5 College Apartment Decorating Cliches

Because of the small space and the need to share that space, college apartment decorating is quite difficult. Important too, is the need to avoid those classic decorating clichés that can make your living space appear corny or dated. Below are the five most common decorating mistakes to avoid when arranging your apartment.

1. Cinder Blocks

While it may be tempting to use cinder blocks to hold up boards to make a bookshelf, table or other pieces of furniture, doing so will make it seem as though you have not decorated your apartment. There is no bigger way to announce that you are on a limited-budget or have very little interest in how your apartment appears than to use cinder blocks in your decorating. Furniture and other stores now typically offer inexpensive pieces of furniture to fit small spaces. With a little work putting the piece together, you can have the exact piece you need and avoid using cinder blocks.

2. Posters

While it may be tempting to use framed or unframed posters to decorate your walls, doing so will appear cheap and thoughtless. Avoid using flimsy posters altogether and leave your walls blank. If you absolutely must hang a poster, make sure that it is at least properly mounted and framed. Additionally, completely avoid using any sort of alcohol-related poster in your house. While they may look interesting, they appear very cheap and youthful.

3. Beanbag Chairs

Although many furniture stores have attempted to bring back beanbag chairs, they are still tacky and, honestly, pointless. Essentially, with a beanbag chair, you are asking people to sit on the floor with very little support. Asking your guests to sit on the floor is not a terrible idea, and in large gatherings in a smaller apartment, can even be expected. Beanbags, furthermore, take up a lot of space, which in a small apartment can appear overwhelming and, at the very least, prevent better its better use.

4. Displaying Everything

Because you will most likely not have an overabundance of furniture, it may be tempting to leave everything out in the open where it will be completely visible. Doing so, however, will make your apartment appear very messy, despite any efforts to clean or organize. Instead, consider investing in baskets or other containers, possibly stackable ones, to eliminate this problem. At the very least, putting your belongings into a container will indicate you gave your apartment’s organization thought.

5. Misuse of Rooms

Do not use a room for a use for which it could never be intended. It is one thing to use a living room as a study area, but an entire other thing to use it as a regularly-used second bedroom. Misusing rooms will make your guests feel uncomfortable. It will seem as though they should not be in certain areas or that the apartment is cramped. If you absolutely must repurpose rooms, do so by using a solid divider, such as a wood, free-standing curtain or other piece of furniture.

Avoid decorating your college apartment in a way that will make your guests uncomfortable. By making sure you do not use the aforementioned clichés, you and everyone else will admire and be comfortable in your residence.