You’re an Ohio University student moving into your first rental house, or perhaps you’re a Buckeye moving into a new apartment in Columbus. Congratulations! But that doesn’t mean you have to live like a typical college student. Yes, you too can decorate your Athens or Columbus apartment like a real adult — and it doesn’t need to cost you thousands of dollars. Here are nine tips for decorating your college apartment or rental house on a budget.
Rugs Are a Student’s Best Friend
A nice rug is one of the easiest ways to beat that run-down apartment feel many older rentals in Athens and Columbus tend to have. Like the Dude said, it really ties the room together. Here’s a pro-tip: Go light enough to bring a light spacious feel to your living room, but not so light you can’t hide the stains. Multicolored rugs can work best. Beer stains will happen. This is college, after all! It’s OK to score a great rug at a thrift shop but make sure it’s clean before you start using it. Give it a good whiff at the store before paying money for it. If you have a dog that sheds, it’s probably not the height of wisdom to buy a nice rug whose color contrasts with Fido’s lush black fur.
Curtains Are Classy
Window blinds are for chumps. Take them down, stash them in a closet or basement, and break out some billowy curtains. This can really add a splash of class to your space. And don’t think you need to spend hundreds of dollars on them either (as if you could). If you’re a bit crafty, you can make your own with fabric without too much trouble. A colorful tapestry does wonders as well and gives the room some eye-catching color. Hang them floor to ceiling to take advantage of spacious height. It will make your place look roomier. If you’re replacing window coverings that came with the place, make sure it’s OK with your landlord.
Don’t Overstuff a Small Space
If your apartment is on the smaller side, like many rentals in Athens and Columbus, be careful not to fill it with too much stuff. Instead of the spacious couch, go for a love seat and an easy chair. With moderately sized furniture, smaller rooms will actually look bigger. This helps to give your space more breathing room. If your heart is set on a big couch (for those afternoon naps), then go easy on the other furniture in that room. You don’t want it so cluttered that it looks like Aunt Mavis’s parlor.
Let There Be Light
Multiple lamps add layers and texture to your living space, giving it a sense of dimension that brings interest to the space. Lamps can also make your apartment feel warm and welcoming. Bringing more control to the lighting possibilities of the room can also help study sessions, as well as late night after hours when you want to tone down the room for fun or romance. It’s also good practice to make sure that every room has a lamp next to one or more chairs; nothing worse than sitting down to read and not having any light, or having to rely on the big and bright overhead light. (When you see a room like this, with no effort to accommodate people who, God forbid, read, it makes you wonder about the future of our species.)
Frame Posters Like Real Artwork
You’re in college, so wall posters are a thing. But they don’t need to look like posters stuck to the wall with ticky tack, ripped up like a portrait of George Washington. Frame your posters so they look like real artwork. A Van Gogh poster can look like a real Van Gogh hanging on the walls of the Cleveland Museum of Art, with the right frame and framing. You can also frame magazine clippings, postcards gorgeous enough to be art, even a classic beer ad. Frames can make your posters look like they’re owned by real adults.
Personalize the Bathroom
Your bathroom isn’t just the place for showers and poo meditation. Decorate it with posters and other artwork, classy candles, a nice rug, maybe a colorful lamp. Make your bathroom you. This adds personality and a sense of home to your space. Put up a colorful shower curtain. Throw in a garden stool and some plants. It can really liven up your bathing space.
Turn Old Drawers into Wall Shelves
Have some old desk drawers lying around? Hang them on the wall to create your own bookshelves. These shelves can also be great for plants, knickknacks, or other artwork. Shelves help give your place a sense of space and class.
Get a Headboard
A headboard on a bed frame does wonders as a focal point in your bedroom. It gives the room a sense of class that’s great for romance, as well as comfort. Once you’ve tried the comfort of a headboard, you’ll never want to rest your head on the wall again. It also helps prevent your pillows from sliding underneath the bed, a royal pet peeve. It doesn’t take much. Even John Lennon and Yoko used old church pews with a slab of wood for a bed frame.
Make Your Space Your Own
You be you. If you don’t need a dining room or kitchen table, put a pool table or ping pong table in the dining room. If hammocks are your thing, place a colorful one in the living room. Want more living space in your bedroom? Get a futon or a bed that folds up. This is your world. Be as free as you want.
And if you don’t have much interest in how the inside of your Columbus or Athens student housing looks, that’s OK, too. But make sure you let your housemates know that they’re free to decorate however they like. They may be assuming that you’re planning to decorate when that’s actually the last thing on your mind. As with any other human endeavor, communication is always better than the alternative, and that certainly applies to living in your Athens or Columbus student rental.