Let me just come out and say it, decorating an apartment is hard. I lived in my apt for about two years before I fully finished decorating it and even then it was with the help of friends who have a better eye for interior design that I do. However, with that said, I learned a few things along the way that I felt were important to share with you guys. Now that Indian summer is officially over and holiday music and decor has taken over everything (sorry Thanksgiving, it’s true) it’s time to change the decor in your home. Even if you don’t redecorate a few times a year, going from spring/summer to fall/winter is an important transition that most guys overlook. Let’s break it down into categories that are essential for your redecorating efforts to be successful.
Bedding
If you aren’t changing your sheets every few weeks that’s an issue on its on that you need to address, ASAP. However, assuming that you’re in-market for some new sheets to supplement the ones you already have, your first and only stop should be H&M Home. Much like with their clothing, you can get incredibly comfortable bedding at a fraction of the cost that you would pay somewhere else. If you’re anything like me, no one told you how expensive sheets were so this is a welcome relief from going to store’s and paying well into the hundreds of dollars for duvets, sheets, and pillows. Apart from bedding, H&M home also has frames, pillows, rugs, and almost anything else you would possibly need so that you can have a fresh looking room and still afford to have something other than ramen for dinner.
Pillows
I need as many pillows on my bed as can fit. Big pillows, small pillows, throw pillows, body pillows I truly don’t care, I want them all and if you disagree you’re lying to yourself. You know pillows are damn comfortable and the more the better. However, with that said I always try to have a statement pillow in the front of all of them for purely decorative purposes. For this season, menswear legend Chris Stampd is stepping into home decor and bringing you some very minimalistic pillows. Priced appropriately at $60, the travertine pillow comes in a sleek
Candles
So overlooked. So important. Apart from making your room smell nice, girls love a guy who has good taste in candles. Now when I say candles I don’t mean teacup candles that you get at CVS for $10 that come in packs of 100 and will burn down your apartment if you step away. No, I mean real, amazing smelling candles. The kind your mom has at home that cost more than you’d imagine a candle costing but are totally worth the investment. For candles that are both masculine but are to be enjoyed by everyone, you can’t go wrong with Diptyque. Sold in both their stand alone stores and in places like Barneys, Diptyque is worth the investment. This season they have two particular scents that work great, the iconic Feu de Bois and the La Madeleine. The feu de bois aptly smells like firewood, a strong earthy and calming scent while la madeleine is more lemony and crisp. Either candle would make an incredible addition to a room to be lit when the time is right (you know exactly what time I’m talking about).
La Madeline
Feu De Bois
Flowers
Guys, flowers aren’t just for prom or for saying you’re sorry to your girlfriend - you can have flowers as decoration in your apartment. However I will admit it’s hard to take care of flowers and justify the price knowing that well, they die. And really fast at that. However, I found the perfect solution to that. Introducing Venus Et Fleur. While they only work in roses, they will be able to put together an order that will not only look amazing because they use all sorts of different colors (think black, gold, navy) but also they last for ONE YEAR. You read that right, these flowers will continue to be fragrant and beautiful for a whole year. With the ability to choose from various colors, it becomes incredibly easy to justify the price (think of how many flowers you’d have to keep buying to keep them alive otherwise). This way, all you need is the one initial purchase of flowers that match the colors in the room you want to keep them and boom, you don’t need to worry about flowers again until you decide to change up the colors in your room again next season.
Quilt
This is kind of a unique category because no one realizes they need a quilt until they’re laying on their couch cold and too lazy to take your entire duvet to your living room and you’re like “oh, I should get a quilt”. Well, given that practical use of a quilt (not to mention the immense comfort) this is where I would splurge. Premium clothing brand DDUGOFF brings to you one of a kind quilts created from their favorite fabrics. So imagine putting together cashmere, wool, silk, flannels and every other cozy fabric into one giant blanket. Yeah, exactly. Available on their online store, each one is sure to impress.
