Fun DIY Decor Projects To Do With Your Roomie

By Alexia Gonzalez on July 21, 2015

This article is brought to you by CORT, a subsidiary of Berkshire-Hathaway and the world’s largest furniture rental and relocation services company. To learn more about how we can help college students like you, click here.

Whether you and your roommate are best friends or are complete strangers that were matched up by your university’s very comprehensive (not so much) roommate matching system, decorating your dorm with another housemate will always present some challenges. Especially if you’ve got more than one person to consider.

Not only will you all more than likely share varied tastes in décor, chances are that you probably do not share the same idea about how you envision the look of your new residence. The best way to deal with this is to remember that decorating your shared space will involve compromise, and force you to decide what design elements are really important to you and what you’re willing to sacrifice.

But while it is a challenge, it’s not an impossible one. It’s totally achievable to not only find a middle ground, but to come together on a beautiful living space that you both truly love.

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A great way to blend your ideas while saving some major bucks (and a reason to spend some quality time getting to know your new roomie) is to put together some fabulous DIY décor projects. Since many new dorms or apartments must be treated as temporary subleases, always consider projects that won’t cause any irreparable damage so that you definitely get that security deposit back.

Here are some chic ways to add style to your new home with your roommate (and potential new bestie).

Mini Cork Planters

These cork planters are easy to make and make awesome fridge magnets. They’re super simple and only require wine corks, magnets, some soil, succulent leaf cuttings, a hot glue gun, a pairing knife and a screw driver. Start off by assembling your corks and punching a hole in the cork with the head of a screwdriver (be sure to work over a box or newspaper to prevent any corky spillage).

Take the paring knife and wiggle it around, carving out a hole into it that goes down about halfway the length of the cork. With a hot glue gun, affix magnets onto your corks. Fill your mini cork planters with soil. Plant your succulent cuttings into the cork planters and voilà, they’re ready to stick to your fridge or any other metal surface!

Skirt Curtain

Along with decorating your place, a great way to spend time with a new friend (or any friend for that matter) is to embark on a thrift store-shopping spree. Not only is it fun to laugh at each other wearing ridiculous outfits from the ’80s that are three sizes too big, thrift stores sometimes offer up very stylish finds. Although that may not always be the case, not every too-tacky-to-wear-but-kind-of-funky-skirt should be left behind. This project is just for that.

You can easily transform an awesome skirt into a cool curtain for your kitchen with a few easy steps. Simply cut a slit up the side, poke a couple of holes in the waistband, and slip it through a tension rod (you can pick up one of these at Target or Wal-Mart). Lastly, just grab some sharp scissors to clean up the edges and just like that you have a funky and one of a kind café curtain that all of your guests will admire.

Frame Key Holder

This is a very efficient and functional project that once complete, you’ll never know how you went a day without. You and your roomie will absolutely love creating this fuss free and very adorable key holder that can be hung next to the front door of your residence. To start, find a chic picture frame that you both love.

You can buy a ready-made frame or even pick one up at an antique shop and paint it to your liking. You’ll also need a screwdriver with an appropriate size screw (the box of screw hooks will tell you which size).

Lastly, pick up some basic screw hooks. Take your frame and plan out where you’d like your hooks to be placed. I decided to use four hooks for my frame. Once decided, drill correct sized holes into the frame. After holes are drilled, screw in each hook, and you’re ready to mount on the wall and hang keys!

Waste Basket Table

This is one that I bet you’ve never thought of before, but actually makes perfect sense. Check out Target for an interesting geometric metal wastebasket that matches the color scheme or décor of your living room and simply flip it over for an affordable and compact piece of furniture. You can even spray paint the waste paper basket to better match the surrounding theme.

Painted Mirror

This is a really unique project that you can do to a removable hanging mirror in a common area, or even to your bathroom mirror (as long as the paint is washable). All you need is some painter’s tape, a ruler, and spray paint.

Start by cutting the tape into your desired pattern. The best part is that you can make the design as intricate as you want depending on the way that you choose to cut the tape. Start off by cutting the tape out in triangle pieces and sticking them on the outside border of the mirror.

Once you tape your way around the outside edge with your pattern, tape a trash bag over the center of the mirror so that section remains unpainted when you are finished. Next, take your chosen spray paint color and spray on two light coats of paint, waiting adequate dry time between coats. Once the paint is dry, carefully peel off the tape, and voilà!

Looking for a more convenient way to furnish your off-campus apartment? Rent stylish furniture from CORT and save time and money. For more information on furniture rental packages, click here.

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