Decorating is the quickest way to make a new space feel homey. Being a senior and living in four different locations, I have gotten pretty good at decorating without leaving damage and losing security deposits.
Covering a Lot
One of the best ways to cover a lot of space in a unique way is to get a cheap book with a lot of photos to rip apart. Take these ripped pages to hang on your walls. For my room, I ripped up a used Roman art history book from Half Priced Books to make a personal wall mural.
You can also creatively cover a blank wall by hanging up hair scarves. This is a great way to decorate a lot of space with minimal effort. I like hair scarves more than tapestries because they often have more visually interesting designs and are generally more unique. I have gotten many of my scarves from vintage and thrift stores and they are usually between $5 to $20.
I cannot keep plants alive for the life of me, but I love the vibe they bring into a home. Instead of letting countless plants die, I buy long lasting plant eucalyptus from the grocery store and put it in my windows. That way, I only have to replace the eucalyptus every few months.
Adding Personality
Decorating with your roommates is a great way to have fun and create something really unique and personal. Whenever someone comes,my roommates and I mark their height on a wall with sticky notes. It's a funny idea but also a reminder of the people we have ever had over. My roommates and I also have a communal white board in our living room. We will write out polls, messages and schedules making it both functional and cute.
I like to keep anything and everything I find to be pretty and hang it up with poster puddy, tape or command strips. When doing this, make sure it’s not something that could take paint off your wall or you risk losing your security deposit. I have hung up cute pages from calendars, notes from friends, movie tickets and pages from magazines. It’s a cheap and easy way to make your room more personal and related to your own interests.
Stickers are a good way to personalize plain and dorm provided furniture. I love to put stickers on my mirror to personalize it. This can also add color to a drab room. If you do this though, Goo Gone will be your friend at the end of the year.
