Foster’s dorm room decorated on a budget. Love the pink and grey.
Let’s take a look at decorating on a budget, as most university students need to do. I’ve been scrolling through some of the online market pages looking for ideas for my daughter Monroe’s new place (although the hubby said that I need to let her handle things), just to get an idea of what’s available in Victoria. As I’m looking I have a tonne of ideas of repurposing, repainting, and reinventing old stuff. I love how you can get a new look out of an old standby.
Here are just a few money saving tips for dorm room style decor:
When doing up a dorm room or a new, first-time residence, the empty walls are often a huge issue. Artwork can cost a fortune, and lots of the time finding what you like is difficult on a strict budget.
Take an assortment of paper plates and using 3M stickies paste them in a pattern on a large wall. I actually did this in my eldest daughter’s room in Victoria, and we even cut some plates in half to use them along the corner seams of the room.
We just found some cute mixed plate packages at Winners, in the till line-up. I loved how these had a shiny finish on them so they reflected the light in her room. They definitely brightened up the drab walls.
Another thing that you can do is make “no-sew” curtains. We used a spring rod and some bright fabric to create these curtains. They aren’t sewn, but three panels were safety pinned together to get this look. Then we used some grosgrain ribbon and made a tie-back.
These new curtains covered the drab ones that were in her dorm room, and were easily mounted under the existing valance. They definitely looked fancier than what was there when she moved in.
Adornments can be easily used to spruce up a tired looking furniture piece. We took some sequined ribbon and double-sided taped it to the boring brown shelves in her room. It wasn’t a big thing, but did add a bit of sparkle. This idea could also be done to an old bookshelf or cabinet shelf.
This sequined edging was in a clearance bin at Micheal’s Craft Supplies. We took double-sided tape and attached it to the existing shelf edge to add a bit of glam.
One of the things I have been sharing with clients lately is how outdoor furnishings can sometimes be used inside. This is a perfect time of year to be shopping the sales. Oftentimes tables and accessories aren’t necessarily outdoor specific, but can save you a lot of money for some larger scale pieces. This can be true for an adult space, as well.
Tables can transfer from outside to inside spaces quite easily. Here are a few examples of outdoor furniture pieces that could easily be used in a living room or bedroom space.
This table could be used as a night stand or as an end table, framing a sofa. This one was found on the Walmart website.
These nesting tables, again from Walmart, were listed at less than $175. This price could still drop as the season progresses and they want to clear out outdoor pieces. That being said, this could still be used in a living room space.
This adorable little red side-table from Ikea is less than $30 on sale. It could be used, like it is here, as a night stand, or alternatively as an end table, or in the front hall to place keys on, along with a cute plant.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, as to how you can find less expensive items to make a space look and feel pulled together. Even though I love garage sale chic, it’s nice to find some new pieces that can help pull together a space and help it feel like home.
Good luck to all of the students heading back to school, and remember, even if you live a ways away, I can always help…just give me a call.