As a Junior, I honestly cannot believe we are halfway done with our journey at Fairfield but on the bright side we no longer are living in those tiny box dorms with limited personal space. We now have the opportunity to live in the townhouses with either four or six of our friends. Of course when you first walk in the front door there is nothing special about the furniture or layout however once you make it your own, you will never want to leave!
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Buy a carpet. Yes the dark gray carpeting is in some peoples opinion very pretty however for most students, putting a bright fun patterned carpet on top adds a little extra something to the living room area.
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Hang up lights. There is nothing worse than those fluorescent light bulbs in every light on campus. The intensity of the light tends to give people a headache and make it feel like an interrogation room more than a living room. Buy some fun string lights off of Amazon to make the room cozier once you turn off all the lights.
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Add a tapestry. The bare walls of the first floor are probably the best feature. You can honestly do anything or add anything to them in order to make it your own. There are hundreds of extra-large tapestries on Amazon for a decent price and many from stores like Free People that are a little more expensive but definitely worth every penny.
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Buy place mats and a centerpiece. The four chair dining room table may seem like a waste of space however once you spruce it up with a few objects it will look more like a family dining room table than a tiny wooden table.
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Use a coffee table, futon, and TV stand. Adding a futon to the mix really allows for the living room to be separated into a dining room area and living room area instead of one big room. The coffee table and TV stand allow for more storage.
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Use fun kitchen essentials. Be sure to buy fun dishtowels, a kitchen rug, and cute organizational containers. You are only given a refrigerator so get cheap deals on appliances on Amazon and Walmart.
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Stock up on bathroom essentials: Though you may think that no one cares how a bathroom is decorated trust me they do. There is a huge difference between using the bathroom in a guys house vs. a girls house and let me tell you everyone prefers a girls house. Add glade scent balls to keep the bathroom smelling fresh, a hand towel, soap, plenty of toilet paper, and all your cleaning supplies. For the upstairs shower bathroom be sure to get a shower rug, shower curtain, and some form of shelving for the shower to put all your bathroom products on (i.e.: shampoo, conditioner.)
Overall, make the house your own. Add posters, fun sayings, and little touches that will show your personality along with your housemate’s personality. This is the first time most students are living in a house and responsible of cooking their own meals and cleaning their surroundings. Be sure to set some ground rules but overall have fun.