A Modern College Apartment

My youngest sister is a college student at LSU. (Where else?!) She's going to be a senior next year and is hoping to move into a larger apartment. She and I thought it would be fun to dream up her ideal college living room.

Her request was a living room that was modern but still homey. The colors she wants to see are black, white, and red with accents of chrome.

Even though this is excercise is just for fun I tried to keep the costs low and somewhat practical; with some bold and bright thrown in here and there.

Here are some furniture ideas I've come up with so far:

Sofas

I like this Ektorp sofa from Ikea. It's modern feeling and comfy too. And since it's from Ikea the price is right at $500.

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The Clare sofa from Macy's is sleek and I like the button tufting. It's an apartment size sofa so it's smaller scale will be good for my sister's apartment living room. It's a little more pricey at $899 but still a good buy at under $1,000.

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And when your looking for furniture somewhere you may not think to look is JCPenny. They have a lot of quality pieces  at good prices. (I know this because our one of our sofas is from there) The Audrey sofa is modern, small scale, and a good price- $700. Only downside is that it only comes in 2 fabric options.

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Coffee & End Tables

This Rustic Storage Coffee Table from West Elm immedietly caught my eye. I liked the warm feel of the wood combined with the modern lines of the table. Extra bonus is that it has storage inside and the top pops up to act as an extra table space. Perfect for my sister who uses her laptop a lot. It's a splurge at $500.

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I liked the warm wood and storage/ display solution of the Gallery Coffee Table from Urban Outfitters. At $300 it's still a bit high.

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The Klubbo coffee table from Ikea is a perfect for a college budget at $90. And the chrome look metal legs are perfect for our modern theme.

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End tables can be a great way to bring some fun and funk into a space without overdoing it. 

This bold red Hourglass Lacquer Table from Urban Outfitters would be a perfect pop of color for our college living room. But at $270 it might break the bank as far as end tables go.

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These Nesting Tables from Ikea are much more budget friendly at $99. The color is right and since they nest they are good space savers- the tables can be pulled out as needed for extra seating or table space.

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Fun Rugs:

Rugs are another way to bring in some fun and pattern into a space.

This bold pattern Lappljung Rug from Ikea is a great price at only $69. 

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The Almsted rug from Ikea is off white so it feels warmer than stark white. It's made of wool so it's durable and stain resistant. It's on sale for $199.

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Cowhide anyone?

How am I going to pull it all together? Be on the lookout next week to find out!