Hyping up your pad for the school year requires a
little ingenuity if you want to get past the
dreary routine of a plain, uninteresting dorm
room or apartment. The right furniture goes a
long way — but it can be expensive. Here's a list
of musthave furniture items — cheap ones — that
help make your room a palace. Or at least
livable.
1. A coat rack. A multipronged (preferably
wooden) coat rack can be an attractive, useful
accessory in your main living area. There's
something about the look of a coat rack by your
front doorway, strewn with overgarments, that
looks comforting in a Cosby Show kind of way.
Plus, hanging coats on a rack frees up much
needed closet space.
2. Halogen lamps. These provide great light and
add a touch of class to a humble room, even
though the averagepriced one doesn't cost more a
round or two of drinks with friends. A safety
tip: Cover the lamplight's top with a metal
grill. Lights get hot when they're turned on, and
these can get very hot, potentially igniting any
objects that may touch it.
3. Plenty of mirrors. Decorative or plain,
mirrors add a dimension of vanity to your room.
You need at least one decentsized mirror to
decide if your sleptin clothes are too wrinkled
for class or if your hair needs brushing. For
some students, a long pornstarstyle mirror
above the bed is a welcome accessory.
4. Futon chairs. These are great for a main
living area because they are comfortable and
compact. You can get a futon chair cheap from any
of the major department stores, and it's a fun,
playful place to park yourself. If you have an
overnight guest — who's not sleeping with you — a
futon works well as guest accommodations.
5. End tables. Purchase two at a time, and place
the pieces of the matching pair at either end of
your couch. They're great for having a place to
set your drink, magazines, remote control, or
table lamps. It's great to have a platform within
reach when you're sitting doing nothing, and
matching tables makes your room look all
coordinated.
6. An area rug. These are wonderful for your main
living area and can cover up a large floor area
if you buy a big one. They also save you money on
carpet cleaning by limiting dirty foottraffic
contact with the carpet underneath (if you have
one). A complex, colorful weaving of thick fibers
is durable and won't show stains.
7. Inflatable furniture. Some novelty items —
like lava lamps — don't do much to enhance a
room. But inflatable couches and chairs are cheap
chic, comfortable and different. Many of them
have builtin can holders for your favorite
beverage.
8. A computer stocked with MP3 songs. With the
infectious spread of collegestudent use of
sharedcontent music Web sites like Napster, your
PC or Mac can double as a stereo and CD
collection. You can download any songs you want
for the big party, for free in many cases, and
without jumping through hoops to find the
hippest, hottest shit. Think of your computer as
an uptodate, multipurpose jukebox.
9. An oldschool loveseat. Scavenge around and
find a comfy, pre1980's seat for two. Remember,
though: An old, tacky loveseat in the middle of
an entirely contemporarystyled room is awkward
and misguided. Find a loveseat that allows your
room design to revolve around that item. Ask your
friends' parents if they have any used furniture
that they want to get rid of.
