If there’s one decorating technique you should keep in mind when moving into your first apartment, it’s slow decorating. Slow decorating, or “slow deco,” isn’t a decorating trend or style – it’s a mindset that can help you create the perfect apartment that fits you and what you love. Want to know more about this technique and how you can practice it in your first apartment? Read on below!
Being intentional about how you decorate
The core of slow deco is exactly what it sounds like: decorating slowly. When moving into your first apartment, it can be easy to want to buy all new furniture and decorations and overhaul the whole place immediately, but this isn’t necessarily the best way. Your taste will likely change over time, and as a first-time renter, you likely don’t yet have the money to completely furnish your apartment exactly how you want it.
Slow deco is about accumulating pieces and adding to your style over time instead of trying to do it all at once. This technique has several benefits, including helping you save your money for higher-quality pieces of furniture, giving your apartment a sense of character that’s more “you” and ensuring that your apartment can grow and change with your taste.
Enjoying the process of decorating
As opposed to “fast fashion” decorating, which is all about quickly achieving a certain look in your apartment, slow deco is more about enjoying the process of decorating. Pieces found in thrift shops or picked up on vacation can add character and good memories to your apartment so it becomes something personal and more than a cookie-cutter aesthetic. Decorating quickly can be stressful, but slow deco gives you time to enjoy and appreciate each new piece you buy.
Focusing on high-quality essentials
While it can be fun to experiment with decor trends, most people can’t afford to replace all the furniture in their home to fit the latest styles every few years. The slow deco method encourages you to focus on building a baseline of high-quality pieces of essential furniture that will last you forever.
These pieces can serve as a backdrop for creativity and experimentation later, and they’ll never go out of style. Some classic pieces to start with include a simple and sturdy dresser for your bedroom, a kitchen table and chairs in a dark finish, and a chesterfield sofa in a neutral color.
Slow and thought-out lifestyle
This attitude of “slowness” doesn’t end with how you decorate. It can be incorporated into everything from the way you dress to what you eat to how you use technology. The same technique of slowly adding pieces to your apartment decor can be used to great effect in building your personal style as well.
A whole lifestyle trend is emerging of being more thoughtful in making decisions instead of simply going along with what’s popular. Moving into your first apartment is a perfect phase of life to learn more about yourself and decide what you really want!
