29 Cute Ideas For Your College Apartment Living Room

Decorating your college apartment living room is one of the most fun areas to decorate in your apartment because it’s an area that pretty much everyone is going to see. It’s also more fun because you get to collab with your roomies and bring your vision to life!

In this post, you’ll find some of the BEST college apartment living room ideas!

We will be going over the furniture you need for a college apartment living room, college apartment living room decor ideas, and college apartment living room themes.

Let’s hop right in!

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College Apartment Living Room Furniture

Some college apartments already come fully furnished (which is such a blessing!) but if you are going to have to furnish your college apartment living room yourself, here are the staple furniture pieces you are going to need to complete your living room!

1. Couch

Your couch is going to be your primary seating area for your living room, so it’s definitely a must-have! However, I don’t recommend splurging on an expensive couch for your first apartment.

If you are living with roommates, you probably won’t be keeping it for very long. These inexpensive ones from Amazon would work perfectly!

Pro Tip: You can even split the cost with your roommate(s)!

2. Coffee Table

Coffee tables are great for holding drinks and plates when you are eating in the living room. It even provides storage for things like remotes, coasters, and books so nothing goes missing.

3. Side Table

If you plan on having lamps for extra lighting in your living room, a side table is a must! You can place side tables at the side of your couch or chairs for an extra holding space for things that is easily accessible.

4. TV Stand

Mounting a TV on the wall can be a lot of work, and some apartments don’t allow it. Luckily, having a TV Stand in your living room will do just the trick!

You can also use your TV stand as storage space by adding cute storage baskets in the open areas!

5. Chairs

A cute accent chair isn’t always necessary if you have a living room that’s on the smaller side, but not only does it provide extra seating, but it adds personality to your room too!

Chair #1 would be so cute in a boho or modern living room and Chair #2 would add the perfect pop of glam to a glam/chic living room.

College Apartment Living Room Decor Ideas

6. Blanket Ladder

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Blanket ladders are commonly used to store blankets, but it doubles as cute living room decor too! (We LOVE a 2-in-1 cute & functional combo).

If you really want to make your blanket ladder stand out, match your blankets to your overall living room decor theme so that they effortlessly blend in.

7. Woven Baskets

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Placing a basket or 2 around your living room is great for effortless organization. You can throw blankets and pillows in them when you are not using them so that they don’t end up on the gross floor.

8. Coffee Table Tray

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Coffee table trays are my favorite way to spice up a boring coffee table into a stylish decor area. You can add flowers, books, and candles to help give your living room a cozy feel!

9. Faux Plants

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Having plants in your living room (real or fake) is essential for making your living room feel alive. If you don’t want to have to worry about the maintenance that it takes to keep real plants alive, fake plants are definitely the way to go!

10. Wall Art

Let’s face it, most college apartments aren’t the most appealing. But you can really change the vibe of your entire living room by putting up cute wall decor and wall art.

Etsy has some of the CUTEST prints that are super cheap that you can use in these wall frames.

Pro Tip: If you want to find prints that specifically match your decor style, search your decor style followed by wall art (ex. Bohemian wall art).

11. Floating Shelves

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Floating shelves are another way you can take your apartment living room walls from drab to fab. I love this idea because you can layer on different pieces and style them like a miniature bookshelf!

Pro tip: If you are interested in learning more about styling shelves, check out this post

12. Cute Throw Pillows

A boring couch is a no-go if you want a cute college apartment living room. Throw pillows are a simple and easy way to bring your living room decor all the way to the couch.

Pro Tip: Here’s the thing about throw pillows: they can get really, expensive really fast. Want to know the secret to getting cheap throw pillows? Buy pillow inserts and pillow covers separately.

Pro Tip #2: If you want fluffy & choppable pillows, buy a pillow insert that is one size bigger than your pillow cover (ex. 18-inch cover, 20-inch insert).

13. Ottoman

How cute are these ottomans?! I love the fact that they essentially provide extra seating and a footrest without taking up any space at all!

14. Mirrors

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Want your living room to look bigger? Mirrors will be your best friend!

Option #1: Place a large floor mirror in your living room (preferably in a corner by a window)

Option #2: Hang a mirror on your wall (typically behind or your couch, or a wall that is facing a window to reflect light)

15. Area Rug

If you don’t like cold feet, and you want to give your apartment living a cozier vibe, you HAVE to get an area rug. Amazon has super affordable ones like the one I linked above.

If you want to find more to match your living room theme, simply type in the color of your theme or decor style followed by “area rug” and you will find SO MANY choices.

Pro Tip: I highly recommend NOT getting a white fur rug. I had one my freshman year and it was a NIGHTMARE to keep clean. Trust me, you’ll thank me later haha.

16. Bookshelf

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This another decor idea that gives you storage space and style in one!

College Apartment Living Room Themes

Here some trendy college apartment living room theme ideas that will make your living room AMAZING.

I think it’s important to always go into any decorating project with a theme in mind to help keep you on track because it’s super easy to veer off and mix styles together that isn’t the look and vibe you are going for.

Trust me, when you pick a theme and stick to it, it makes decorating a breeze!