Editor’s Note: Every Sunday, Blair shows us how to decorate our apartment or dorm without spending a fortune. Since your room says as much about you as your outfit, what do you want yours to say? This week, she’ll show you how to give an old piece of furniture a makeover for cheap!

Have you ever envisioned the perfect piece of furniture but weren’t able to find it anywhere? Or have you found something you loved in a store but couldn’t afford the hefty price tag?

With a little knowhow and some DIY skill, those problems will be a thing of the past! This article will show you how to turn old furniture you find in your attic, at yard sales, or at thrift stores into new and unique furniture you’ll love!

The Process

Step 1: Go hunting!

The first step in creating your own unique piece of furniture is to find an old piece that you want to remake.

Look around your parent’s attic, thrift stores, and on craigslist. Examine each piece and envision what you could turn it into! You can start small with things like picture frames, small tables, or stools, but eventually you might want to look for pieces like chairs, dressers, and desks for the best savings and style potential.

Step 2: Prep work

After you’ve found something you’d like to remake, it’s time to get it ready!

In order to make your furniture beautiful, you first need to clean it and prep it for painting. I usually just fill the sink with hot water and a little bit of dish soap, then use a rag to wash off the surface. I do this a few times, letting the piece dry in between each step. That way, you can get off all the dirt and oils that might prevent it from holding paint.

Next, use steel wool or sandpaper to rough up the surface of the wood. Creating a rough surface is crucial to getting your paint job to stay!

Finally, wash off the dust you’ve created from sanding. Now your piece is ready for priming.

Step 3: Priming

Now it’s time to prime your piece of furniture to get it ready for painting!

I usually use a water based, stain blocking primer, but make sure to talk to a customer service representative when you buy your paint. The most important part is finding a primer and a paint that work together! For example, you can’t use an oil-based primer with acrylic paint.

Step 4: Painting

This is the fun part! I usually use an acrylic paint in a color that I love. Acrylic paint is much easier to use (and way easier to clean up), but if your furniture is going to be subjected to a lot of wear an tear, oil based paint might be the best bet. Either way, make sure to follow the directions on the can… and the more coats, the better!

Step 5: Enjoy!

Once your furniture has completely dried, put it in your room, sit back, and be proud of your handiwork!

Shopping List:

• used or antique wooden furniture you’d like to remake
• sandpaper or steel wool
• paintbrushes and/or rollers
• primer and paint that go together in a color you love!

And for a little inspiration, here’s a peek at two projects I completed recently for my own room!

So, do you DIY?

Do you ever attempt DIY projects like this one? Do you love decorating your room/apartment to express your personality? Have you come up with creative ways to turn something old into something new and unique? Leave a comment and tell us about it!

College dorm rooms or apartments often fall by the wayside as far as decorating goes, but the truth is, your college space is a great place to express your personal style. This new series of posts will help you make your space somewhere that makes you feel happy, comfortable, and proud to show off to friends!

So, don’t be intimidated by the tiny dimensions or bare white walls! In no time, you will be on the way to turning your drab dorm into a functional and stylish place to spend your time.

The First Step: Determine Your Personal Interior Style

You probably already know what your tastes are in fashion. That same style radar can be used to tune into interior design as well! The trick is figuring out what you like and turning it into a reality in your room.

3 Fun Ways to Find Your Interior Style

1. Figure out what inspires you and determine why it does.

Scour blogs, online picture galleries, magazines, friends’ rooms, anywhere you can find! Pick out images that you find inspirational and keep track of them. Keep a file of pictures that jump out at you either on your computer (you could use Evernote) or on paper. Then, go through the pictures and figure out what elements of the room drew you to the picture at first glance.

Some great places to find inspiring pictures are:

The Apartment Therapy home tours section

House Beautiful photo galleries

Belle Maison Blog

Decorology Blog 

Enjoy! And remember, these are just to help you find pictures that can guide you to your personal taste. They don’t necessarily have to be pictures of bedrooms.

2. Take hints from what you already have.

Look at the particular pieces of furniture or decorations that you already have and love. Basing your room around one particular item can lead to a disaster, but if you have a few pieces that you really love, think about how they go together and what would be a good complement or contrast to them.

