Think back on your college dorm room. How was it decorated? Maybe you had bright colored lights wrapped around your bed frame, a plastic storage container (with wheels) for your nightstand and a display of slightly bent and ripped posters that showcased your interests. In college, those items were completely acceptable. But once you’ve been handed that diploma and moved into your first apartment after graduating, it’s time to switch things up. Here are a few things you should no longer have after college: Lets face it: Futons are made for college students. Have you ever woken up from sleeping on a futon and been like “Man, I slept great!” Instead, your back and neck seem to have a crick that you can’t manage to get out. Sure, a futon might be an inexpensive option for your apartment, which can no doubt be appealing, but it’s time to invest in a solid mattress and bed frame. College graduation is quite the feat, so treat yourself to a new bed as a reward. Your back will thank you, and you’ll be getting much better sleep at night.
Those stackable plastic drawers sure were a great buy back in college. I used them to organize my school supplies and other miscellaneous items. You might be tempted to buy this temporary furniture again for your apartment, but it’s time to start investing in pieces that you’ll actually want to keep. Even if you’re not sure how long you’ll be in your current apartment, you can still take things like nightstands and coffee tables with you if you do end up moving. People tend to wait for a place they know they’ll be living in for the long haul until they really start decorating. After graduating, avoid buying those plastic storage units and $20 side tables– they’ll only cheapen the look of your apartment. Instead, search for high-quality pieces that might be on sale or check out some thrift stores for used furniture. While we’re discussing the idea of plastic, let’s talk about plastic dish ware. The only two times that are acceptable to use plastic cups and plates are 1) if you’re 4-years old or 2) if you’re in college.
Otherwise, toss the plastic dish ware and invest in a set of regular glass plates and bowls. Nothing ruins a classy place setting for your housewarming dinner party like neon green plastic plates. When you’re in the midst of your college career, you might have been tempted to buy an alarm clock, inflatable chair, posters, jerseys, etc., all with your college logo printed on them. To prevent your new apartment from resembling the living room of a frat house, I recommend you donate these items, or at least put them into storage where they won’t be easily seen after college. You don’t have to lose touch with your college fandom, but your interior decorating style probably should. You can pull out the college gear on gameday, but after that, put it away. You may not have heard the term papasan chair, but I assure you, you know what it is. These chairs are shaped like bowls and can be easily tucked into the corner of any room. Pretty much every dorm room I saw in college had one of those babies somewhere, including mine.
The funny thing was, I never actually sat on them. They were really awkward looking and feeling. There’s a reason why sophisticated locations like high-end apartments, condos and offices don’t have this seating option. My old papasan chair from college is now located in my old room at my parents house and doubles as my cat’s bed. At least it’s getting some use now. Posters are completely acceptable for your new apartment, but only if they have a frame surrounding them. Frames turn posters into artwork and help the piece appear more polished. When you tape a poster directly to the wall, the edges and corners tend to bend, curl and rip, which just looks sloppy. Also, make sure you’re choosing posters that match the style and color scheme of the room you’ll be hanging them in. After all, a Bob Marley poster probably won’t go well with your Asian-inspired apartment theme. I remember going shopping with my mom for my freshman dorm room and picking out decorative bedding that had been shoved into a plastic bag.
That may have been been enough back then, but it might be time to switch up that pink zebra bedding set for something a bit more versatile. As I’ve moved from apartment to apartment, I’ve figured out that I like to change up my decorating style quite often. That’s why I invested in a plain white comforter. I used to have a white comforter with blue polka dots, but that didn’t always match everything. With a set of high-quality white sheets, I can hang any artwork and area rugs and I know they’ll match. Making A Papasan Chair CushionBy sj01How can I make a papasan chair cushion without putting a lot of money into it? I bought the frame at a Goodwill and found a way to make a cushion, but I just wondered if I could get some other ideas? Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom! AnswerBy KL Flag0Did you see this link on making a cushion with old bed pillows? Pillows are also on sale for cheap this time of year for back to school dorm supply sales if you want to start with fresh.http://www.wiki an-Chair-CushionSometimes it is less expensive to use sheets (don't know if it is thick for a chair cushion though) or old blankets, quilts or bedspreads instead of yardage.
heavy gauge braided rope 1. Remove the seat from the base. Some papasans lift right off, but ours was held together by a few screws, which we easily removed with a drill. 2. Spray paint the chair your desired color. Fortunately, the dark wood tone of the papasan we purchased was perfect for this sunporch, so instead, to add some fun color, we wrapped colorful embroidery floss around the outside band at each intersection. It's subtle, but totally took this papasan to the next level! 3. Determine the preferred height of the chair. To do this, we actually just faked sitting in it in the room to make sure the height would work. Cut the rope to that length plus several feet for the knots, three times. It's better to be safe than sorry, so make sure to be generous with your cut. You can always trim it later! Wrap the cut ends in black electrical tape to keep from unravelling. 4. We knew we wanted the rope to attach to the chair at three different places for extra stability, so we picked 3 wood intersections that were in a triangular shape.