Decorating an apartment or dorm room creatively and inexpensively can be done more easily than most people think.
Even though college students generally budget very little to decorate the places where they live, a few dollars and a little imagination can ultimately transform a boring room into a stylish one.
Sepola Maatusi-Belhadjah, a framing associate at Hobby Lobby Creative Center on College Drive, offered a variety of suggestions for students wanting to decorate without spending too much money.
“It’s always a good idea to go with a prepared print, one that is already framed and has glass in it,” Maatusi-Belhadjah said. “It’s the best deal for people on a budget, and the price for those deals can’t be beat.”
Maatusi-Belhadjah said sales on framing and other crafts are frequent.
“We have sales offering frames at one-third or even one-half off their usual cost,” she said.
She also said being willing to do some of the work on your own also could save time and money.
“Sometimes, as with almost any business, there is a waiting time,” she said. “It is far better to do it yourself, since it saves time and we can cut the mat and glass necessary for a customer to assemble the picture.”
Certain steps also can be taken to cut costs while not detracting from the appearance of the displayed item.
While custom mats for framing can be expensive, using wrapping paper as a background for a frame can cost much less. Dollar stores often sell entire rolls of wrapping paper for a fraction of the cost of custom-cut matting.
Decorating a dorm room presents specific challenges, since space is often at a premium and there are more restrictions than in an apartment.
History senior Anita Byrne and English senior Brittany Powell said decorating their East Laville dorm room simply took a little creativity.
“The biggest thing we looked at was creating space,” Byrne said. “You have a lot of vertical space in these old dorms, so you might as well use it.”
Byrne and Powell assembled bunk beds to free up space to put down carpeting in their room.
“We got our carpet at Lowe’s for cheap,” Powell said. “It really adds a lot to a room.”
The room features many pieces of art which reflect the style of Byrne and Powell, including authentic Japanese woodcuts brought back after WWII by Byrne’s grandfather. Powell said while everyone may not have access to decorations like these, they do have other options for acquiring décor for their apartment or dorm.
“Estate sales and Goodwill are also good for getting individual pieces,” Byrne said.
Not all decorations have to cost money. Powell works for the LSU Press, and was able to acquire copies of published book covers from there for free.
“They really add something to the room,” Powell said.
Online auction Web sites, such as E-bay, provide another possible place to find a deal. Since searches can be done specifically for décor fitting the taste of the buyer and falling into a certain price range, the options are virtually endless.
Regardless of taste, an apartment or dorm room can be spruced up at a low cost. Powell and Byrne agreed that the main qualification for how to decorate is the personality of the decorator.