How to Have a Stylish Apartment on a Student Budget

You moved out of your parent’s house for the first time, went to college, and rented a place with some roommates. But you can’t afford one of those nice loft apartments you see on Pinterest. The only available one near your campus was more like a dingy hole. 

Don’t worry, though; every apartment has potential. You can outsource your homework to paper writer and read this article to find out more about unlocking that potential. 

And, of course, a full-scale renovation will be costly. But who can afford to renovate an apartment these days? Instead, you can opt for renter-friendly hacks to make your place look pretty on a budget. Even better if you have roommates to share the expenses with.

Get Inspired

No, we are not recommending you go to Pinterest. While it used to be great for inspo, it’s not as useful anymore. Instead, go to TikTok. Search for home renovation content, and you will find lots of creators doing small-scale projects. Some undertake entire house renovations on their own. 

Looking at that might give you some inspiration. The best part is you can find creators in your area, which will give you an idea of available materials and approximate prices.

Kitchen

The kitchen is one of those places that can make or break a house. If it’s messy, old, and dysfunctional, you will hardly ever be motivated to cook or even spend time there. This will only lead to more mess accumulating there and more money spent on takeout and delivery. Let’s break the cycle.

Peel-and-stick wallpapers or tiles can be an amazing way to turn an old dark room into a place you actually want to spend time in. It’s cheap and fully reversible, which makes it a perfect option for students who rent. A backsplash will also protect the original wall finish, and the landlord will never make you pay for cleaning or fixing a messed-up wall behind the stove.

The same thing can be done to old cupboards. If they are so old they look like literal dirt, you can simply cover them in sticky paper and breathe new life into the kitchen. If you have more time and money on your hands, consider asking the landlord about repainting them. Sure, it’s more time-consuming, but it will look much better and last longer.

Pick a lamp to install above the kitchen top. Apartments for rent are notorious for being dysfunctional, leaving the renter to install basic necessities on their own. And if you don’t have an additional light over the area where you cook, it will make the process much harder. Consider getting a led strip and putting it under the kitchen cabinets. An additional source of light will also make the room cozier.

Bedroom/Study

If you rent with friends, your bedroom will be your fortress. That’s why you need to make sure it is a functional room and you are okay with spending most of your time in it. Here are some things you need to have in the room:

• Bed;

• Work area;

• Dresser;

• Blinds or curtains.

These are the most basic necessities that every room should possess to be considered livable. If you don’t have a proper desk and a chair to study and write essays, go thrifting. Look at Facebook marketplace, Goodwill, and maybe even Home Depot.

If you are good with DIY and your landlord doesn’t mind, you could get a piece of wood and mount it to the wall to make a custom desk. If the room doesn’t have much space, you could even make it foldable, with a hook attached at the top of the wall. 

Again, ask your landlord before drilling any holes. If it’s not an option, thrift stores offer an incredible selection of used furniture. You can use a paint stripper if you don’t like the color and wood varnish to preserve the wood while revealing the beautiful pattern and grain.

As for the bed, there’s not much you can do here in terms of comfort. If it’s really that bad, consider investing in a mattress. If you just want it to look better, get some throw pillows and a bed cover. If you match those to some other details of the room, like curtains, it will really tie the room together. 

One thing to make your closet aesthetically pleasing is the same-color hangers. It is really a game-changer. Even if you are a neat person and fold all your clothes and hang them properly, even if you organize them by color, they will never look perfect on random hangers. A set of the same color hangers will drastically change the appearance of your closet. It will look neat and clean even if it’s not.

Living Room

This is where you call your flatmates for a meeting and discuss what you like and dislike about your shared living space e.g. a wreath on a wall. You might have different ideas and several solutions to the same problem, so definitely consider asking everyone who you are sharing the space with. Treat it like getting advice from top paper writing services - a problem shared is a problem halved.

If it’s cold where you live, consider getting a rug. Put it under the couch, and it will make the room much cozier. If you have a sound isolation problem and your neighbors complain that you are too loud, a rug will help as well.

Matching curtains, pillows, and blankets will make it look like you really put effort into styling the place. If you have enough time, get a few plants. Low-effort ones like succulents will look great and barely demand attention. 

A bookshelf will probably only hold aesthetic value these days. People mainly read on their phones or Kindles if they do. Yet, books look amazing in living spaces. If you have a bookshelf, display all your books and arrange them by color. It will look stunning.

Wrapping Up

Making your apartment stylish is not a week’s project. It will take a decent amount of time, and you will make mistakes and buy the wrong thing. Take your time, especially if you’re on a budget. You better look for a few more days than buy the wrong thing. Talk to your landlord, and make sure they know about your plans. Get the support of your flatmates: maybe you can share expenses. 

Make your kitchen functional by changing the cover materials. Add as much light as you can. Make sure you have a proper work area in your room, with a good desk and a comfy chair. Small details can really make the room look put-together, so consider investing in that. And don’t make any decisions on your common spaces without your flatmates.