3. Take a quiz!

Take this fun quiz at HomeGood’s StyleScope. It will help you put a name on your particular decorating style and may even give you some more ideas.

Tell Us About Your Style!

What do you think your interior style is? Do you have any decorating road blocks that you have encountered?

Be sure to check back next week for my next article about Styling Your Space!

As far as dorm room accessories go, so long as you are allowed to bring it (check with your school if you aren’t sure), practically anything goes!

One of the rules I mentioned in my post on dorm room bedding applies to decorations too – you have the whole rest of your life to go with “practical” furnishings. College is your time to go all out, where it’s socially acceptable to have a completely crazy room if that’s what you want. Have fun with it!

Check out some of my picks for cute dorm room decorations on a budget.

Magnetic Memo Board – $14.88	Vogue Wall Art – $49.99
Marilyn Monroe Giant Poster – $16.99	French Memo Board – $14.99

I hope you enjoyed the mini-series on dorm room decorating. Check back soon for more on this subject and other college fashion topics. If you have any questions or feedback, leave them in the comments or email me! (My info is in the About Me section.) Have fun and good luck with your college shopping!

More Information

Check out the rest of the posts in the College Dorm Room Shopping series to get everything you need for a fabulous dorm:

• College Dorm Room Shopping Part 1: Bedding
• College Dorm Room Shopping Part 2: Furnishings
• College Dorm Room Shopping Part 3: Storage

Why are storage containers so important to shop for? Dorm rooms are usually tiny – way smaller than you’d probably expect, and therefore you’re going to need to find ways to store all your stuff in order to maximize your space.

Also, if you love fashion, you’re going to need enough room to store all your clothes, shoes and accessories. Dorm room closets are usually not very large, so you need to get creative with your storage choices.

Fortunately, there are tons of great options when it comes to shopping for storage containers, and there are lots of ways to hide your stuff creatively.

A few tips to keep in mind when shopping for dorm room storage:

1. Go vertical. Horizontal space is limited in a dorm room, so you are going to want to maximize every inch you have. Get tall shelves for your room that aren’t too wide, and lots of hooks for your walls.
2. Raise your bed up. A great space to store stuff that you don’t use very often is under your bed. Definitely buy a set of bed risers and get some containers for under-bed storage to make the most of that space.
3. Get portable storage. Take into account the weight and portability of every storage container you buy. Ideally, you want to be able to move without unpacking much stuff. If you can find durable containers with handles, it will make moving in and out of your dorm so much easier.

Here are some examples of storage furniture for your dorm:

6 Drawer Cart – $27.99	Student Lounge Organizers and Storage – $11.99
Collapsible Hamper – Pink Plaid – $14.99	Iris Set of 8 Mesh Baskets – $34.99

Now that you have an idea of what you’ll need for storage in your dorm room, be sure to check your school’s website to find out how big your room will be, and also talk to your future roommate to find out what they’re bringing. Then shop accordingly.

Check back soon for the next part in this series, where we get into the fun stuff – decorating your dorm!

*Dorm room photo by Darlingsnail on flickr.

More Information

Check out the rest of the posts in the College Dorm Room Shopping series to get everything you need for a fabulous dorm:

• College Dorm Room Shopping Part 1: Bedding
• College Dorm Room Shopping Part 2: Furnishings
• College Dorm Room Shopping Part 4: Decorations

Furnishing a dorm room is easy because most of what you need will come with your room (desk, closet, bed, dresser.) It is also tricky at the same time because you are working with a very small space. Here are my top tips for shopping for dorm room furnishings.

1. Talk to your roommate. You will save yourself a lot of time and money if you talk to your roommate about who’s bringing what for your room. You don’t want to get to school on move in day with two of everything – there won’t be enough room for it all.
2. Check your college’s website. They should list what is going to come with your room, as well as any items that are off-limits, so you will have a good picture of what’s missing and what you need to buy.
3. Invest in storage bins. You won’t realize how much stuff you have until you try and pack it up. Buy some good quality plastic storage bins and moving will be easier – plus, you’ll have a place to put everything.
4. Don’t get heavy furniture.Trust me on this one. The lighter the better is the rule for furniture in college. Don’t bring a huge armoir that takes 3 people to lift. It’s much more of a hassle than you’re going to want to deal with.
5. Get lamps. Dorm rooms usually come equipped with one big fluorescent light that is supposed to provide lighting for the entire room. First of all, its usually not bright enough. Also, when your roommate wants to sleep but you have a paper to write, you’ll be happy to have a small desk lamp on your side of the room.
6. Buy a rug. Dorm room floors are normally cold and linoleum. They aren’t cozy or homey, so I recommend investing in a good quality, durable rug for your floor to make your room more livable. Get a dark color so you won’t have to worry about stains.

