A Cozy Boho Rental Apartment Has the Perfect Terracotta-Colored Bedroom Wall

Name: Olivia Henry-Jackson, fiancé, Andres, and 9-month-old Goldendoodle, Copper
Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Type of home: Apartment
Size: 1010 square feet
Years lived in: 10 months, renting

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: My fiancé and I secured this apartment for a June move-in at the beginning of last year. I was a museum professional working in NYC last year while finishing up my master’s degree, so I wasn’t able to physically see the apartment. He FaceTimed me into a tour, and I knew when I saw the windows that it was the one. Right before NYC declared shutdown, I decided to go down to Virginia to spend time with my fiancé and was living out of a suitcase in his small apartment until we were able to move into our current apartment. Apartment prep was a bit difficult because at the time we were needing to make big furniture and decor purchases, most furniture retailers were closed. It was such a crazy experience because we purchased a sectional, dining table, media stand, dresser, and mirror without seeing any of it in person, without me ever having stepped in our current apartment to measure or feel the space out. We relied heavily on the measurements from the floor plan online and the free space-planning feature on West Elm’s website, and I’m so happy everything worked out!

My fiancé is an analyst and currently working from home, and I — having recently graduated and looking for work — have had a lot of time to make our apartment a place we love! Our apartment is filled with pieces new and old and some bold colors, some neutrals, and lots of plants and personal art on the walls. The one thing that made our apartment even cozier after having finished most of the decorating was when we finally brought home our Goldendoodle puppy, Copper, the day we got engaged. We may not be leasing this apartment for too long, but I am glad that for the year or so we have had to stay home the most amid COVID-19 restrictions, we were able to make and call this place home.

I identify as a young, Black female art museum professional. I love art, plants, books, and a balance of a neutral and bold palette. I think that the apartment definitely reflects my identity and interests. While I already had a lot of my own artwork from when I was in art school, I definitely kept in mind supporting small businesses in general but also small Black-owned businesses for some decor pieces. Additionally, we both love to relax and watch movies, so it was important to us that the main space was comfortable and inviting even if we weren’t able to host in the capacity that we had planned for when we got this apartment. Finally, overall we are very organized people. We hate when we can’t find something we use every day or often, so organizational storage and methods were really important as well when it came to finding pieces for our home.

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Cozy, Modern, Boho, Bold, Oasis

What is your favorite room and why? My favorite room is definitely the main dining and living room but also because I spend the most time there. We have spent countless hours on our couch binge-watching Netflix shows, applying to jobs, playing with our puppy, playing board games, and reading, and it is truly the space that has gone through the biggest transformation. However, our bedroom does follow closely behind because I never get tired of the Terracotta-colored wall we painted.

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? While I am forever buying frames for our home, the last thing I found for our home was a hand punched metal print of a dog I got at a thrift store. It was pretty beat up, but I really liked it and I thought I could revive it. It had a wooden frame, and it was $5, and that was enough to sell me.

Any advice for creating a home you love? Buy what you love, invest in furniture pieces you want to keep around for the long run, and don’t be afraid to use bold colors! Also definitely check out FB Marketplace and secondhand shops before splurging because they have the best deals on amazing things! Definitely take your time trying to make sure the things in your home from the furniture to the decor bring you joy! If it doesn’t, make room for something that does.

This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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