How I Turned My College Apartment into a Home

After a year of living in a stuffy dorm room the size of a shoe box, I finally reached the exhilarating stage of moving off campus into my very first apartment. There are so many fun and exciting things about having a place of your own. Whether you have the whole residence to yourself or are living with roommates, the experience of moving into your first place is electrifying and every second should be cherished.

One of my very favorite things about my apartment—candles galore! Lighting candles was a big no-no in college dormitories. I can distinctively remember coming home for holiday break freshman year and realizing how great my house smelled because it was filled with candles in each and every room. Candles not only make your living quarters smell incredible, but they add a decorative element as well. They can really turn a building into a home. I love burning the fresh, tropical summer candles when the warm weather comes around, but nothing beats those pumpkin candles in the autumn and holiday candles around December.

All college dormitories are different. Some people have their own bedrooms, while some share their sleeping quarters with roommates. When I finally got my first apartment, I also got my own bedroom, which meant endless decorating possibilities!

Being on a college student budget, I turned to do-it-yourself projects whenever I could. One tip that I have is taking old furniture and painting it. I was able to spray paint furniture my family already had gold to match all of the accents in my room. The coordinating furniture really brought the room together, and all I had to pay for was a single can of spray paint.

The tapestry possibilities are ceaseless. This was one of the hardest decisions I had to make, due to the fact that there are so many awesome tapestries out there to choose from. With four walls and a ceiling of your own, try mixing and matching different tapestries or even stringing lights from them to really make them your own.

There are so many awesome canvases that you can purchase with gorgeous artwork or motivational quotes on them. I think that it is a great idea to not only buy canvases but to also mix them in with some you create yourself. I painted on a few small canvases some of my favorite quotes. It made my apartment feel so much more personal, and creating the art itself was an accomplishment on its own.

There is nothing like finally having a place of your own. While it does come with many responsibilities, the fun that comes with it makes the pros far greater than the cons.

What are some of your favorite ways to decorate your apartment space? Let me know in the comments below!

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