Keila’s Deliciously Colorful DIY Style

Name: Keila Hill
Location: Arlington, Virginia
Size: 750 square feet
Years lived in: 3 years; renting

For Georgia transplant Keila Hill, sprucing up her apartment into a colorful oasis is never more than a paint can away. See how this thrifty gal maximizes impact on a small space.

A woman who is as resourceful as she is hilarious and stylish (you really should follow her on Twitter), I knew I had to check out Keila’s home soon after seeing sneak peeks of colorful home accents from photos she posted on Instagram

Not one to shy away from bold colors, Keila made sure her living room grabbed your eye when she painted the wall in a rich sherbert orange. Accents like graphic dots and stripes fill her den-turned-bedroom. That’s right. She converted her dining area into a cleverly constructed bedroom when she wasn’t satisfied with how it looked in the actual bedroom. A bookshelf that doubles as a holder for her 300+ albums (the girl love Motown) doubles as a partition from the living room.

My Style: My goal in decorating my place was to make it feel like me. It took a while for me to realize that this was not easily accomplished by trying to just go to the store and buy a set. Since this was the first place I’ve stayed in for more than a year in a decade, I wanted to take my time in curating a place that people would walk in and know was mine. I share my space with my dog Nena, and while I am by no means a minimalist, I do believe that everything has its place. It’s been a balancing act in determine what to keep and store vs. what
to display.

Favorite Element: I absolutely love all of the natural light. It makes it easy to make the house feel cozy without too many overhead lights or lamps.

Biggest Challenge: My kitchen is tiny. There is a ton of storage space, but counter space comes at a premium. Also, I only have one sink, instead of the double sink I would prefer. This makes cooking a multi-pot meal quite an experience.

What Friends Say: Every person that I have brought to my home says, “Yeah, this looks like you.”

Biggest Embarrassment: I still have paint tape up in my bathroom! Months ago I painted the wall in my living room and immediately had big dreams of painting the bathroom a bright blue. I guess I still hope for it one day, because the green tape lines where the wall / ceiling meets.

Biggest Indulgence: My couch! I got it from a vintage store in Atlanta and wanted it as soon as I sat on it. It’s one of my favorite pieces in the house (even if it’s not the most comfortable.)

Best Advice: Don’t try to get the entire house in order at once. Buy/DIY one piece at a time, and eventually it all fits together on its own.

Dream Sources: West Elm.

LIVING ROOM

Bookshelf – IKEA

White fur floor rug: IKEA

Entire kitchen – IKEA (purchased by landlord)

Bed – JCPenny

Couch – Vintage thrift store in Atlanta

Pink shelf, Gray/Pink shelf – found on street, I painted (DIY FTW 🙂

White desk: Goodwill (painted herself)

Most of the decor I found along the way at Marshalls, HomeGoods, IKEA, Target

Thanks, Keila!

• HOUSE TOUR ARCHIVE: Check out past house tours here.
• Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy? Contact the editors through our House Tour Submission Form.
• Are you a designer/architect/decorator interested in sharing a residential project with Apartment Therapy readers? Contact the editors through our Professional Submission Form.

Follow Apartment Therapy’s board House Tours Apartment Therapy on Pinterest.

Updated daily with fresh tours full of photos for you to pin & enjoy!