The 3 Minutes Guide to getting your place to look Awesome

Your place looks like this:

… you know it’s not great, but you don’t know where to start to make it better. And you don’t really have the motivation to spend a lot of time on this as you feel design is not your forte anyway.

Be comforted! It actually IS very hard to create an esthetically cohesive living space. That’s why we created this step-by-step guide. Although there are other guides out there 1 2, many assume you have a clue about design. We don’t - the steps below don’t require you to do anything else other than choosing a design that you like. The rest is very mechanic.

Step 1: Declutter

We assume you are starting with a blank canvas (a bit like the picture above) or that at least the items you have will fit the composition you will choose in the next step.

You want to create a comfortable living space for yourself, and it’s a great time to get the chaos of your old life out of it.

If you have items that you have not used in more than 6 months, or even forgot you had, then that’s an indication that you should let them go. If you struggle with this due to emotional attachment, a good “trick” 1 2 is to hold the object close to you, say “thank you for the memories, but I’ve got to move on, and so it needs to make space for new memories”. Might seem a bit cheesy, but it can do wonders.

Step 2: Choose a design You like

Pick the picture of a style you like. This is where our site comes to play! The designs area has been specifically designed to make it very easy to browse a multitude of designs. But you should feel free to browse other resources such as:

• /r/malelivingspace (many of the posts on this site come from here!)
• “male living space” on pinterest
• instagram

The advantage of using this website is that the next step is going to be much easier, as you need to know which items to look for.

When you choose, pay attention to the color/materials of the floor. If possible, pick something that is similar to what you have.

Finally, you may want to find 1 to 2 more posts that implement a design similar to the one you like, since not all items you are looking for may be in the table of your primary choice.

Step 3: Identify Core Items

Go through the designs you have picked and identify (e.g., using our tables):

• Living Room

  • Couch
  • Coffee Table
  • TV Stand
  • Rug
  • Dining table / chair (if needed)

• Bedroom

  • Bed Frame
  • Bedside Table

These are your core items, both in terms of budget and foundations for your living space.

Step 4: Determine Required Budget

• Browse the internet and find the core products above, or replicas.
• Determine an initial cost estimate of your design.
• If the cost is above 75% of your total budget, start from the most expensive item and try to find cheaper alternatives
  • Facebook market
  • Craigslist
  • Thrift stores
• Iterate until your core items cost at most ~75% of your budget

Some of the most beautiful designs on this website incorporate second hand items. You can get very far without spending a fortune if you do just a bit of research!

Step 5: Ancillaries & Accessories

What really brings designs together are ancillary items. Look again at the designs you have picked and identify:

• Plants
• Wall art
• Lamps (both ceiling and floor lamps)
• Any other component that catches your attention (bar carts, recliners, …)

Repeat the same strategy in step 4 to get a list of items that fits your overall budget.

Step 6:

Congratulations!

You should now have a solid plan on what you need to achieve your dream of creating a warm, cozy living space for yourself. 😀

Submissions

We are always looking for new designs to add to our page 😀

Send us your work at design.repo.app@gmail.com

Do not forget to include:

• picture(s)
• a list of items shown (complete to the best of your knowledge)
• how to credit your work (a link to your instagram, pinterest, blog, …)