70 Best Cute College Apartment Living Room Ideas + Tips
This is the ultimate guide to the best college apartment living room ideas! The best way to entertain and make your small space feel big!
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- Coffee Table That Will Make Your Space Feel Elite ☕️
- Bar Cart – A Great Way To Entertain 🍸
- Side Table/Side Table – The Best Way To Store Random Items
- Couch: Ultimate Furniture For Your Living Space 🛋
- Extra Seating 🪑
- Lighting: From Table Lamp to Floor Lamp 💡
- Floor Space: Accent Rug to Area Rug
- College Apartment Decor Ideas – Room Decor Ideas
- Small Dining Table🍴 – The Perfect Way To Make The Room Feel Bigger
- Small Space Simple Solution For Extra Storage
Small living rooms or living spaces are characteristic of a first apartment. You likely can’t afford much square footage or many items — especially of good quality.
Not to worry as there are plenty of ways to make your place feel elite and a great way for college students to save a lot of money!
Broke as a joke?
There are so many options for affordable decor and furniture to make even really small living rooms feel bigger and nicer.
I promise to showcase:
- 📈 Highly-rated finds
- 💵 Show the cost of each item! (please note occasionally they can vary slightly, but I will try to keep it updated!)
- 🛋 Items that actually FIT a small apartment
- ✨ Share the best items that don’t cost a lot of money
Note: Thrift stores and other discount stores offer great options for looking for gently used or sometimes-in-need-of-a-DIY-fix furniture and other items. I definitely recommend checking out some local thrift stores.
Without further ado here are plenty of ways to decorate and design your place during this exciting time!
Coffee Table That Will Make Your Space Feel Elite ☕️
A good coffee table can make your new space feel like a team of professional interior designers just came through haha!
Not only that, a coffee table is the perfect storage solution and accent piece for your personal space!
A coffee table has multiple purposes so it’s important to choose one that:
- 📐 Fits in your space
- 🧐 Is good quality
- 🏦 Doesn’t break the bank
- 👉 Meets your desired function
Standard Coffee Table Sizes
Here are the standard sizes for coffee tables are as follows:
- Extra Small: 12 to 18 inches (1 to 1.5 feet) wide, 24 to 30 inches (2 to 2.5 feet) long
- Small: 18 to 24 inches (1.5 to 2 feet) wide, 30 to 36 inches (2.5 to 3 feet) long
- Medium: 24 to 30 inches (2 to 2.5 feet) wide, 36 to 42 inches (3 to 3.5 feet) long
- Mid-Large: 30 to 36 inches (2.5 to 3 feet) wide, 42 to 48 inches (3.5 to 4 feet) long
- Large: 36 to 42 inches (3 to 3.5 feet) wide, 48 to 54 inches (4 to 4.5 feet) long
- Extra Large: Anything over 60+ inches (5 feet)
A good coffee table really is the perfect place to store tons of items while elevating your new space!
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Bar Cart – A Great Way To Entertain 🍸
A bar cart is a fun and inexpensive way to entertain your best friends during the school year.
Not only that but a bar cart can be the perfect opportunity to show off your personal style, as well as showcase holiday decor!
Bar Cart Drink Ideas
Here are some ideas for uses for your bar cart:
- Make a standard bar cart for alcohol storage if you are of legal age:
- 🍹 Cocktails
- 🍷 Wine
- 🍻 Beer
- 🥃 Liquor – ex. Whiskey
- Design a fun coffee bar cart with tons of toppings ☕️
- Create a fun hot chocolate bar cart 🍫
- Have a Soda-Stream bar cart with tons of drink options 🥤
- Design a tea-based bar cart 🫖
- Make a movie-themed bar cart for nights in with your best friends 🍿
Bar Cart Themes College Apartment Living Room Ideas ✨
Here are some fun ideas for bar cart themes to enhance and decorate it!
Retro 50s Diner
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Rustic / Natural / Country
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Add a wicker basket to really pull together the charm of the countryside.
