By Allie Ehrhart, News Staff
Moving out of on-campus housing often means buying furniture and accessorizing the new place just right. With some apartment prices already rising above those of the Davenports and West Village, it’s easy to forget the new living space can be a great canvas for self-expression.
When it comes to investing in items that will enhance a more homey apartment experience, Alyssa Froman, store manager at Simon Pearce, a home decor store on Newbury Street, recommends going for multi-purpose glassware that will last long past the college days.
“Clear glass feels more open and will reflect color. You can always change it by changing what’s inside the glass,” Froman said. “You can re-purpose vases. You can have flowers in it or even pens if it’s on your desk. You can use it for nuts or snacks when entertaining, then throw your keys in it when guests aren’t around.”
Glass can create different effects depending on how much light passes through them. Students use glass to decorate as well, but instead of buying it, middler human services major Michelle Moran uses it in a more thrifty manner.
“I clean and collect different sized and colored bottles to place in windows that create a neat effect throughout the day,” Moran said.
Repurposing items is a popular idea among students – Moran also uses a bookshelf as storage for more than just books.
“My favorite decoration of the apartment is the bookshelf we use for our pots and pans,” she said. “Not only does it give me easy access to my most commonly used tools but it looks gorgeous with the extra plants and Christmas lights that we placed there.”
Deciding on a color palette as a basis for apartment decorations can also be a hassle. Both Froman and Edward Sheehan, a sales associate at Madura, another home decor store on Newbury Street, recommended neutrals as well as glass when decorating for small spaces like apartments. Even small touches such as adding a new throw blanket or pillows onto an old couch or a bed in a living space or bedroom can make a difference.
“You can use monochromatic colors, like tans, but in different patterns,” Sheehan said.
Froman said small items such as votive candles can put a decorative finishing touch on different pieces of furniture.
“Votives can be something romantic for a table or for rooftop decks or patios,” she said.
Katherine Woolley, a middler international business major, describes her home decor as a fusion of traditional and eclectic styles, but avoids items that seem too modern. She said she uses an old, unfinished school desk as a bedside table.
Woolley said she got most of her furniture pieces at HomeGoods in Allston, Somerville and Braintree. The store, owned by TJX, sells decorative accessories.
“Since the TJX headquarters is in Massachusetts, there are a ton of their stores all over the Boston area,” she said.
If spending is not an option, one person’s trash could be another person’s treasure.
“Most of our decorations we’ve picked up from friends and family over the years or made ourselves. For example the couch was a gift from my co-worker who was moving, whereas some of the walls have art and paper snowflakes that [my roommates] made,” Moran said.
Sheehan said from what he has observed, gray has been a popular color so far this season. He added that changing colors and textiles with the seasons can be a refreshing way to welcome new weather.
“It’s simple to change a textile between seasons – go from regular pillows in the summer to faux fur ones in the winter,” he said.
