Our new home

Welcome to our new apartment.

We've officially lived here since Friday and I couldn't be happier about it. This complex is much more of a community feel and not so much of the "party scene, all college kids" atmosphere. The move went really smoothly as we tried to be as ready and organized as possible. ($0.97 Home Depot boxes are awwwwesome!) It all paid off because it made it super easy to get completely unpacked and settled in ASAP. Since Ollie coming home depended on the fact that we got everything put away first, we definitely didn't care to stay up late and get it done! There are a few places in the apartment that still need a little decorating but here's what we have for now.

Black and white bedroom with a hint of red from the bathroom. I need to do something else in here but I'm not sure what at this point. Suggestions anyone?

This is our front door. We are in the process of training Ollie to ring a bell when he has to pee so I thought I'd make it prettier than just a bell on a string.

There's a ledge right when you come in our front door that makes the perfect pile your stuff here display location. I'm planning on getting some decorative flowers to go in our J wine bottle to add a little height to the spot.

I got the idea to store your extra candles in a decorative jar from Ikea. I love that it's pretty and practical at the same time. I purchased a 36 pack of candles in three different scents and I like how you can see the different colors.

Our kitchen is pretty small but I actually like it better than our old one. The only thing that isn't the best is that we don't have a microwave built into the apartment so ours has to sit awkwardly on the counter. I might try to decorate around it so it's not as obvious?

I used three pictures from our recent trip to Antigua to decorate our dining room and separate it from the living room. Hobby Lobby had some great blue distressed frames on clearance that I had to get. The center picture was purchased from the man who took my sister's senior pictures and the other two are pictures that I took myself. They're fun and bright and provide a nice centering environment for our table.

I can't wait until we have our own, non-rented place so we can really do whatever we want but for now this works for me. It works for me, it works for Jeff and most importantly, it works for Ollie. Does anyone have any tips for decorating apartments? How have you made those white walls feel like home?