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in this morning's consumer alert: outfitting college dorm rooms has become big business, but for those without a blockbuster budget, and who don't want to add more expenses to an already- expensive semester on campus,
there are still ways to make a dorm room feel more like home. karin caifa gets expert tips for decking out small spaces on a smaller budget. now that she doesn't have to share, university of maryland student brianna
kovacs has plans for her own room in an on-campus apartment this fall -- with a travel theme. i already had so much travel stuff, and since i really love traveling and have all these pictures, i really wanted to make it
cohesive in my room. retailers have caught on to students' desires to feel at home away from home, and dorm decor and furnishings will account for more than six billion dollars in spending this back-to-school season. but for students and
families already squeezed by tuition -- piling on more costs can be a stretch. brianna's idea of starting with her own photos -- is right in line with the advice of washington- based designer kerra michele huerta.
grab a $3 frame with a mat, pop it in, it's on the wall and it looks much more expensive than it actually was. and it personalizes your space that was otherwise a cookie- cutter dorm room or rental apartment.
huerta's blog, apartment envy, is full of inexpensive ideas for temporary spaces. like baskets to maximize space from floor to ceiling. removable wallpaper to brighten a backsplash or even a drab appliance. and for
students like brianna with plenty of textbooks --putting them to work. i keep my books and my magazines in stacks of like items near seating and i use them as side tables and extra
surface storage for when guests come over. they have a place to set their drinks down. outside of her travel-themed room, brianna will share common areas with other classmates.
we got one of those giant wall tapestries. but, other than that, it's going to be pretty plain and simple and we're basically thinking we'll figure it out when we get there and buy whatever else we need to.
should they run into decorating disagreements, huerta advises finding common ground. my tip for roommates is if you can agree on a color scheme or an overall color that everyone agrees upon or really likes, it
doesn't really matter what the style of the pieces are, they'll all just sort of go together or blend together. and to make a small space feel bigger and brighter, ditch the old blinds, and cover windows with an inexpensive
fabric for privacy instead the windows and natural light available is a really great way to keep a space feeling larger and more airy. little things to make dorm sweet dorm feel more like home sweet home.
in washington, i'm karin caifa.