Budget-friendly ways to make your home Dark Academia 📚🕯🕰

[@justlanchen]

Just wanted to add a quick PSA about the use of candles in this video. I am in no way advising anyone to light candles in the way I choose to in my video. Candles were lit strictly for my shots and were blown out after. If you do choose to have candles in your home opt for flameless candles (this is what I use day to day) and if you do choose to have real candles, ⚠️Please use with caution, do not leave candles unattended at anytime and keep them away from anything flammable.

[@ellisisland6490]

I think these are the first budget makeover ideas that are actually in almost EVERYONE's budget. This was incredible. 7 dollar gallery wall? Amazing.

[@justlanchen]

Omg yay!! That makes me so hear 🥰🥰 hope it gave you some good ideas

[@Pamcreatesjournals]

Just an fyi. Regular sewing straight pins are excellent for hanging even something as heavy as a quilt. They make tiny pin holes that are so tiny you do not see them at all once removed. Love all your ideas

[@ossaobscura]

The bedsheet idea is just brilliant. It really gives the feel of wallpaper but so much easier and less expensive!

[@justlanchen]

right!! I have two sheets now that I switch up for the seasons. its seriously the best

[@fairyfarms]

i was so impressed!

[@SiimpleLogic]

For the sheet on the wall, I put the smallest to medium/shortest safety pins at the corners of the blanket and put thumbtacks into the top corners and just hung it up there. Best part is, you can’t even tell because no one’s gonna be looking for the tiniest little thumbtack holes at the top of he wall.

[@object1ion]

Your videos are so rich with character - your character, and also the atmospheric character you create. Absolutely love it 🖤🕊

[@justlanchen]

Omg thank you so much 😭😭😭🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@mariacabrera2850]

Thanks for the reminders of your amazing DIY Dark Academia on a budget🖤🗝️🕯️📖🐍

[@justlanchen]

You are so welcome!

[@Darkangel-A-c8z]

Thank you. I've got white walls in my new flat, black carpet in the kitchen/living room and hallway. I'm going to paint the bathroom and bedroom floor black and the skirting boards and door frames, so it looks like a black frame, as I'm putting gip two rose wall tapestries and the dark and flowery art canvases, keeping the walls white

[@rt3593]

I really like this. My bedroom is MY getaway and its done to my tastes. Your ideas are better than mine would be....the unified theme where everything fits and ties in is coherent and well done. I especially like the part with the candles, wine, academia wall. Good job Thanks for the inspiration.

[@IzItShiny]

Great idea w/the bedsheet! Seems like you could add a little bling by taping cool buttons over the safety pins.

[@justlanchen]

Oh yes!! that's a good way to hide it. Love that!! or maybe even some crown molding with some alien tape

[@doctorelfinstone1414]

Great video, and I’ll definitely be using some of these tips to give my new apartment even more DA touches! 👍 I’d also add that music and sound also goes a long way to adding to the DA vibes in a space; which is why I also have one of those DA ambience playlists going on my smart tv very often. And all for the price for the internet I was paying for anyway!

[@justlanchen]

ahhh I can’t wait for you to do some of these ideas. You will love it. And you are so right! Music definitely should’ve been apart of this list

[@Print229]

Alien tape! Thank you for this tip! Fantastic budget rug, too!

[@PrincessJessy]

literally perfect timing

[@justlanchen]

hope you enjoy!!

[@lyric8529]

Thank you for all of these ideas!

[@saraportillo8850]

You're my people, thanks for the inspiration 😊

[@justlanchen]

Ily 🥹🤍

[@INNERACADEMIA]

Beautiful 🖤🪶✨️

[@justlanchen]

Thank you so much🥹🥹

[@Gabrielle499]

Excellent ideas! 👍 Thanks ~ creative & affordable!! 😊

[@justlanchen]

You are so welcome!

[@broccolionswag]

thank you!! did the wall from pages, turned out so cool!!

[@karentrelka1196]

Love these ideas! I also love your necklace!

[@justlanchen]

Thank you!! 😊

[@JamesBrown-ij1px]

Great Ideas! Love your channel! 'Liked' & 'Subscribed'!

