5 Decorating Tips for your College Apartment

Just because you’re in college doesn’t mean that you have to live like a student. You can decorate your student apartment without making it too professional-looking. Let it be an interesting mishmash of your college experience, your travels and the new things you’re learning everyday. Here are a few decorating ideas to help you get started:

5 Decorating Tips

1. Color. It’s important to have a touch of color in your college apartment. Choose your bed sheets, curtains and sofa upholstery with care. You’re going to have to live with these colors. Some people feel frazzled if they’re around too many primary colors. So you might want to get slightly muted colors. At the same time, don’t go in for too many greys and beiges or you’ll end up feeling bored and irritated sitting in that room. Remember that you don’t have to keep everything in one room in the same color family. In fact,  it’s a lot more fun to mix and match colors in a way that appeals to you.Flowers or Plants are another good way to add some color to the apartment. This can be anything from have a vase of flowers on the dining room table to a fake palm tree in the living room.
2. Artwork. Most people learn a little bit about art when they go to college. If you don’t know much about art and don’t have a favorite artist, feel free to browse the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website. A lot of their collection is now available to view online. The French Impressionists and Klimt are often favorites with college students. However, if you like someone more offbeat, why not go with that artist? If traditional art isn’t your scene, just go to a poster store and buy something you like. It’ll give your room a personal touch. You can even get an artwork calendar and have a different print to look at every month.
3. Knickknacks from Different Cultures. College is a time to explore and learn about new things. You’re probably going to meet people from different cultures and learn about what’s going on in other parts of the world. Getting a few knickknacks from different cultures to display in your student apartment will remind you that you’re there to expand your horizons. Plus, they just look cool! So get a Japanese tea set, an Indian sari to hang on your wall or just a collection of postcards from wherever you went on spring break.
4. Photographs. Although you’re probably enjoying being independent of your family, you don’t want to forget them altogether. Putting up a collection of photographs of the people in your life will keep you grounded. You can either frame them and hang them on the wall or just put up a piece of cork board and use thumb tacks to pin them up.
5. Scarves/draperies/lighting. There are many little touches that students use to decorate their apartments. Colorful silk scarves or pieces of fabric bought from curio stores are inexpensive and can be used in multiple ways in an apartment. You can drape a scarf over a bedside lamp to create mood lighting. Or you can hang it on a wall or use it to cover a side table. Stick candles in old-fashioned candlesticks or wine bottles and let the wax drip over the side to create a pattern. You can also get a collection of Mardi Gras beads and throw them over a lamp or arrange them on a jewelry tree to create a pretty and inexpensive showpiece. Fairy lights will give your apartment or room a festive look even if you’re not celebrating anything special.

These are just a few decorating ideas that can make your apartment more inviting. What are some of your college apartment decorating ideas? Let us know about them in the comment section below.