Now that you know what to look for, here are some of my picks for some great dorm room furnishings you should consider:

Bed Risers (Set of 4) – $9.99	Shag Rug – Purple – $69.99
Stacking Underbed Storage Chest – Set of 2 – $64.99	5-Head Floor Lamp – Silver/ Pinks – $19.99

Now that you know what to buy for furnishings, check back soon for another part in this series on decorating your dorm room to reflect your personal style!

* Dorm room photo by bbautista on flickr.

More Information

Check out the rest of the posts in the College Dorm Room Shopping series to get everything you need for a fabulous dorm:

• College Dorm Room Shopping Part 1: Bedding
• College Dorm Room Shopping Part 3: Storage
• College Dorm Room Shopping Part 4: Decorations

One quick thing to note: College is THE time to go crazy with your room decorations. Once you’re living in the adult world, it will no longer be as acceptable to have a hot-pink bed, purple mini fridge, and strings of Christmas lights hanging everywhere in your apartment. For now, feel free to express your personality in your room – you can go for the “adult” look later!

This will be a multi-part series I’ll be posting over the next few days. Today I’m going to focus on Dorm Room Bedding. There are so many options out there in terms of duvet covers and sheet sets, which I’m going to feature at the end of this post. First, here are a few tips on buying bedding for college:

1. Get extra-long twin sheets. That’s the number one rule for dorm room bedding, which they probably tell you at orientation. Normal twin size sheets won’t fit the beds, and you need to get XL-Twin.
2. Don’t get white bedding. In college, your dorm room is where you spend most of your time – whether it’s studying, pre-gaming, hanging out with friends or even eating. Since there isn’t much room for chairs in the typical dorm, your bed is going to be like a couch most of the time. Therefore, if you get white bedding, it will be stained/ruined by the end of the semester. Go for darker colors when it comes to college bedding.
3. Buy a few sets of sheets. You aren’t going to feel like doing laundry more often than every 2-weeks, and if you only have one set of sheets, they’re going to get grungy. Oh, and message to the boys: you need to wash your sheets more than once a year! If you’re lazy, get a few sheet sets and swap them out regularly.
4. Buy a mattress pad. Trust me – the mattress your dorm room comes with is going to be hard as a rock! Get a good mattress pad (memory foam is amazing but pricey; egg crate pads are another decent option) and your back will thank you!

Now that the basics are out of the way, on to the fun stuff – picking out cute bedding for your dorm room! There are so many cute options for any budget and personal style. Some of my picks:

Tommy Hilfiger “Biscayne” Campus Kit – $99.99

Isaac Mizrahi for Target “Dot Matrix” – $15-$99

Victoria’s Secret PINK Duvet Cover – $69

Pbteen Dottie Duvet Cover – $69

More Information

Check out the rest of the posts in the College Dorm Room Shopping series to get everything you need for a fabulous dorm:

• College Dorm Room Shopping Part 2: Furnishings
• College Dorm Room Shopping Part 3: Storage
• College Dorm Room Shopping Part 4: Decorations

Thankfully, affordable furniture retailer IKEA has your dorm room covered. The company has just launched the new college dorm website Roommate Living, which features lots of cute and affordable furniture and dorm room decorations.

The Roommate Living website also mentions IKEA’s College Night, which is Wednesday July 25th from 6-9 PM. At participating IKEA stores on that night, you can get “advice on what you need for your dorm or off-campus housing.”

If you’re going to attend college night at IKEA, don’t forget to bring your high school senior or college ID. Students with ID’s will be entered to win free furnishings, IKEA gift cards, meals, or an entire purchase for free.

Here at College Fashion, I’m all about making your dorm room cute on a budget. Check back soon for more on this subject as Fall 2007 draws closer.