[@justlanchen]

Omg thank you🥹🫶

[@theprincessx]

You the best 💞💓💗💖💘💝

[@justlanchen]

🥰🥰🥰🤎🤎💋

[@ceciliaborglin7828]

great tips thanks for sharing

[@justlanchen]

thanks for watching!

[@grizzly]

insane video. I hope you dont bring those candles near anything LOL

[@jackieparry]

I’m just now doing the book pages wall and I’m so excited! Did you use regular Scotch blue tape? I’m worried the papers will fall off over time 🥹 Hope it holds 🙏🏻

[@La_bibliotheque_d_aurora]

Jamais je ne pourrai découper des livres pour refaire ma décoration, en tant qu'amoureuse des livres, c'est sacrilège 😝

[@cenxeni5249]

bro I regret making my room fit into the pink kawaii anime aesthetic so baddd.. literally one of my walls is pink

[@justlanchen]

I am a sucker for the kawaii anime aesthetic too so I feel you!! you could always temporarily cover it with a sheet and then remove it later 😅

[@A.S.54509]

First, thanks for making such a helpful video! Second, your hair looks SO GOOD, what would you call that style of dye?

[@dimman77]

Can you maybe look into a cheap way to recover books? I remember in elementary school we had to cover text books with brown paper shopping bags. Maybe we could figure a way to do that and customize the covers to the decor?

[@justlanchen]

this is actually something I've been working on!! I did one book but it was extremely hard, I'm not sure I'll do a video on it because it required a lot of tools

[@geologick]

How has the bedsheet stayed up since you posted this video? Has the Alien Tape held, or would you recommend extra reinforcement?

[@justlanchen]

I moved since so I had to remove it but it never fell :) alien tape can hold up to 17.5 pounds !!!

[@briar7371]

ur hair reminds me of narcissa from harry potter

[@justlanchen]

Omg yes

[@kuslyk]

What to do if my walls are light green and like light cappucino brown? It doen't fit to that aesthetic and i don't know what to do. They are not that easy to cover...

[@IluvinortheIneffable]

Cover them like in the video. Or paint.

[@justlanchen]

Brown and green are perfect DA colors!!! You lucked out having that color combo. I personally wouldn’t change a thing but if you wanted to, You could do the sheet hack or if you have even more time / help you could starch a sheet to a wall which looks like wallpaper and it peels right off with no residue!! This is something I plan to do in my living-room.

[@Print229]

I have a question about the fabric wall and alien tape. Why did you stick the alien tape to pins and tape the pins to the wall? Why not stick the tape directly to the fabric and wall?

[@justlanchen]

The tape won’t stick to the fabric

[@justlanchen]

🤍🤍🤍🤍

[@ChippedPaint16]

Girl drank a whole bottle of wine in this video lol

[@justlanchen]

haha its grape juice 👀

[@resonanceofambition]

Ah yes, books and lots of candles. Beautiful but deadly.

[@aqlotqilot8536]

I love dark academia/moody maximalism but I neeeed to know how to deal with all the dust! Too lazy to wipe all those things often. Does air filter or indoor plants helps? Any suggestions or ideas? Thanks :)

[@justlanchen]

I don’t open my windows so I don’t really get dust but if you do I would just get one of those dusting pads and run it over everything

[@aqlotqilot8536]

@@justlanchen i rarely open my windows too but still get really dusty! I think maybe it's because of the climate/weather we have here. Well I guess I need to start cleaning more than usual now 😂

[@maroonedinblue]

Can i ask where you bought the vintage sheet?

[@justlanchen]

Deseret industries!

[@44alwaysrightjlp]

Do have to drink a lot of wine between projects to make it look better. Just wondering as that is what you seem to do in your video?

[@justlanchen]

hahah I don't drink but I used the same clip from my living room makeover, Ive only shot with wine once but I'd like to get some new clips soon

[@Elizabeth-nt7uq]

You should probably varnish the fire trap wall you got going on there. Just my 2 cents...

[@Nemochills]

Which is the wine u were drinking?!

[@justlanchen]

its grape juice hehe

[@seumasmackinlay]

aesTHetic…

[@kateowens45]

Flipping your books around declares you a non-reader. So why would you put books in your house if you don't read them? It is like the chess sets you see in furniture showrooms with the pieces arranged in pretty patterns impossible to do in real play. People who flip their books around come across as airheads who should be decorating with something they can actually use.

