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Coffee Table Couch Apartment Living Room Sunny
Coffee Table Couch Apartment Living Room Sunny
Anna Thetard / Her Campus
Style > Decor

How to Make Your College Apartment Cozy

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at VCU chapter.

When you move into your first apartment as a college student, it can be a difficult adjustment. If you can manage to make your apartment more cozy and comfortable, it’ll be easier to feel at home. Here are some decorating tips that I’ve used to make my college apartment feel more welcoming and homey.

add a rug

Adding a rug to either your bedroom or living room area can warm up the room and make it feel softer. You can even have some fun with it by choosing between different shapes and a color to match the rest of the room. You’d be surprised by how much of a game-changer it is to have rugs in your home because it can change the feel of an entire room. Having rugs throughout your apartment softens up the atmosphere and creates a cozy vibe.

hang a tapestry

Hanging a tapestry on your wall is one of the easiest things you can do to personalize your new home. You can even do this in a dorm room or practically anywhere, it doesn’t even have to be an apartment. Whether it’s something funny, a scenic photo or just a fun pattern, there are so many different options to choose from in terms of tapestries and so many places to order from online. Having a tapestry up is a way to add some personality to the room and change the vibe of it.

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decorate with plants

Having plants in your home is pretty common, and for good reason too. Studies have shown that indoor plants improve concentration, reduce stress levels and boost your mood. Adding some cute plants to your home will give you some instant greenery and nature while also livening up your apartment and providing health benefits.

hang string lights

Hanging up string or fairy lights is another super common decoration that many college students use for their rooms. It doesn’t have to be a holiday for you to have lights up; in fact, it’s really nice to have white lights up all year round just for the atmosphere. You can wrap them around the room on the wall or drape them over any furniture, and the room will instantly feel cuter and more put together.

My dorm bed with string lights with leaves
Original photo by Madeline Haller
add a doormat

This is one of my favorite things that I did to personalize my college apartment: putting a cute doormat outside our door. The doormat is one of the first things people see when they come to your apartment, so it can make a first impression on people and set the tone. This is another one of those things where there are so many options to choose from online. You can opt for something funny, something cute, or just go with a classic welcome mat.

Most of these are pretty easy and don’t require a lot of effort, but they make a huge difference in terms of how a room feels. For minimal work, you can add any of these to your new home at college to make it feel cozier.

Caroline is a student at Virginia Commonwealth University pursuing a degree in Information Systems. She enjoys reading, running and spending quality time with her dog.