One of the first things you need to do when you move into student housing is to make your new apartment feel like home. This involves acquiring a few essentials to jazz up your space and make it more functional.
1. Lamp
There may be times when you want something softer than your overhead light. If you’re sharing a room, this could even be a necessity if one of you wants to stay up later than the other. It’s a good idea to have a lamp desk to avoid straining your eyes when studying and perhaps one for your nightstand for when you want to read at night.
2. Throw Blanket
You’ll find you love having at least one throw blanket to wrap around you when the weather is cold — even if the heating is up high. It will feel comforting when you’re curled up on the bed with a good book, watching movies on the couch, or sitting at the desk doing a late-night study session.
3. Reed Diffusers
A great alternative to candles for infusing your apartment with your favorite scent with reed diffusers. Place some on your desk, the coffee table in your living room, and the counter in your bathroom. Whenever you notice the scent starts to diminish, just flip the reeds.
4. Storage Baskets
You’ll need plenty of storage in your student apartment. Add to the aesthetics by using baskets. You can use them for all sorts of things — from shoes and clothes to linen and small items that don’t belong anywhere in particular. They’ll also be useful for transporting belongings between your student apartment and your parents’ home.
5. Mirrors
As well as being functional, mirrors help your space feel larger. Install a full-length mirror in the bedroom to check your outfit before you go out, a stylish wall mirror in the living room, and maybe a vanity mirror in the bathroom (this will be useful if you wear makeup).
6. Drawer Organizers
You may think you’ll be disciplined enough to keep the contents of your drawers organized, but they will quickly become cluttered when you’re rushing to class in the morning. Drawer organizers will force you to stay neat. Plus, they will make it easy to see if you’re starting to run out of clothes and need to do a load of laundry.
7. Bookcase
Keep your textbooks accessible by installing a small bookcase in your bedroom. You can also add all the other books you read during your time at university — displaying books you read for leisure is ideal for showing some of your interests.
No matter how much you try to infuse them with your personality, dorm rooms will always be cramped and uncomfortable. However, it’s easy to transform the right off-campus student housing into your new home. You’ll find apartments near uOttawa that you’ll definitely be able to call home at THEO. We have a range of modern floor plans to suit your preferences in everything from bachelor apartments and shared suites. Book a tour to pay us a visit.