[@justlanchen]

Well I do read my books… lol

[@Sinthecity]

What’s more airheaded- flipping books or declaring to the internet that you make moral and intellectual judgements of people based on the positioning of their books?

[@IluvinortheIneffable]

I stick mine in boxes in the closet

[@jelenasavic6561]

You people must understand, this is not "trendy aesthetic" that is a home of real intellectuals, 7 bucks gallery wall won't be rich looking, maybe you should consider buying a real art, collecting? And that book pages wall, it's so bad, you never destroy a book, no matter how boring she is

[@Tatiana_Palii]

Please don't rip out pictures from books in good condition, it's so wasteful😭 you can scan and print out the pictures, and then sell the book or give it away. There's no such thing as a "used" book. Better to look for vintage prints that are sold separately or as a collection. Also I think that David's head is so everywhere that it has long become kitsch (sorry), and if you don't want this effect, you can always choose some other classical plaster head - they are often sold as drawing props. Love the Apollo one, by the way! And even David doesn’t look that bad when he is (like here) functional and in company of some other plaster friends.

[@shoomboom]

I'm thinking of transforming my room to either a witchy or a detective-ish dark academia style and I'm loving these ideas especially the book pages wall I could turn it to a detective "murder wall" thing!

[@astrofalls]

Love to see someone making an expensive looking aesthetic accessible :)

[@justlanchen]

thank you!

[@annagraceartist9291]

This is one of the only diy idea video that I have seen that actually seems practical! No need to be a thrifting expert or spend a ton of money. I especially love the hanging sheet idea and the book paper wall! It transforms the space in a renter friendly way without costing an arm and a leg.

[@ritalynb7070]

My goal with my home was to make it comfortable and fill the rooms with things I love. I happen to love vintage dark wood furniture, lots of books, candles, vintage instruments, colored walls, heavy frames, vintage clocks & barometers, etc.... My intent was not to have a DA space, but I think that's where it ended up 😁 and almost everything is thrifted or second hand ❤ Edited to add: still thrift hunting for a globe and vintage maps for my space....

[@thewitch2810]

The book page wall hurt my soul as a book worm 📚

[@natalianoches39]

if you find a damaged book then you can use that instead of a good book and give the book a new life

[@olll_]

so true

[@TheHashCrackingSlasher]

This is the best video I've ever seen on even just decorating a room in general and I love it! Thank you for making this and I really love the book-pages wall as it looks really amazing haha I'll probably end up doing something similar to it

[@justlanchen]

🥰🥰🥰 seriously I am so happy that you liked it and found it helpful. omg you must do the book pages wall!! it is so freaking cool

[@chattykathie7129]

Ive found several Turkish Persian antique rugs, bust, typewriter, and books etc at my local thrift store so cheap, but I volunteer there and I love in the Midwest. One thing I’ve not found at my thrift store was a trophy cup, but I found one at a California flea.

[@joanofarcxxi]

Very nice ideas. Your place looks great, very cozy, inviting, magical, and zen.

[@justlanchen]

Thank you!

[@llywrch7116]

Since you mention Alien Tape so often, maybe you should have them sponsor one of your episodes. Lots of good budget-friendly ideas. Sadly, I came across this much too late: I've spent much of the last 40 years buying books, so I missed the boat on being budget-friendly.

[@darkserpentcat3309]

Does anyone know how to give the books I actually use a Dark Academia/old fashioned book cover look without damaging said books or permanently changing them

[@femmefatale20113]

Is it still DA if you don't drink wine and coffee only hot chocolate, and tea? By the way love the décor and beautiful aesthetics you use.

[@justlanchen]

Haha yes totally!! And thank you🧡🧡🧡

[@awakedoctor8714]

Neutral till its all mud. Or place some wild colorfull books in the right amount and place.

[@charlene2789]

i love ur hair they makes me think about narcissa malfoy (apologies if u hate the comparison but i love her!)

[@justlanchen]

I HAVE HER WAND!

[@EdithBurchett]

I really enjoyed this video even though I am not so much into dark academia. Your room looks very cozy and I like that you found affordable options. I just asked myself: what is it that you like so much about dark academia? Is it more about the aesthetics or is it a lifestyle? do you actually love reading and history? :)

[@dallasmales5520]

I think a lot of us are into reading and a lot of the vibe of high fantasy could fall into dark academia.

