College Apartment Makeover

Susan Stewart, St. Louis Professional Organizer

One of the highlights of my summer this year was my 21-year-old son saying to me, “Mom, my apartment is really ugly. Can you help me make it homier?” This is music to my ears, especially as a professional organizer and designer!

My son and his roommate share a furnished apartment which was, shall we say, barren? The first step was figuring out the color scheme and inspiration. Since 21-year-old males are not my typical client, I knew this would be a bit of a challenge. But, alas, I rose to the occasion!

While on vacation, my son had purchased a book of vintage posters featuring National Parks across the country. He liked the pictures and I thought it would be a great jumping-off point. I was able to find several of the park posters on canvases and planned the room around that focal point. 

One of the project’s goals was to bring color into the room as well as warmth. We did this through layering. (insert photos)

What a huge difference curtains made! A rug also added warmth and color, as did pillows and throws. Additionally, I like to add greenery to every room, so we bought several plants. And of course, we also considered storage for their tv and gaming remotes. We relocated some of the things they had hanging in the living room to the hallway so they could still enjoy those items but not clash with the overall design.

We also hung up something to hold the mail and keys to help them be organized right from the start. In the laundry room, we hung a hook for the mops and brooms. Finally, in Spencer’s room, we added curtains and bedding.

My son was happy with the results, and this mom really enjoyed the project. Most importantly, their apartment no longer screams bachelor pad. In fact, now it is the envy of the apartment building. 

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