Even though I graduated college in 2015 and I am taking a break before getting my Masters, in the fall I can’t help but get excited when I see the school supplies and dorm bedding go up in stores. I may have bought a new notebook (or two) and some post its while at Target the other day because I couldn’t help myself. What I miss most is moving into a new room and getting to decorate it. Each year it was a blank canvas and I had the opportunity to make it my own.

Last fall I did a complete renovation of my guest room and recently just updated it again. This is what happens when I go to Target and fall in love with the new room decor they have! With the house going on the market, we are doing some renovations on the house and especially the way the rooms are decorated. My childhood bedroom has been going through some big changes lately. While in college, I spent very little time on it, so I did not really care how it looked. Now that I am living back at home I need a room that fits my style better and is functional.

Creating an adult bedroom or living space is a little more complicated than moving into a dorm room. I no longer have another house holding all of my belongings. Everything has to fit in my room which has caused a lot of purging and creative storage.

With a few trips to Target and some new additions, my room is starting to feel like an adult lives in it.

Curtains are a must have in a room in my opinion. They add privacy and keep the sun out of the room when you want to sleep until noon on a Sunday. In my guest room, I spent two months looking for the perfect curtains to create the look I wanted in the room. With very little on the walls, it looks like a completed room with them up.

Baskets are helpful for keeping things off of the floor. After a long day, I don’t have time to put clothes away or decide if a dress needs to be washed. I have a basket at the end of my bed that holds pillows and extra throw blankets. Another basket is in my closet that I throw everything into and sort later. And under my desk, I have a basket that holds my purses and hats that are hidden and out of sight. I have one from Pottery Barn and two from Target that is affordable.

If you know me at all, you know I am obsessed with candles. Every night I try to spend some alone time in my room tidying up or my nighttime skincare routine. I have a candle lit at night because it helps with winding down from the day and they smell delicious.

I got rid of a lot of my knick-knacks and decor that was already in my room and replaced it with simple items I could use and not just collect dust. At night I love to sleep with a million blankets but when I am not using them I like to have them rolled up in a basket by my bed when they are not in use. It makes the room very homey, something I am trying to achieve. I love the look of mirrors so I have 4 in my bedroom alone but I really do use all of them! I have a giant gold mirror that takes up a big part of my wall because it matches the gold theme in my bedroom. Instead of putting up a painting or poster, a mirror is a lot more useful. Over the years I have built a very large book collection, so I am always reading four books at one time. Instead of having magazines and books looking like clutter on my nightstand I got gold bookends to keep everything organized. I am currently obsessed with lamps from Target (the one above specifically). It is $14 with a variety of lamp shade colors and when on sale is $7. I got a blue one for my guest room and it ties together the whole beachy theme. For my bedroom, I used my mom’s glass lamp from Pottery Barn.  Let’s hope she doesn’t notice it has disappeared!

When redecorating my room I took everything off the walls and took everything off the shelves to dust and start fresh. That’s when I realized what I needed to throw out and saw how much space this junk was taking up. Four bags to goodwill later…. my room is a lot cleaner! Be sure to wander around Target or HomeGoods (especially clearance) and try to pick out a few pieces that add character and/or purpose in your room. It looks best when you put three or an off number of items together. My nightstand has my lamp, a picture frame, and a matching clock and it adds a lot of personality to the space. 

I love my bed. It is my favorite part of my room and I look forward to going to bed every night because of how amazing it is. I thought it was just me who was obsessed with my bed, but now whenever I have people over I literally have to drag my friends out of it. I had a friend sleepover one night and she chose to sleep in my bed with me instead of having her own room in my house. That is how much people like my bed! The mattress is from Costco but what makes it comfy and cozy is the obnoxious amount of pillows I have on my bed. In the summer I have my summer bedding with coral and grey pillows and comforter. In the winter I switch over to grey and red for the holiday season and I have even more pillows! Homegoods and Target have great sales on pillows, so I am always collecting more even though I need to stop. When a friend of mine moves into a new apartment or it’s their birthday, I always give them a pillow and a matching throw blanket. It is not something we usually give ourselves, but I promise with a few new pillows your bed will be changed forever!

Even though in the fall we are not all going back to school or moving to another apartment, it does not mean you can’t update your bedroom! You are growing up and your room should grow with you. My freshman year dorm room was full of pink and I have slowly moved on to a blue color theme that better fits my age and personality. Take advantage of the back to school sales and make your space yours!