As Mitch and I move into our first house (eeeek!), I’ve been going down memory lane of my previous living quarters. 

It’s inspiring to see how I made so many of the same pieces work in three different spaces—from the couch to bedding to table and chairs. Each apartment had its own flair, but the general vibe stayed the same. 

Looking through these photos made me so nostalgic. I’ll always remember hosting friends and having family at each address. 

I hope this post is encouragement that you don’t need the fanciest things to make your home beautiful—almost all of these pieces were passed down through my family, thrifted or antiqued, or bought on great sales at Target, Wayfair, or Walmart. You don’t need a big budget to make your interior design dreams come true. Just the vision and dedication to see them through. 

Without further adieu, here are each of the apartments I made my home before buying our house. 🙂

My First Space: A Studio Apartment

I look back at these photos and think—how did I live there?! But also, life was so simple. This was truly all the space I needed. The small quarters didn’t deter me from hosting friends and circling up around the living room space. I am so grateful I started my adult years in this small space—it’s made everything after feel luxurious.

Staying organized and tidy certainly helped make this apartment feel much bigger and manageable. No matter the size of your space, I would 10/10 recommend researching an organizing system that works for you and doing everything you can to ditch the clutter. It makes a huge difference.

Upgrade: A 650 Square-Foot Space

This space truly felt like a mansion when I moved in. Coming from the studio apartment gave me so much appreciation for little things—like the bedroom door, ha! While this space was muuuch older (built in the 60s), it felt so much more like home. My parents came to visit a month after I moved in, and it was so much fun to run around town looking for the perfect artwork or dresser together—they really helped me take it from an apartment to a cozy, styled home. 

This was also my last solo apartment—I met Mitch while I lived here and we got engaged just over a year later. People always ask if I liked living alone, and I honestly cherish those couple years. I learned so much about myself and about what I value in a space. Those were formative years that set me up for success before Mitch and I moved into our apartment together. 

Our First Married Home: 1.5 Bed Apartment

There’s really no way to describe or top the sweetness of this space. No matter where our apartment would have been or what it would have looked like, the fact it was our first home together made it precious. We decided to make a one-bedroom apartment work to save money and help us get into a house faster (update: it worked!). Thankfully, it had a small (window-less) study where we put our desk and Mitch’s podcasting stuff. That honestly made the small space bearable and work for as long as it did—Mitch could work in the office and I could be in the living room when we both needed to focus on something.

While we didn’t even live there a full year (shoutout to the mold issues), it was a special space that I’ll always look back on fondly. We hosted dinner pirates, game days, and out-of-town guests in this apartment. 

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P.S. You may also like 6 Tips for Hosting a Dinner Party.

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