An Unapologetic Pink Rental Apartment Looks Pretty for the Holidays
Name: Victoria Shingleton and roommate
Location: Los Angeles, California
Type of home: Apartment
Size: 1,200 square feet
Years lived in: 2.5 years, renting
Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: I moved into this apartment after finishing graduate school in architecture, and ecstatic to have a blank canvas, I started purchasing furniture and rugs that I loved without the approval of my first roommate. We unrolled the living room rug together, and she said, “Wow, that’s really pink.” After a few months, she admitted that the pink was growing on her—when she was shopping, she was gravitating to… pink?! I’d like to set the record straight: She did not move out because of pink overload… she moved out to move in with her boyfriend. I found my current roommate on Facebook by posting pictures of the apartment, so there were no colorful surprises there.
For three years in grad school, I lived in a tiny studio apartment and never had a tree for Christmas. The first year in this apartment, my mother packaged me six to seven boxes of Christmas ornaments and decorations that we had for our “girly” Christmas tree growing up, which was—of course—pink. The majority of the ornaments on the tree are over 15 years old! I loved them then, and I still love them now—pink and colorful isn’t just a trend for me, it’s a way of life.
While the living room has the Christmas tree and stockings, holiday decor in other rooms is more subtle. In my bedroom, I swap out my Minnie Mouse ear collection with Christmas styles, display my holiday purses and clutches, and swap out the pillow cover on my bed for a festive holiday one that my mom gave me. But my favorite low-key Christmas decoration is the glassware in the kitchen—I put a little Santa hat on my donkey cookie jar, and it really makes me smile!
Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Unapologetically Pink
What is your favorite room and why? My favorite room (errr… area of a room) is the accent wall in the kitchen with the credenza and glassware shelving. Boy, was that a labor of love! The wallpaper is vinyl removable, and my boyfriend and I have a newfound appreciation for wallpaper installers. But what really tested our relationship were the floating shelves! The shelves are from IKEA, and I added the glassware racks that I purchased from Amazon and spray painted gold. And the pink Roman shades were custom sewn by my mom (who, have I mentioned, lives across the country in South Carolina?). I think it was well worth the hassle—this wall brings me so much joy.
What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? I really do spend a lot of time in the kitchen. My boyfriend and I love to cook dinner together during the week. So I recently did a big Black Friday splurge and purchased new ceramic cookware from Caraway and new knives and knife block from Material Kitchen.
Any advice for creating a home you love? Don’t worry about being “on trend” or “traditional.” Fill your home with items that are meaningful to you. That doesn’t mean you can’t choose something that’s popular right now—just make sure it’s something that you’ll still love in 5, 10, 20 years. And with that, if you have a strong intuition to make a bold design decision, even if it sounds crazy to others and the design pros would caution you to “stick to neutrals and timeless pieces,” I’m going to encourage you to do it. Your home is your canvas to express yourself—have fun!
This submission’s responses were edited for length and clarity.