of moving in, I had to actively resist my perfectionist tendencies and just accept that the space would be a mess for a while. Don’t put impossible expectations on yourself.
Take your time to unbox and style your decor pieces, and start playing around with how they fit into your new environment. Experiment with various placements of your decor in the new space and accept that styling requires a lot of trial and error over time. Again, as hard as it is, try to resist the need for perfection, because expecting perfection of yourself in a new space is a recipe for disappointment.
Taking a gradual approach allows your apartment's aesthetic to evolve organically and you’ll end up with a more thoughtfully styled space in the long run!
Apartment Moving Tip #4: Prioritize Spending
Your budget will dictate a lot of your decorating decisions, so spend wisely. Essentials that affect your comfort, like a good mattress, couch, or desk chair, deserve a larger portion of your budget because they directly impact your quality of life.
Your couch in particular will not only be the visual centerpiece of your living area, but it’s also where you’ll probably spend most of your comfy cozy time. And the quality of that time would be significantly diminished by an uncomfortable couch! So when you’re thinking about where to spend your money on your new apartment, your couch is an example of something that’s worth the splurge.
Smaller decorative items, on the other hand, can be as inexpensive as you want them to be. A lot of my decor is from Target, for example. You can spend less on decorative elements that don't influence your physical comfort.
Basically, invest in the pieces that need to be visually pleasing and comfortable, and save on the pieces that only need to be visually pleasing!
Apartment Moving Tip #5: It’s Okay to Feel Things
Moving isn't just a physical task; it's an emotional one. It's a significant life event that can evoke strong emotions. Moving means you’re leaving something behind, and depending on the circumstances surrounding your move, it can feel like a loss that needs to be grieved.
Allow yourself to feel and process the changes as you move in. If you watched the video, you saw that I certainly was feeling all the things. Honestly, I was an emotional mess!
Even if there’s a level of sadness surrounding your move, you can think of your new space as a blank page on which to write your new chapter. Your new apartment is a fresh start, an opportunity to redefine your living space and, by extension, your life.
Apartment Moving Tip #6: All The Work Will Lead You Home
It might feel like progress is slow, especially in the early stages of unpacking and decorating. But keep in mind that every box unpacked, every piece of decor placed, brings you closer to making your new apartment feel like home. Celebrate the small victories along the way and show yourself compassion when you make mistakes.
Because once you’re past the messy move-in process and get your place styled in a way that feels good, it’ll suddenly hit you one day: “Oh, I’m home!”