[@lifeoutnumbered]

Ohhhhh another way make books is to take sheets of paper and a gold sharpie to make your own dust jackets!!!!

[@cwoww76]

Just found your channel and immediately subscribed. Love it all!

[@SayntMisfit702]

You’re so pretty ❤😊 would love to pick your brainnnn

[@virginiacarver8788]

Great video. You are darling and a joy to watch. Thank you.

[@justlanchen]

omg youre so kind for saying that 🥺🤍

[@rendmc231]

grewt advice for beginners!

[@cthulhu8164]

Please, absolutely do NOT put candles on books!! That's an amazing DIY way to turn your *dark academia aesthetic* into a *free cremation* or *homelessness,* or in the best case scenario, a pile of burnt books. And with bedsheets/book pages on the walls? I'm in awe. Just a disaster waiting to happen, do not ever do such a thing. Horrendous advice.

[@justlanchen]

Luckily, that’s why flameless candles exist 🥰

[@justlanchen]

Nor did I ever once advise anyone to do what you are saying

[@cthulhu8164]

​@@justlanchenreally? Then how come I can go to 12:15 in the video and literally hear you say the words "put candles on your books"? 🥰 I'm glad you made a comment adressing this, but you can't sit on a high horse talking about fake candles while using B-roll of real ones, and then straight up lying about how you didn't tell people to put a fire harazd in their homes. If you had a fire in your home, this video could be used by your insurance company to show you being at fault, allowing them to avoid paying you. Way to fight the "DA aesthetic is for obnoxious snarky snobs" stereotype lol.

[@justlanchen]

@@cthulhu8164 well I do sit candles on my books which is why I said that, I don’t use my real candle tapers but my flameless ones so I suppose I can be more clear about that in the future. I do expect anyone watching is old enough to use their own discretion when it comes to doing anything in their home, such as light a real candle, put nails in their walls, do a makeover, ect. But just because in this video I’m explaining things I do in my own home, is not me forcing anyone to do anything in theirs. As for using real candles in my footage, this is something I do because I want my footage to look like something out of a movie (not saying it does, but I try). And just like when you go see a movie that covers dark themes, suicide, murder, ect. the Director and cinematographer didn’t film those scenes with the intention of trying to convince people to go out and do that themselves, it’s just a movie. Hope that makes more sense. But I do appreciate you for taking the time to write this and looking out for the audience watching. I will try to be more clear about the use of candles in my future videos

[@cthulhu8164]

@@justlanchen Right, I'm not trying to argue, and I can see you are trying to take some responsibility and I respect that, but some of the way you're going about it is just flawed and unnecessary and I just want you to understand why and leave it there. 1) As a content creator, you hold a level of responsibility for what you put out. Small channel, big channel, it doesn't matter, people are obviously holding you to high regard and trust, so you need to be aware of how you impact your viewers. Just like tiktokers who make videos about "how to make a poached egg in a microwave" can't sit behind "I expect my viewers to be mature and have common sense" as an excuse when people end up having 3rd degree burns from exploding eggs, you can't sit behind that as an excuse if someone, God forbid, is not mature or has enough common sense, and replicates what they see and hear in your videos without thinking about it, leading to an accident. You are essentially leading by example, love it or hate it, that's the price of being a content creator. 2) The difference between this and a horror film, is this is not a fictional art piece for entertainment clearly fake and not to be replicated, it's a video clearly intended to help others by giving advice. You're not forcing anyone to do anything, correct, but your video is called "budget friendly ways to make *your* room" there's a clear indication of advice already. And even with a title like "how I make my room dark academia on a budget" (which I understand wanting to avoid due to algorithms, so that's not a problem to me) it would still not change the tone of the video being informational rather than fictional. You don't see Jigsaw showing you a tutorial on how to make his traps, nor do you see a tutorial on how to seal your soul in a childs doll. I really don't understand why you're pretending this video is just B-rolls without advice, giving people advice is not the problem here. Ironically, I can use that same argument in reverse, where you'll notice how Mythbusters, Jackass, or science based content creators working with dangerous chemicals for example, will utilise a warning of "Do not try this at home" because they *also* don't intend to film scenes with the intention of trying to convince people to go out and do that themselves, it's just a show. But they understand that by depicting something in an educational, even entertainment context, they can be inadvertently setting an example for others who may be unaware of the real danger and go out and replicate what they see. Hope that makes sense. 3) A warning can even be selfishly motivated, as a way to avoid a lawsuit that people are trigger happy to start. So even if not out of the interest of other people's safety, you should consider them for the interest of your wallet. Your video, like your other ones, is very aestheticly pleasing and beautiful, and does feature some really good advice. You just made one little mistake, and that's fine, no one can say they haven't. My original comment was adressing that one specific mistake, and like I said, I'm glad you made a comment talking about it, to me, that was problem solved, honestly. (Though I would have personally made the choice to pin it, although I'm pretty sure as its your video your comment will naturally be on the top anyway, so it might not be necessary) We could have left it there, you fixed the situation by mentioning the mistake, all okay. But instead you chose to be condescending to me, lie, and then try to make a wierd defense for yourself built on nothing. All of that was completely unnecessary. (or, mandatory in court if you happened to be sued) I don't think you need to do anymore than you already did, and I can only hope my comment helped make you understand that I was interested in safety and taking responsibility, not to go after you, hence no need to try and justify your behaviour. "Yeah I messed up, I made a comment adressing that now and I'll keep that in mind in the future" would have made me thank you, and got a ton of respect. I do hope you continue to make videos, but understanding what role you have in the future, if not for your community, for your legal safety.

