When my partner, cat, and I moved into our one-bedroom San Francisco apartment a year ago, we started off strong: we put up a gallery wall and chose a statement couch [1] to be the center of our living room. But soon after we got the decorating basics under our belts, our momentum stalled. We put off hanging up all our art and figured we'd eventually replace all that furniture from our early 20s.
Now, a year later, San Francisco's skyrocketing rents have made us realize that we should plan to stay in our rent-controlled apartment for as long as we possibly can. That's partly what inspired my motivation to complete our decorating project. While we love our apartment, I knew we could do more to make it feel truly like ours.
So, in the past couple of months, we've been selecting long-term investment pieces and affordable, quirky touches [2] to finalize our space. And what I've learned is that a few additions really can transform your home — especially when you only have about 800 square feet of it.
Keep reading for all the ways we upgraded every corner of our apartment, and take it from me: there's no better investment than making a rental apartment feel like yours.
Shop My Apartment Refresh by Room
- Living Room [2]
- Kitchen [2]
- Bedroom [2]
- Bathroom [2]
How I Transformed My Living Room
The living room is the center of our apartment — where we spend most of our time, eat our meals, and where I work. For that reason, it's always been the focus of our decorating efforts. Number one on my list for this apartment refresh was replacing the 5x8 rug we've had forever with something more dynamic and investing in a bookshelf that is visually interesting in and of itself.
I headed to Wayfair for both of those pieces. I've always appreciated how many options the site has; and while I browsed for an embarrassing amount of time, what we landed on really did transform the space. For the rug, I opted for the Novogratz Tallulah Wool Indoor Rug [3] ($265, originally $519). I am absolutely blown away by what the rounded edges on this carpet do in terms of such a simple design change. It has more clearly defined our lounge area, and it is the adult upgrade we needed.
As for the bookcase, we opted for the Red Barrel Studio 71" Tall Arched Bookcase [4] ($230, originally $270), whose rounded arch perfectly mirrors the rug. Because most of our gallery wall frames are black, we figured a black bookshelf would be the statement piece the room needed, and we weren't wrong.
Lastly, we finally got rid of an old accent chair that had been ripped to shreds by our feisty tabby cat Leo. We found our forever replacement in the Medley Burr Accent Chair [5] ($1,706, originally $1,895), a beautifully- and sustainably-made style. You can completely customize your chair, so we opted for Acer Velvet in Rust, future-proofing the chair against our cat's terror. It took a couple months to make the chair, but the finished product was very much worth it (and extra plus that the brand provides white glove delivery!).
How I Transformed My Kitchen
One major point of frustration my partner and I endured in our kitchen for the past year was our too-old, no-longer-nonstick pans. We couldn't fry an egg without it getting completely stuck, leading to many a frustrating breakfast. When I realized that Quince, a brand whose well-made clothes I appreciate, stocks kitchenware, I was excited to try it. We opted for the
Quince Ceramic Nonstick Frying Pan Set [6] ($120), which was not only affordably priced but also very nice-looking. And several weeks into using these, I can say proudly that our fried eggs have no chance of getting stuck again.
We also have a relatively small counter space in our kitchen (and a block full of dull knives we've had for years), so we have been loving the Quince Japanese Damascus Steel Knife Block Set [7] ($150). It's a sleek knife block that takes up minimal space, and the knives — which include an eight-inch chef's knife, six-inch serrated utility knife, and 3.5-inch paring knife — glide so satisfyingly smoothly through our meal prep.
Finally, we added sentimental touches in smaller corners of the kitchen, including this print that my friend and I made at a local SF studio.
How I Transformed My Bedroom
For the entire year, we'd kept a large framed poster print propped up on the floor next to a mirror, lending to a sort of artsy vibe. But I knew that the room would look more pulled together if we finally hung the print. So we enlisted the help of our friend and it immediately opened up the space. The poster print, Tiny Giants by Okay Andy x The Impact Fund [8] ($77, originally $290), is a nice balance of my partner's and my interests and styles.
I'd also felt like our bedding was stale. We'd been using the same dark gray quilt set for a year. To get a breath of fresh air, we opted for the Brooklinen Washed Classic Comforter in Mist Chambray [9] ($212, originally $249). The light blue is a beautiful hue, and I absolutely hate having to take on and off duvet covers, so this is a great option. We are pairing it with the Brooklinen Classic Percale Core Sheet Set [10] ($169, originally $199), which is as cooling as it promises. While the bed now looks more put together, it's also become a fluffy haven for all three of us (our cat is a huge fan of the comforter).
Lastly, one of my favorite design changes has been using the Tulip Shades Gem Fern [11] ($149) to conceal our renters' ugly boob light.
How I Transformed My Bathroom
For our bathroom, we focused on small touches to elevate the space — and one big investment item.
We refreshed our years-old bath mat, opting for a cheeky Ophelia & Co. Green Sardine Can Bath Mat [12] ($33, originally $96), and invested in holding dishes for loose items like serums and moisturizers. I love the viral CCINPPY Ceramic Cloud Jewelry Tray [13] ($10).
And, when it comes to bathrooms, a great smell is paramount. I love Brooklyn Candle Studio and was so excited to discover the Brooklyn Candle Studio Love Potion [14] ($19) as a Pura scent. I also regularly burn candles from Boy Smells and Miyashiro Studio for an extra layer of calming goodness.
What else is essential? Cleanliness! My long hair is constantly coating the floor of the bathroom, so when we incorporated the Bobsweep Bio [15] ($1,179) into apartment living, it was a game changer. This robot can vacuum, mop, and clean itself all from the control of an app. And we love that it's made from bio-balanced plastic.
Lena Felton [16] (she/her) is a senior director of special projects at PS, where she oversees sponsored packages, tentpole projects, and editorial partnerships. Previously, she was an editor at The Washington Post, where she led a team covering issues of gender and identity. She has been working in journalism since 2017, during which time her focus has been feature writing and editing and elevating historically underrepresented voices. Lena has worked for The Atlantic, InStyle, So It Goes, and more.