How My Daughter and I Flipped her College Apartment in 24 Hours
Following a transfer from Alabama to the University of Central Florida, my daughter, Grace, and I traveled to my alma matter to style her FIRST college apartment. Unlike the small spaces found in dorms and the pseudo-supervision that exists with a resident advisor, this shared apartment was a big transition…for both of us!
Despite my parents and best friend living close by, leaving my daughter 700 miles away was a bittersweet process that we prepared her for but one that always makes saying “goodbye” a bit rough. To make the most of her life’s new journey, I wanted her apartment to feel like home, not just a place where she studied. I designed her small space to feel stylish, safe and welcoming to new friends she would make in Florida. Last year, we designed her Southern Living and HGTV featured dorm in one weekend (shown below); this year, we flipped her room in 24 hours. Here’s how we did it and my tips to styling any new space.
1. Start with a blank slate. If you’re a college student, you’ll most likely have an empty apartment or dorm. If you’re refreshing an already decorated space, remove what you want to replace before you start shopping. Bedding, lamps and wall art are inexpensive changes that can have a big impact.
2. Get inspired by ART! Whenever I style a new space, I always look for color inspiration either through art work or often a patterned rug. For this space, Grace found a $24 watercolor, coastal print at HomeGoods that had soft blues, pale pinks and natural shades that set the mood for the space. Using our inspiration piece, we also repurposed last year’s salmon pink artisan prints that we digitally sent to Smallwood Home for framing.
3. Ground your space! The foundation of any styled room is a fabulous rug. Whether those are patterned, shag or flat weave, every bedroom needs a rug and every couch warrants a soft space to rest your feet. I budget roughly $200 for a rug and typically can find both bold and neutral selections hanging at HomeGoods. For a queen/king bed, an 8 x 10 can easily fit under the frame for a touch of softness. For a twin bed or in front of a couch in a small space, a 5 x 7 is an ideal size. If you aren’t close to a HomeGoods, you can find this salmon pink and French blue Boho rug here.
4. Add a personality piece! These pieces of furniture are the ones that immediately make you say, “I LOOOOVE THAT!” When we saw this hanging egg chair at HomeGoods, my daughter immediately knew she wanted it in her new apartment. Styled with a fringed throw and two accent pillows, this corner of the apartment became a cozy place to study and a perfect selfie station.
5. Create a magazine worthy bed. Layer, layer, layer! In both the dorm and apartment we started by using Room422’s stick on headboards to create a polished backdrop. Euro pillows can also serve as a faux headboard if one is not available. (Room 422’s oversized dorm pillow was also specifically designed for a twin bed and is the perfect foundation pillow.) At the very least, I always add three Euros to a king bed and two for a full/ queen for color, height and fullness. In this space, we layered both white and salmon pink textured comforter sets that we found for under $60 at HomeGoods. Usually, you can always find white sets on the shelves in the back of the store. (Last year, we used this easy to wash, tufted duvet cover from Urban Outfitters.) Design trick: Tuck a down comforter under the end quilt or comforter for added softness, an extra layer in the cold or an easy to grab blanket for guests!
** You can also use extra long bed skirts for higher set beds to hide storage tubs and large items.
6. Reflect light. Make a small space seem bigger by hanging mirrors, adjacent to windows, to reflect natural light and make a space seem bigger. In this room, we hung a HomeGoods bamboo mirror above the bed and media console. We then leaned a hand-carved mirror against the wall for full length views and a well lit space for Tik Tok videos. Bamboo mirrors are great looks for Boho spaces.
7. Swap the standard. Many college apartments and dorms come furnished with basic furniture that may seem a bit mundane. Make inexpensive swaps to add more custom touches. I’ve never styled a desk chair with wheels in a home…ever. This isn’t The Office, it’s a personal space and in a small dorm or apartment, often next to a bed. Find a small accent chair or dining chair that adds both style and comfort to a desk area. The new white-washed nightstand is actually a small filing cabinet that I found at HomeGoods for under $75. Not only is it a great place to charge a phone, it also serves as a place for important documents.
(We hid unused furniture in closets, under beds and in utility closets.
8. The $8 Hardware Hack. To add a little pizzazz to a mango wood writing desk, we swapped out the knobs with geological drawer pulls that we found at HomeGoods for $8. This is such an easy and affordable way to add style to apartment issued furniture.
9. Get a green thumb! Live plants have been proven to reduce stress, assist with illness recovery, boost your mood and improve air quality. Give your plant babies a new home with a boho chic $20 HomeGoods planter and style them in well-lit corners, in main living spaces and in the bedroom for a touch of life.
10. Add security. Although our daughter’s new apartment is patrolled, one can never be too safe. Another parent installed a Ring doorbell AND Ring spotlight camera around the apartment. The motion- activated spotlight camera has LED spotlights and a siren alarm if needed. All of the roommates installed the app on their phone and now have an easy way to lookout for one another.
With my high school senior committed to play baseball at UCF after his May 2022 graduation, I’ll continue the DORM DÉCOR TOUR next summer! For more interior styling ideas, follow me on Instagram, @jennyreimold.