How to Add Some Creative Touches to Your Apartment

By Danielle Wirsansky on October 30, 2017

Your apartment is your space, your one private place where you can truly be yourself. College can be a whirlwind and your sense of who you are might be changing, and you want your space to be reflective of the transitory nature of the college experience.

Make your space truly yours by adding some creative touches to your apartment. Read on to learn some tips on how!

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Personal photos

A study conducted in 1975 showed that working with images of yourself, taking, printing, and hanging them help to increase a child’s self-esteem by more than 37 percent. Now, not to suggest that college students are children, but if something is beneficial to children why wouldn’t it be beneficial to some young adults that were recently children?

David Krauss, a licensed psychologist from Cleveland, Ohio, said the following:

“I am very conservative about self-esteem and I think placing a family photo someplace in the home where the child can see it every day without having to turn on a device or click around on a computer to find it really hits home for that child this sense of reassurance and comfort. They have a certainty about them and a protecting quality that nurtures a child. It lets them know where they are in the pecking order and that they are loved and cared for.”

Now, the photos you hang in your home do not have to be family- or self-portraits, even though studies show their benefits. But the photos should be personal and important to you, whether they be people, places, or things. Having visual reminders of the things that you love and that make you happy can help not only make your space personal but keep you in a more relaxed and happy state. It can also teach those that visit your home more about you and can help serve as conversation starters.

Find more decor ideas here!

Throw blankets or rugs

On a college budget, it can be difficult to afford an entire set of furniture all at once or to even afford new furniture. The furniture most students end up with is sturdy and cheap, and its aesthetic or ability to match the other furniture is way down on the list. Many students choose to buy neutral and basic pieces of furniture because they are cheaper and will look less offensive when paired with each other. But all black or brown furniture can be boring. Sometimes you need more than just the basic necessities to make your house feel more like a home.

Make your home more cozy by adding a throw blanket or rug! You never know when you might need a blanket while huddling on the couch or a rug to keep your feet comfy. You can also choose ones that really fit your taste and needs. Maybe you like really soft fleece blankets or perhaps you like heavy knit or crocheted afghans. Perhaps you like really soft rugs that your feet can sink into and disappear or prefer a stiffer bristled sort. There are a lot of options and you can choose the kind that fits what you are looking for.

These items can also add a nice pop of color to your apartment if that is what you are looking for. Your blanket or rug could be a neutral design or it could be wildly exciting and colorful. Maybe your blanket will have a black and white photo of the Eiffel tower on it with just a flash of red. Maybe your throw rug is rainbow with dozens of different kinds of fabric scraps knotted together to create a mish-mash of color. It is really up to you!

Let yourself and your personality really shine through with the décor accents you choose.

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Mirrors

Another downfall of college living is that with a limited budget comes a limited space. Your college apartment might not be the nicest or the largest, but it is yours. If you feel cramped in your space, be creative and use mirrors to make the space look wider and more spacious. Find mirrors in interesting shapes and sizes that appeal to you. It could be one large, decorative mirror or a collection of smaller, compatible mirrors that you can hang in some sort of formation. They reflect the room and make it look larger while creating a creative focal point to the room.

It will draw any visitors eye to that spot in the room and can be a real conversation starter. Placing them in staircases or narrow hallways can give the illusion that the spaces are larger, and even mirroring your furniture can achieve a similar effect if you want to get really crafty and hands-on with them. One decorating don’t: do not put mirrors on your ceiling, as this generally generates a more tacky effect than anything else.

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