Spacious college rentals with equally big backyards are kind of the holy grail of rental units while you’re in school. If you’re lucky enough to find an affordable student home for rent with ample outdoor space, you’ve hit the jackpot. If you’re the outgoing type, your social calendar just got a whole lot busier with the possibilities having a backyard entails. If you’re less social, you’ve got a unique college apartment, and you can take advantage of the outdoor area to have a small group of friends over or even hang out by yourself.
But, as with the inside of that cool rental home with three bedrooms you and your friends found, you’ll want to do some decorating to make your backyard or porch space really feel like home. But, at the same time, you’re a college student and don’t have a huge budget to blow on decking out your outdoor space. Thankfully, there a ton of low-cost and thrifty options to take the outside of your student rental housing to the next level without breaking the bank.
Thrifting Furniture for Your Patio or Backyard
You don’t have to ball out to make the backyard or porch of that humongous student rental with four bedrooms; you just have to get a little creative. Hitting up some of the local thrift stores is a surefire way to find great deals on furniture that was once loved and can easily be repurposed into outdoor seating for your college rental with a sizable porch that’s perfect to sit on or for a lush backyard. As far as what kinds of furniture, you’ll likely want at least a few chairs (or a larger sofa) and a table to create a sitting area.
If you find furniture that’s perhaps worse for wear and has seen some things during its lifetime, but you love the design itself, don’t be so quick to discard the idea of getting it. Showing worn furniture some love through either repainting wood or reupholstering fabric breathes new life into a piece—not to mention, you’ve also got yourself a one-of-kind piece now.
When you’re looking for furniture to decorate the backyard or patio of your college rental across the way from Ohio University’s campus, be on the lookout for multipurpose furniture. When you’re a student, your living situation tends to be in flux—you might be at one of the best six-bedroom rentals in the area one year with your friends and have access to a backyard, but you might have a change of heart the next year and rent out Ohio University housing that’s the perfect size for two people with your closest friend of the bunch that doesn’t have an outside space. Because you never know what you’re going to end up with, it’s smart to pick furniture that can fill multiple roles.
Add Some Color and Vibrancy
Once you’ve figured the furniture situation out, you’ll want to move on to adding a few pops of color to your backyard to help liven things up. One of our favorite, low-cost ways to zhuzh up your outdoor space is to find a colorful area rug to put around your chairs and table. Not only is it a great way to add some color, but it also ties the seating area together, much like an area rug would indoors.
If you’re looking to add some curb appeal to your student rental home around the corner from campus, think about getting a few potted plants and flowers. Most annuals need minimal care outdoors, and it’s a simple way to make that bare-bones rental look like a top-notch college home. Most plants don’t cost an arm and a leg, plus if you go with cheap planters like terracotta pots, you’ll have a cohesive aesthetic for your outdoor plants.
Make Sure to Accessorize Your Seating
Once you’ve got the general layout down, you’ll want to add some comfy accessories to the mix for whenever you’re hanging out on the porch or in the backyard of your soon-to-be luxurious college rental home. Add a few throw pillows to whatever seating you find—not only will the seating be more inviting and comfortable to sit on, but you’ll also be able to accessorize and design the space on a deeper level. The same goes for throw blankets. They’re a comfortable addition to whatever ensemble of pillows and seating you’ve managed to put together, and they’ll make your outdoor hangout spot feel as homey as possible.
Shop Around for Outdoor Mood Lighting
Just as important as the furniture you pick out, the ambiance plays a major role in creating both a cozy and functional atmosphere with your rental pad with one of the nicest backyards in town. The easiest—and most cost-effective—method of adding to the ambiance is to purchase good lighting. String lights, which are sort of the de facto college student special, are actually going to be one of the best options. They’re cheap, easy to set up, and don’t require installing or messing with any existing lighting fixtures outdoors.
Outdoor lighting is the one thing that’s going to take your rental from ordinary to an extraordinarily classy home to rent while in college. Lighting sets the scene for all kinds of parties and friend hangouts that you can take advantage of. Whether you’re having a backyard gathering or a full on rager, the lighting is a major part of making things picturesque, right next to all the other decorations, and it’ll keep the part going well into the night.
If you’re fortunate enough to find yourself with a nice apartment in one of the campus neighborhoods, and it also happens to have a backyard, take advantage of the extra space especially when it’s nice outside in Ohio. It’ll make for some memorable experiences with you and your friends, and plus, it’s just nice to have an outside space to call your own.