by Christina Yu > University of Notre Dame | photos Kate Cassali

Whether you nabbed the suite with the cathedral ceiling or got stuck atop a tower of bunk beds in the all-freshmen-single-sex nunnery, add some panache to your college pad with these decorating tips:

• Frame posters for a classier look. To save money, attach posters to bright scrapbook paper, and frame with black cardboard.

• Attach bright fabric to square blocks of canvas. Groups of six or eight can be arranged to form a museum-like “colorblock” display.

• Add a feather-pad on top of your mattress. Decorative pillows in contrasting colors are great accents on and off the bed.
• You can never have too many lamps. They allow you to soften and harden light, and brighten the room in degrees.

• For the botanically challenged, make a bouquet of crepe paper flowers. Bouquets of twigs, feathers, and other unexpected materials also make eye-catching displays.

• Decorate plain lamp-shades with bands of bright paper or fabric. Use scraps leftover from other projects for a sense of subtle coordination.

• If space permits, add eccentric personal objects—your sculpture from art class, a punching bag, a mannequin dressed in your costume for the play.

• Let scarves, hand-bags, and belts serve as functional wall decorations.

• Hang-up landscape art to “open-up” a windowless room.

• Cover wicker storage boxes with a tablecloth to create a coffee table. Complete the look with coasters and a candy dish.