As college students, many of us have faced the challenge of being away from home and embracing our new one. Whether you’ve moved across the state or across the country to attend school, creating your new space to be homey and comforting is essential to settling down on your own. Use these tips to make your apartment or dorm truly your home away from home.

1)     Put up pictures. Missing your family and friends can really bring you down, so buy a multi-picture frame and fill it up with all of your favorite people from home. Print them all out in black in white for an old-timey, classic feel, or string photos from a colored ribbon with clothes pins to give your room a burst of energy. 

2)     Use candles. Places like Bath N’ Body Works have come out with adorable candle holders to make any candle a great way to decorate. Buy an assortment of big and small ones to put on the countertop, or a big one in your favorite fragrance to light right by your bed.

3)     Buy yourself flowers! It doesn’t have to be a special occasion, flowers make any room brighter and more fun. My suggestion is to purchase fake ones and place them in a glass vase with colored marbles. Buy sunflowers to match your yellow bedspread, or big purple ones for a room that’s painted lavender.

4)     Get crafty. Hand-made crafts are often some of the best-looking decorations you can put up, and they’re also a super fun way to cure boredom! Go to a local craft store and buy wooden letters to paint your initials, or paint your own picture frame.

5)     Buy artwork. Purchase a simple painting or piece of photography to go along with the theme and feel of your room. For an old Paris theme, purchase a sepia painting of high-heeled shoes and hang on the wall with hot pink ribbon. If your room has a beachy feel, simple photography of beach scenes will work really nicely.

Utilize these helpful hints to set your place apart, give it some personality and make your college dorm or apartment feel like home, but be sure to never forget where you came from! As the famous quote goes, “Home is where the heart is!”