[@miriamabdulhadi6995]

This is my first time here, so I have to ask. Do you know that you look like you could be Kiera knightly’s twin sister 🥰🥰

[@justlanchen]

I don’t see it at all but that is seriously so flattering 🥹

[@kimnamjoom1084]

Can anybody please tell me the name of music playing in the background

[@justlanchen]

All the songs I use in my Dark Academia videos are here kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6nQaJp6fNiqr6c

[@chloejsc]

I’ve never been here this early before! I love your videos and omg your hair is gorgeous! Have a wonderful day 🤎

[@justlanchen]

Thank you!!! 🥰🥰🥰This is the longest my hair has been in 10 years, it’s so new to me haha

[@chloejsc]

It looks gorgeous on you! I can understand the feeling of hair being too long, mine is about the same length as yours and I’m used to it being about 3 inches shorter than it currently is. I save so much money on conditioner when it’s shorter 😂🤎

[@noa00229-t]

wauw! your necklace is so pretty! where is it from? lovely video :) thank youu

[@justlanchen]

Thank youuu 🥰🥰 I actually found it in a box behind my dryer when I was moving. I have no idea where it came from

[@noa00229-t]

@@justlanchen lucky you!

[@phobiawitch835]

Here for the tips! Im getting my own apartment soon and while I have a more Modern color palette in the works (Blue-Grey Walls with blacks, browns, and some darker blues and white accents), I love a good gothic library.

[@priyankaacivilaspirant6557]

Looks like a ghost room

[@Wiwksksslwls191]

Where did you buy the sheet

[@justlanchen]

thrifted!

[@Karin-u4q]

Servus, with best wishes from Austria/Vienna thank you for the Inspiration

[@s4oren2]

amazing video!! I'm an expert in decorating myself and I didn't think of the page wall! love it

[@shannm5248]

These are all amazing suggestions. Thank you for this!

[@lorikorstanje2964]

awesome tips love what you did

[@Luminocite]

This is so cool, thanks!

[@justlanchen]

Glad you like it!

[@DryllTanio]

Alien Tape can take off the paint and texture. Just moved and it took off a large amount of paint. The manufacturer also says it's not paint safe.

[@PumpkinPatchVintage]

Interesting ideas but these are not Dark Academia; they are LIGHT Academia.

[@ribbrascal]

Lol is this satire 💀

[@justlanchen]

Why would decorating ideas be satire? 😂🥹

[@Candy24238]

Where did you get all this furniture from? I can never find any🥹🥹🥹

[@justlanchen]

Facebook market place is where I source most of my items!

[@ajareid9306]

I live with my parents, but I really wanna do a dark academia fairy core whimsigothic vampire themed room for Halloween

[@ameliasilvertongue4042]

This is the first time I found something, that makes my dark academia room makeover dream within my reach🤎🤎 thank you so much

[@justlanchen]

Of course🤍🤍✨✨