College is a great time of your life, you’re away from home for the first time all on your own and no one is there to tell you what to do. While this is as exciting as can be, decorating your new college dorm or apartment can make you feel at home when you finally begin feeling homesick. Here are a few ways to spice up the dorm and apartment life without completely emptying your pockets.
Tapestries
(urbanoutfitters.com)
Tapestries are an easy way to add a splash of color and design to any college dorm or apartment. There are unlimited ways you can hang and droop these trendy fabrics. Some common ideas are to hang them behind your bed, on your ceiling, they can even act as a curtain for your window. Don’t be afraid to use more than one in your room, the more the merrier.
Throw Pillows
(babasouk.ca)
Pillows are perfect for adding a unique style to your bed, couch or any comfy living quarters you may have. Don’t feel overwhelmed by all of the patterns and colors Target and TJ Maxx may be throwing in your face. Try keeping a constant color scheme within your room even if that means using multiple patterns. Don’t cover your whole bed with these plush pillows but use enough to add color to those dreadful white brick walls that cover the whole dorm interior.
Wall Art
(averielane.com)
Wall art can be found in many department stores and for a reasonable price at places such as Target, TJ Maxx, Home Goods and Wal-Mart. If you happen to have an artistic hand you can even try and paint your own canvas with the design of your choosing. For people more like me who can’t manage to draw a stick figure, buying a pre-painted canvas might be the way to go. These lightweight wall arts are easy to hang and make your blank dorm room wall an open canvas.
Lights
(gardenista.com)
If your room is as dark as mine is, lighting can change the whole mood of the living space. By placing strand lights along each wall, the room starts to look homier in an instant. If you want to add more lighting than this, standing lamps can also add color and a homey touch.
Curtains
(brit.co)
Whether you need curtains for a window, your shower or to hide all the clothes you threw into your closet this morning, draperies with colorful patterns are great for wrapping all of these ideas into a chic looking room. For windows, finding colorful black out curtains is perfect for blocking the sun out when you’re trying to sleep off your hangover from the party juice of last night’s shenanigans. Curtains for your closet and shower can be as simple as a plain colored fabric or as fun as a colorful pattern.
Pictures
(stylecaster.com)
Hanging pictures of your friends from back home brings a bit of your hometown back to school with you. Whether you use picture frames that sit on your desk or hang pictures on your walls, it is always nice to have a friendly reminder that your friends are always a call or text away. A creative way to hang pictures along your wall is to use yarn and attach the photographs with clothespins to add a droopy look to your bare wall.
Windows
(lushome.com)
Many antique stores or thrift stores house these interesting looking antique windows, which add a trendy feeling to your college room. Whether you hang it above your bed to act as a headboard or above a desk or dresser this is a great idea to add a unique look to your new room. Depending on your living space, you may or may not have space to add an antique looking window to your wall, however if you have the space it is truly a unique idea to add a sense of chicness to your new room.