Everyone wants a beautifully decorated space to live in. I mean, I haven't done a conclusive study or anything, but in my experience, most people want their home to look warm & inviting, and to feel like a retreat. Can you do this without breaking the bank? YES, I tell you, YES YOU CAN!! Scroll on.

**Super fancy sketch of apartment measurements**

Justin was moving to a new apartment in west Los Angeles from a large house in Silverlake that he had shared with a couple of roommates. The new place was a blank canvas.

He wanted a space that felt like a retreat, had lots of texture, and oozed comfort and relaxation.

The possibilities were endless and we dreamed up something pretty special. Below you'll find before and after photos, as well as links and details on how you can DIY the shit out of your blank space.

I kept the color scheme to grey, white, and blues with gold accents thrown in. The wood legs of the side nesting tables and the bar stools were very similar, which helped make the room feel cohesive but not too "matchy". I love the way plants liven up a space, and the big Cateracterum Palm in the corner adds much need height.

A subtle, but great detail is the muted gold leg bottoms of the coffee table. It's a masculine coffee table with some flair thrown in for good measure. I'm obsessed with the art piece as well - an excellent find from World Market that was on sale when I bought it! It really ties together the whole room and fills up that big blank wall.

I loved loved loved all the natural light let in by the big window. Originally I had purchased these funky grey-patterned curtains to go over the white sheers, but once I was putting everything together, I felt that they were too dark and too similar to the grey rug. I was getting overwhelmed by all the grey so I changed them to simple, white curtains over white sheers. Bonus - they are blackout curtains so Justin can have both light and privacy when he needs it.

One of my biggest pet-peeves is having tv cords showing. A simple DIY solution is to buy white cord covers. Did you even notice them until I said something? Exactly.

I love a good basket and they don't have to match! The one under the console table holding the blanket (which is as soft as butter and apparently Justin's favorite part of the apartment) goes with the one holding the palm plant but doesn't match.

Where did I get this rug? I'm happy you asked! Surely, with a huge 7x10 foot area rug you spent over a thousand dollars! Nope. Target strikes again. **gasps** I know, it's exciting stuff. I also happened to purchase when there was a home decor sale going on, so the total cost was $139.99 (plus a nonslip rug pad for $24.49).

Sometimes when you look at a blank space, it's overwhelming to know where to start. My amazing interior designer aunt gave me a great piece of advice and it helped me a lot with this apartment - start from the ground and work up. It's wayyyy easier to match details to a rug than the other way around. There's a lot of ugly rugs out there. Find one you love and go from there.

I love the texture that the pillow bring to the couch. I took the ugly grey pillows that came with the couch and bought velvet pillow covers (velvet and anything nodding to Victorian is very in right now, thank you Style by Emily Henderson). The middle pillow is a splurge from West Elm and the fuzzy white one is from Target.

Snake plants are the BEST because they're easy to take care of (the tag on this one legit said it's best if neglected ha!). This gold mirror is one of my favorite parts of the room. Another HUGE design tip is to buy curtains that are the proper length. I hung these almost to the ceiling - not directly above the window - which makes the whole room look bigger. Look for curtains that are 90-96 inches long. Too short curtains make me feel uncomfortable and are a common design mistake.

HOW TO DIY

Justin gave me a budget of $2000. He already had the TV and then was generously gifted the grey sectional **Thank goodness, because sofas are so expensive and would have taken a large chunk out of the budget** Many of the items were on sale when I bought them, so actual prices may vary. I've organized the links by store - enjoy!!

TARGET

Rug $139.99 / Nonslip rug pad $24.29 / Bar stools $104 each / White fuzzy pillow $20 / Black soapstone tray $19.99 / Live edge wood sculpture $19.99

WORLD MARKET

Gold mirror $86.19 / Glass and gold shelf $25.59 / Black woven basket $23.67 / Distant landscape wall art $123.87 / Indigo vases $31.99 and $17.59 / Marble coasters $10.39 / Gold pierced tealight candleholder $9.58 / Lotus tealight candleholder $6.39 / Small black plant stand $9.59

LOWES/HOME DEPOT

Double curtain rod and accessories $85.36 / Snake plant $29.07 / Cateracterum plant $24.03 / Small coffee table plant $5.46

WAYFAIR

Nesting side tables $95.99 / Coffee table $198.99 / Console table $121.99

AMAZON

White curtains $23.99 / White faux sheepskin rug $23.99 / Velvet pillow covers $10.66

WEST ELM

Patterned pillow $58.31 / Mongolian lamb pillow $58.31