Welcome back, Aggies! Whether you just moved into the dorms, your first apartment, or are an apartment veteran, it’s always fun to think about simple ways you can spruce up your place.
I don’t know about you, but I tend to get a bit of anxiety when it comes to stuff like this. So much so that I end up completely forgoing decorating in its entirety. I can’t even articulate to you how many hours I’ve spent pouring over sites like Amazon, Etsy, Target – you name it. Well, my lost time is your gained time!
Here are a few ways you can personalize your space on a budget and with minimal effort. (Warning: Photos included are of my actual apartment, taken by me. I am neither a photographer nor an interior designer, so I apologize in advance.)
1. Put up a tapestry
I never thought I was the type of person who could pull off having a tapestry (I’ll never be boho-chic enough), but I was wrong! Putting up a tapestry on empty wall space adds so much more depth and color to a room. My roommate and I personally placed ours behind our couch, and it’s amazing how much it opens up the room. We bought this tapestry from Amazon (after searching for weeks), and we’re super happy with it. (We actually put it on backwards! We liked how much more muted the colors looked. Trust me, no one can tell!)
2. Fairy lights (duh, it’s college)
Some people may make fun of twinkle lights, but they’ve never failed me. I was looking for something a little different from the usual strand of lights, and came across these. They give such a beautiful waterfall effect, and I really like how there are a variety of different light settings you can use. And, it looks so good layered over a tapestry!
3. Do a puzzle you like the look of, then frame it and put it up
I had a lot of free time during summer, and decided I wanted to become a puzzle person. Barnes & Noble, by the way, has such a variety of cool puzzles to choose from, so if you don’t know where to start, go there! I got this one from B&N, and I am obsessed. I really like how unique this makes my apartment feel; I’ll be very surprised if I see it in the living room of any of my friends.
4. Posters
Posters are such an easy way to add life to your walls. My roommate and I had a lot of empty, blank space by our TV, and decided a few posters would liven up the space. She already had a good number of movie and TV show posters (Breaking Bad, Harry Potter, and Star Wars), so we just used those!
5. Buy a bookshelf
As an English major, I have dozens and dozens of books in my repertoire. Storage is often pretty tight in apartments, so they typically end up in a box pushed under my bed. If you’re living in the dorms, you won’t have any room for a bookshelf (Sorry, freshmen! Next year!), but if you’re in an apartment, it can be a great add. We got this relatively inexpensive one from IKEA, and it’s worked great. To add more personality, we added a few knick-knacks here and there, too.
6. Construction paper (it really works!)
My apartment had a big, ugly piece of wood that divided the bar seating from the kitchen, and it made us sad to look at it. My roommate had the wonderful idea to use her leftover crafting paper (that she had previously used to make a scrapbook-type cookbook) and make a collage to cover the wood. It didn’t cost us anything (except about two hours of our time), but we’re no longer as sad when we look at it. I can’t find the exact pad she got online, but it’s very similar to this one and this one from Jo-Ann.
All photos in body of article courtesy of Nikki Babri
Cover photo from marthastewart.com