Holiday Themed
- Christmas
- Halloween
- Fall
- Spring
- Summer
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Maximalist
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Vintage / Antique
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Eclectic / Artsy
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Tea Party
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1920s Bar Cart
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Bar Cart Item Ideas
Add a mini fridge for a one-stop shop
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Add to-go cups so your guests can help themselves
Add items that exemplify a style you like!
Example: I really love 💐 Nancy Meyers’s home decor inspo — and a bar cart is a perfect way to showcase it!
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Add a list of your signature drinks with some chalkboard paint or print off a recommendations list.
Side Table/Side Table – The Best Way To Store Random Items
Adding side tables or an end table is the perfect way to show off your style, store random items, and make use of your limited space.
The best way you should determine if you should invest in an end table/side table is to answer these questions:
- Do you have a space with easy access to place items like drinks?
- Do you need a spot to store small items?
- Do you need extra external space to display items like indoor plants (does it have natural light?)
- Do you need an item with multiple uses such as a movable side table to use as a mini-desk space?
Here are some fantastic ideas for side tables and end tables:
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Couch: Ultimate Furniture For Your Living Space 🛋
A couch is a must for even the smallest living rooms and is often the key piece in a room.
There are lots of types of couches, ways to style them, and uses for them including extra space.
What Size Couch Should I Get?
The standard sizes for couches are as follows:
- Extra Small: Up to 51 inches (approx. 4.25 feet) wide
- Small: 51-69 inches (approx. 4.25-5.75 feet) wide
- Medium: 70-85 inches (approx. 5.83-7.08 feet) wide
- Large: 85-100 inches (approx. 7.08-8.33 feet) wide
- Extra Large: Over 100 inches (over 8.33 feet) wide
Here are some great couches you can get on Amazon! (Remember to measure before purchasing!)
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Extra Seating 🪑
When entertaining large groups, investing in extra furniture isn’t a requirement, but definitely helps — especially if you have hardwood floors.
Here are some extra seating ideas for your living room:
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Lighting: From Table Lamp to Floor Lamp 💡
Good lighting can really make a living space feel bigger and better.
Here are some great lighting options for your college apartment:
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Floor Space: Accent Rug to Area Rug
What’s the Difference Between An Accent Rug and An Area Rug?
An area rug is typically a rug that is larger and fills a space. An accent rug is one that is usually much smaller and highlights a space such as by a door or window or next to a piece of furniture.
What Size Area Rug Should I Get?
The standard sizes for an area rug are as follows:
- Extra Small: Up to 2 feet by 3 feet
- Small: 3 feet by 5 feet
- Medium: 4 feet by 6 feet
- Large: 5 feet by 8 feet
- Extra Large: 8 feet by 10 feet or larger
What Size Accent Rug Should I Get?
The standard sizes for small accent rugs are as follows:
- Extra Small: Up to 12 by 18 inches (1 by 1.5 feet)
- Small: 18 by 24 inches (1.5 by 2 feet)
- Medium: 24 by 36 inches (2 by 3 feet)
- Large: 30 by 48 inches (2.5 by 4 feet)
- Extra Large: 36 by 60 inches (3 by 5 feet) or larger
Here are some awesome ideas for area rugs and cute accent rugs for your small living area:
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College Apartment Decor Ideas – Room Decor Ideas
Here are some awesome room decor ideas to make your living space decorative, and relaxing, and a fun way to make even a small, outdated living room feel like home!
Pro Tip: When selecting decor for your small living room try to stick to a color palette/color scheme — it will create a more cohesive “look” and it will make items that you want to add that “pop of color” really pop!
Throw Pillows And Fun Ways To Organize Them ☁️
Decorative pillows are a great way to accent your new place or add a pop of color. Plus, there are plenty of ways to style them on a couch.
How Many Throw Pillows Should I Get For My Couch?
