Filling the Space: Furnishing Your Student Apartment

You open the door of your new apartment and realize it’s a lot bigger than the room you had at your parent’s house and the dorm and the sort of house/apartment that you shared with six roommates last semester.

So what are you going to do to fill the space? All you need is a little brain-you time and this list to help you sort things out.

What do you need?

First things first. You need to decide what exactly it is you need and you don’t need right now, or possibly, ever. Here are a few things to think about:

• You need a bed. Remember, your bed doesn’t have to be a regular, run-of-the-mill bed. And if you’re sharing an apartment and need a place to chill during the day that isn’t overrun with roomies, you should invest in a good futon. They cost about the same (or are cheaper) than a bed and can be converted into a couch during the day. Some can even be converted into a couch with a chaise. This can also be helpful if you are living in a studio apartment.
• Kitchen/Dining Room table. If you live alone, you’ll definitely want to invest in a table (with chairs!) for your dining area. This table will not only serve as your eating space but also a space to do projects and homework if you don’t have a desk or it’s totally covered in the mess you’ve left behind all week.
• You need a desk. When you have a laptop, you think you don’t need a desk. The laptop can go anywhere, right? Thing is, your laptop can only take so much of an unbalanced life atop your lap, the carpet or the end of the couch before it starts to overheat and fight back. Not to mention, a desk is the best place to focus and keep your books and papers in line.

What can you live without?

The fact of the matter is, no matter how big the apartment looks when you first step inside, your belongings will fill it quicker than you think. Here’s a few things you probably don’t need in an apartment:

• An entire living room set. You don’t need a matching chair, couch, love seat, ottoman and chaise. And frankly, noting the size of apartment living rooms, you’ll be disappointed when you can’t fit it all in there anyway. Get yourself a couch and a chair.
• A king-sized bed. Unless you’re living with your significant other, you probably don’t need a huge bed. Stick with a futon or a twin or full-sized bed. You’d be surprised at the difference it makes in space.

Ultimately, there’s little you actually need to furnish an apartment, especially if you have roommates who will be bringing along their own furniture as well. In most cases, you should be able to get by with a desk and a bed and maybe a few other small pieces of furniture. If you think that sounds crazy, wait ‘til you unpack your boxes and find there’s no extra room for anything else.