Decorating a living room can be a challenge if you are a student. You have limited money, resources, and space. However, that does not mean that you have to settle for sitting on the floor. Using a little creativity and working with what you have can help in decorating your living room.
Furniture
Furniture may be your biggest problem to overcome for decorating a living room. Most college students take whatever they can get for furniture – hand-me-down couches from the ‘70s, TV sets with rabbit-ear antennas, whatever. However, just because a couch has the most hideous fabric does not mean that it cannot be made to look presentable.
First, if it is possible to get a slipcover for the couch, then do it. However, slipcovers can be expensive, especially for a student’s budget. So, unless you have a parent or grandparent that takes pity on you, you may want to consider a throw or blanket: either can do wonders to disguise an ugly couch.
One point to remember when decorating is that used furniture is just that – used. It has probably accumulated a lot of grime and dust mites throughout the years. Clean the couch before decorating with it. Vacuum it thoroughly and treat any spots or stains. Rent a steam cleaner from the grocery store or home improvement store if that fits into your budget. If you are lucky enough to have inherited some leather furniture, wipe it clean with distilled water. Having clean furniture will make your living room look so much better.
Arrangement
The key to decorating a living room is the arrangement of the furniture. Don’t just circle the seating around the television – try to establish a focal point and work with that. Where do you want the focus to be when people are sitting in the living room? Arrange the furniture with that focus in mind. Of course, your furniture may be an assortment of mismatched pieces. Don’t let that stop you from having some continuity to the room when decorating it.
Decorations
The decorations can really make or break your living room. You may not have much choice in what furniture you have, but you should have a little more control over what you hang on the walls. Talk with your roommates and agree on a style. Then go to a poster shop and use that for your decorating. Posters are a great, cheap way to decorate. You can choose ones that are conversation pieces and fit your personality, or you can use posters that are replicas of works of art. You don’t even have to frame them. Try to agree on the style and locations before you start tacking them up so that you do not put any unnecessary holes in the walls.
Even with a college student’s limited budget, decorating a living room can be fun. In the end, you can have a room that is more pleasant and that you can use to hang out with your friends in comfort and style.
Related Articles
