Apartment Decorating 101

By Sarah Chrisien on February 10, 2015

My apartment living room.

You’re a college student who is preparing to move into your first apartment. However, the daunting task of decorating has you stumped. To help you through the process, here is my list of helpful (and thrifty) tips I learned when furnishing my first apartment.

1) Keep an eye out for yard/garage sales.

Though it may sound trite, one man’s trash is truly another man’s treasure. My roommate and I spent our fair share of early Saturday mornings scouring local garage sales for wall art, end tables, lamps, etc., and it paid off.

We found a small storage chest/cabinet (for free!) and two big pieces of art to hang in the dining area and hall (they were about $5 each). Garage and yard sales are also perfect if you are decorating on a tight budget: most people really just want their “junk” gone, so they are willing to negotiate prices.

2) Go to Goodwill.

If driving around from yard sale to yard sale isn’t your cup of tea (unfortunately, they can sometimes be hit-or-miss), consider browsing your local Goodwill. I guarantee that most of the seemingly arbitrary knick-knacks will catch your eye as perfect accent pieces for your desk, wall, or coffee table.

Also, most Goodwills normally have an impressive collection of old records, which I definitely recommend checking out. Our Goodwill sells records for ridiculously cheap prices, which worked out perfectly because not only do we have a record player, but also because the covers made perfect wall art for our living area (see above picture).

3) Don’t be afraid to DIY.

Lord knows I am not a crafty person. Like, at all. Most of the DIY projects I’ve attempted have turned out looking like a preschooler’s art project. However, even I can handle something as simple as a photo collage or a decorative frame.

Walmart, IKEA and Target all offer a variety of cheap frames for you to display photos, movie or concert ticket stubs, old birthday cards, and any other seemingly small but meaningful scraps of paper that you can’t seem to part with. The end product is a nice, personal touch to your room that is easy for even the most craft-challenged people to create.

4) Consult friends and family for furniture.

If your new place doesn’t come furnished, finding furniture can be a bit of a hassle. Before you hit up Craigslist, make sure you ask around with friends and family. More often than not, they will have some old, forgotten table, chair, or couch buried in their garage, just waiting for a new home in your apartment.

Almost all of my current furniture belonged to my sister and her roommate; I took it when they graduated, and it made furnishing our apartment so much easier. We also got our dining room set at a bargain from my roommate’s former co-worker.

Even if the furniture isn’t in perfect condition, a quick coat of paint or some simple reupholstering can make it look as good as new. Bottom line, recycling/inheriting furniture from your friends and family will relieve some of the hassle of decorating (and if you’re really lucky, you’ll get it for free!).

The decorating possibilities are endless, and having to decorate an entire living space instead of a small dorm room may seem intimidating. But if you plan ahead of time (and utilize the tips listed above) you will eventually have a lovely living space to call your own.

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