The number of pillows you should add to a couch can be determined by its size:
- Small: 2-3 pillows
- Medium: 3-4 pillows
- Medium Large: 4-5 pillows
- Large: 5-6 pillows
- Extra Large: 6-7 pillows
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Wall Art: Solitary Pieces to Gallery Walls 🌄
Wall art is one of the best ways to make a first apartment feel like a home.
You can add just a single piece of artwork or photography on your wall or you can great the very popular and trendy gallery walls that have taken over Pinterest.
You can even buy a gallery wall instead of having to create a cohesive gallery wall yourself.
What Size Gallery Wall Should I Get/Make?
The standard sizes for gallery walls are as follows:
- Extra Small: Up to 1 foot by 1 foot
- Small: 2 feet by 2 feet
- Medium: 3 feet by 3 feet
- Large: 4 feet by 4 feet
- Extra Large: 5 feet by 5 feet or larger
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First Apartment Curtains 🪟 – Sometimes You Need A Shower Curtain Rod
A lot of apartment complexes, especially for first apartments don’t allow you to drill into the wall to hang up curtains. For my first apartment, they didn’t allow us to drill or nail anything into the wall.
Therefore, make sure to check with your landlord whether you can or not. If you can’t drill into the wall there are tons of handy methods of hanging up curtains without drilling.
Here’s a helpful video with different options for hanging curtains — number 4 is what we used in our first apartment!
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String Lights – College Apartment Living Room Ideas ✨
String lights are a great way to brighten a space. I wouldn’t recommend necessarily hanging them up on the walls, because that can look a bit immature — however, if you don’t care about that, string lights are a great way to light up your living room and great a calming ambiance. (I did this in my first apartment and it was a hit when we hosted!)
Here are some great string lights on Amazon:
Indoor Plants 🪴
Indoor plants are great for adding a pop of color, making your room feel fresher, filtering the air, and decorating your space.
Unless you’re a total gardening wizard, I recommend starting out with a low-maintenance plant.
What Are Some Low-Maintenance Plants For Your Living Space?
Here are some of the best low-maintenance plants for a home:
- Snake Plant: Known for their hardiness, these plants can survive in low light and don’t require frequent watering.
- Pothos: These trailing plants do well in a variety of lighting conditions and only need to be watered when the soil feels dry.
- ZZ Plant: ZZ plants are drought tolerant and can thrive in both low and bright indirect light.
- Spider Plant: These plants are resilient, thrive in indirect light, and don’t require a strict watering schedule.
- Rubber Plant: They can tolerate low light conditions and infrequent watering.
- Peace Lily: While they do bloom in bright, indirect light, they can tolerate low light conditions and only need water once a week.
Here are some ideas for live and faux plants to accent your small apartment!
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Small Dining Table🍴 – The Perfect Way To Make The Room Feel Bigger
A small dining table is a great way to style your place and is very practical for a multitude of uses.
Plus, for a new apartment, it’s time to stop eating in non-eating spaces — meaning no more eating on the couch or in your bed! 🛏
You can opt for a small kitchen table or a full-size dining table depending on your space… just don’t forget to measure.
What Size Should I Get For A Small Dining Table For A Small Apartment?
The standard sizes for small dining tables are as follows:
- Extra Small: Up to 2 feet in diameter
- Small: 2-3 feet in diameter
- Medium: 3-4 feet in diameter
- Large: 4-5 feet in diameter
- Extra Large: Over 5 feet in diameter
A small dining table is perfect for anything from eating to late-night study sessions.
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Small Space Simple Solution For Extra Storage
Whether you have a studio apartment or a small college apartment or even your first college apartment, chances are, your smaller space can make things feel cramped and disorganized.
Therefore, an easy way to make the room look and feel bigger is by implementing a simple solution here or there for extra storage in your small space.
Here are some great storage solution ideas:
- Storage Ottomans
- Storage space organizer such as baskets or hooks
- Storage bins
- Under-the-couch storage solutions
Here are some great small space ideas for extra storage:
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I hope these college apartment living room ideas have inspired you to make even a small apartment a great place to live!
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