9 Decorating Ideas for Your College Environment

By Lorena Roberts on August 1, 2018

This article is brought to you by CORT Furniture Rental. We take the hassle out of furnishing your new place so you can do more important things like read this article. Learn more about why furniture rental is the best way to get a great looking apartment.

As the lease period comes to an end for college students across the country, the time for moving into new apartments/townhomes/dorm rooms has arrived. It’s exciting to move into a new place — especially one of your own. While roommates are an essential part of the college experience, having your own place puts you in complete control of your environment. You get to decide on your own color scheme, furniture, curtains, and how you want your kitchen to be set up. It’s an incredible feeling to be decorating your new place – you have endless options.

Even if you aren’t moving into a new place, sometimes this time of year brings on an itch to redecorate. The new semester is about to begin and you want to be as comfortable as possible in your environment. Oftentimes, when students start moving in and out of apartments, they begin selling all their belongings for cheap, meaning you have the opportunity to buy some gently used (decently cute!) items to spruce up your place.

Whether you’re moving into a brand new apartment or you’ve decided it’s time to redecorate the apartment you’ve been living in, here are nine ideas for decorating your college environment:

via Pixabay.com

1. Stay with neutral tones.

Because being in college typically means every second of your time is filled with studying or extra-curricular activities, make sure your environment starts and ends with relaxation. Sticking with neutral tones gives you the best chance at a calm environment. You don’t want to come home to bright colors and clutter. After a long day of classes, with an endless list of homework and assignments to be completed, you want to walk into an environment where you’re calm and relaxed. It doesn’t help to come home to a cluttered, stressful environment when you’ve already got a million things on your plate.

2. Avoid too much furniture.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when decorating your college apartment is to fill it to the brim with furniture. No doubt, the furniture you picked out is super cute. But when you barely have room to move around in your own place, you aren’t setting yourself up for success. Remember that most of the time: less is more. Stick to modern, sleek designs, where you have plenty of empty space.

3. Color schemes are real.

I wouldn’t suggest giving a different color scheme to each room — but instead, try to keep the same color scheme throughout your new place. The more consistency you have in your home, the more consistency you’ll feel that you have in life in general.

Neutral tones are calming and will make your new home “flow.” Instead of “chopping up” the rooms by giving each its own color scheme, give a natural flow to your place by sticking to earthy-tones in every room.

4. Rugs, rugs, rugs.

If you have hardwood floors, you probably love them. But rugs can be the answer to creating a cozy environment. Hardwood floors create an echo, making your place feel empty, sad, and alone. If you put rugs down throughout your new place, you’ll feel like you’ve created a space that’s completely comfortable. Just ensure you don’t skip out on vacuuming your rugs or putting them in the dryer once a week — they can collect dust and hair that can cause your allergies to flare up.

5. String lights.

If you don’t like overhead lights (which most people don’t), look into stringing lights around your bedroom or living room. Lamps and string lights are the best way to make your environment feel relaxing. Soft lighting is better for the soul. Instead of overwhelming your senses, soft lighting creates an ambiance that’s perfect for studying and retaining information.

via Pixabay.com

6. Tapestries.

Tapestries are some of the greatest decorations ever. Not only are they inexpensive, but they’re easy to hang and can transform an entire wall. Hang your tapestries as close to the top of the wall as you can — in order to draw the eye up. It’ll make your room look way bigger than it really is.

Something I would not suggest in your new place is hanging tapestries on every wall. It can be overwhelming to have too many patterns in one place. Instead, stick to hanging one tapestry in each room. Again, neutral tones/colors are always best.

7. Reupholster old furniture.

As college students, we’re all on a budget. So if you’re wanting to give your dining room chairs a new look, recover them with fabric that fits your color scheme! You’ll need a staple gun, hot glue, and whatever fabric you’re wanting to use.

Whether it’s your desk chair, your dining room table chairs, or barstools, recovering furniture can give your room a whole new look. Buy some furniture off a Buy/Sell/Trade Facebook group and get to work.

8. Repaint the furniture you already have.

Dressers, desks, and nightstands are prime furniture pieces that can be re-painted. If you’re not moving into a new place and you’re just rearranging your furniture and sprucing up your color scheme, it can be easy to repaint the furniture you already have to make everything work together.

If you’re re-painting your dresser, pick up some cute drawer knobs that will spruce up the look. If you’re painting your nightstand, consider painting a pattern across the top as to make it “pop.”

9. Don’t underestimate the power of your curtains.

Curtains are the eyeshadow of a room. If you’re wanting to redecorate your place, start by evaluating whether or not the curtains you currently have hung really “work.” If you don’t have curtains up, that’s a good place to start.

If you’re wanting at least one thing in your new place to “pop,” make it the curtains of a room. It’ll draw the eye to the window, and up to the top of the room. You’ll feel like the room you’re standing in is much bigger than it really is.

Redecorating, moving, and painting can be very overwhelming. If you’re moving into a new place, don’t feel rushed to get the decor perfect in a day. It’s a process. If it takes you a few weeks to get it the way you want it, that’s okay. Patience is your biggest advantage in this process.

Looking for an easy way to furnish your off-campus apartment? Renting furniture from CORT saves you time and money. See how easy it is to get great looking furniture without breaking the bank.

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