produced by Jessica Chou; appearance by Negeen Dargahi; edited by Sam Russell.
In Refinery29's Sweet Digs, we take a look inside the sometimes small, sometimes spacious homes of millennial women. Today, 25-year-old Negeen Dargahi shows off her one-bedroom in Austin, Texas.
When 25-year-old YouTuber Negeen Dargahi moved into her own space, her friends were shocked by her decision to live alone. "My rent comes down to almost $1450 (£1140) at the end of the day, with utilities," Dargahi says. "Spending that money on rent for us Austinites is a lot."
But Dargahi, who works a part-time job in addition to making YouTube videos for her channel, knew that having her own space would be instrumental to her career. "I work from home a lot, so it's a lot of me time, so having a space that I'm comfortable in is extremely important," she says. Especially, she says, a space that is specifically designed to shoot videos in.
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It's obvious why Dargahi chose the one-bedroom she settled on; the natural light and open kitchen makes the living space the perfect video set. And the decor is obviously YouTube-inspired, too. "I was inspired by other YouTubes and Pinterest, and went for the bohemian mid-century feel," Dargahi says. "I'm really into vintage furniture, and finding value in lifetime pieces."
Watch her video tour above, and read on for her picks and decor tricks.
How much do you think you spent on decorating your space?
"The only thing I came here with was my kitchen stuff, my clothes, and my dining table, so I had to start all over. That was a huge chunk out of my pocket, maybe $4,000 (£3,150), with all my plants and everything. This is why this place is so special. It’s the first time I’m supporting myself all by myself."
Were there any other costs for moving?
"Well I didn't have to pay a deposit, I just paid the first month's rent and then I was good."
What's your process for furniture shopping?
"I think that’s my biggest struggle is finding lifetime pieces, investment pieces that I really love. I've found that I would sell pieces I got on a whim to fill a space, so now, if I think about a piece for longer than a week, I know I really love it. I always look for real wood, ideally, and look to make sure a vintage pieces is really well taken care of. I'll go to random thrift stores around the Austin area, Facebook Marketplace, and if not then I'll go to Anthropologie."
What's the best decorating tip you've learned?
"Less is more. And really, plants truly bring so much life."