Married to a Hall Director

brittblaz

So this May me and my fiance will be graduating and then moving in together around July. He just got hired as a professional Area Coordinator which means for the first 5 or so years of our lives together, we will be living in an apartment on a campus. This is hard for me because I was looking forward to the nesting (renovating) aspect of moving in together, and now I am not sure what to do with this space where I can't even paint a single wall. This is all so new to me and something I have been pondering for a while. If there is anyone out there who can maybe give me some decorating advice on how to make this new apartment our "home" without it feeling like i'm still living at college, I would be grateful beyond belief!

Mrs.G123

No advice but you may want to edit out your location/university. 

VMRRN23

I know you can't paint, but you can hang things on the walls. (Even if they don't "let' you, you could just fill the holes with spackle later, like we used to do in college).

If your budget allows, I would hang real curtain rods and draperies. Buy nicer picture frames and hang your photos with thought. You can do a lot without painting the walls (at least they are white). We've been renting since 2004, but I feel like we've made the place look like home-although I am very eager to move to our house in June.  

Also, once your done with decorating, save as much money as you can if he has one of those deals where the rent is free. My BFF's sister worked for a college for 5 years and they were able to save 20% downpayment while she had that job. GL!

kaylie622

Anthropologie has some really great wallpaper that is supposed to come off really easily. You could use it on accent walls and book shelves or something like that.

emjacobs13

There are a million things that you can do to make a space your home without needing to paint the walls.  You can cover a wall in floor to ceiling drapes, there is wallpaper out there that is made to be removable (easily). There are mirrors and shelves and pictures that you can put up. 

Also talk to the person that will be in charge of housing, you might be able to convince them to let you paint if it is (1) an acceptable color or (2) you will repaint all walls to basic white before you move out. 

My college actually let you paint the dorm rooms, you just had to pay a fee to do so and the color had to be approved.  The fee was for the painters to come in over the summer and paint over it.  If you signed up to keep that dorm room for the next year they carried over the paint fee you paid and you could repaint if you wanted. 

Pamela05

I would double check on the painting.  My university allowed us to paint approved colors with university provided paint (to ensure it was good quality and wouldn't have incompatibility problems).  I was a Hall Director, knew a couple of the married ones, and have considered the possibility of doing it again in the future. 

A lot can be done with linens and artwork.  Also, banish as much university provided furniture as possible and bringing in your own items.  Use pretty lamps and keep the blinds open to reduce the need to use the flourescent lights.  If you can't hang curtain rods, use the spring loaded ones to at least put up sheers or removable window frosting to provide some privacy during the day.  Even if the room is carpeted, put your own rug over it (either wall to wall or as an area rug depending on the pattern/color of what's in the room). 

brittblaz

These are all great ideas. Being an Art Education major I had every intention of decorating my walls with beautiful work (paintings, photos, etc.) So that is on my to do list this summer. It will be even more perfect after we finally are able to take our engagement photos this summer, that way I have some quality photographs to use before the wedding next June. Curtains is also a great idea. One that I did not think of, so thank you! I will most likely be doing that and the area rug was also a great idea. My fiance is a graduate hall director right now and in his apartment he has this strange area rug that a resident left behind, and it is hideous! lol! So needless to say he will NOT be helping pick that one out. Men... haha!