RiverBender Blog: Finding My Style, One Knickknack at a Time

Like most people, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to find my own style.

I (sort of) have a handle on how I like to dress, even though I mostly just wear the same seven outfits over and over again. I have stickers on my water bottle that make it feel like mine, mostly stickers from local organizations and coffee shops to remind me of my roots in the Riverbend region. Even my mousepad at work is a little saucy, declaring my love for cats and coffee. There are a lot of little ways I’ve found to personalize my life.

None of this prepared me for decorating a new apartment.

I recently moved, and I’m still adjusting to this strange new world I’m in. Still getting my routines down now that I have a longer commute to work. Still getting used to the new furniture I bought and how it looks in the space. And still trying to figure out how to make it my own.

Right now, my walls are bare. I have a few posters and pictures from previous apartments that I need to put up, but I’ve never had so much space to decorate by myself.

It was hard enough choosing a couch and a comforter for the bed. Now I have to figure out decor?? I have to develop a theme?? I need to find a way to do all of this without breaking the bank?? Oof.

HGTV has become my best friend. I study the way they stage the homes after renovations, commenting out loud to myself whether I like or dislike the farm sink and huge metal sign above the oven. Decidedly, I am not a farm-style girl.

So instead, I focus in on the crisp geometric rugs and clean metal nightstands, then decide I’m not pulled-together enough to be a minimalist, either.

I like my knickknacks, and I have a few that I’ve scattered around the apartment already, tucked in nooks and crannies. But there’s still more packed up in boxes, photos I haven’t yet pulled out, and posters or artwork I’ve found at fairs that I bought and never framed, still rolled up neatly with rubber bands.

The simple answer here? “Okay, Sydney, so you’ve obviously already got decorations. Just put those things up. It’s not too difficult.”

But here’s the thing! Most of these posters were torn out of books or old calendar pages. The photos are outdated and need to be replaced. My knickknacks, it turns out, take up a lot of space. And I still have blank walls to contend with.

Now, let me just pause and say — I know how annoying this sounds. I’m complaining about living in a new apartment, filled with photos and keepsakes from my loved ones. Yeah, sounds like it’s been rough.

I recognize how lucky I am to have this new space and to be putting any thought into something so frivolous. And I might be exaggerating a little bit when I voice these concerns, because the truth is that it’s been a wonderful experience moving and adjusting and settling in.

I’m just getting used to it, and I’m excited to see how it all turns out. I can’t wait to make this space my own and turn it into my home. And I would love any tips you have on making your first real apartment into your own space, or personalizing your home so that it feels homey.

In the meantime, I’ll try not to resent my blank walls and boxed-up trinkets, and instead remember how cool it is that I get to transform this space from an empty apartment into my home. I’m happy to be here.

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